BCG Daily Thursday 28th November 2013

Robert Webb: Why Tristram Hunt didn't cut it as a comic

Tristram Hunt, the shadow education secretary, was not 'reliably funny' during his days performing in the Footlights at Cambridge according to his co-star Robert Webb.

Mark Rough dies after battle with cancer

Mark Rough, who called himself the Mackem Motormouth, had been undergoing intensive chemotherapy for the past month at a hospital in Leeds.

James Corden confirmed as 2014 Brit award hosts

James Corden has been confirmed as host of the 2014 Brit Awards - but it will be his last event as presenter.

Misfits series 5 episode 6 review

This week's Misfits proves what a unique (and offensive) show Howard Overman's series is.

Ben Miller interview

Ben Miller on starring in The Duck House, a farce about MPs' expenses, and sketch partnership with Alexander Armstrong.

Leicestershire Stand-Up Challenge winner

Leicester Mercury sales executive Kara Smith has been crowned a comedy queen. The 24-year-old media sales adviser has won the inaugural Leicestershire Stand-Up Challenge.

Still Game for 5 more shows

Still Game fans who missed out on tickets for next year's live stage shows at the Hydro have another chance to be there as five more extra dates have been announced.

Reginald D Hunter interview

Reginald D Hunter is coming to the end of an 87-date tour and he's tired. But he's getting his mojo back, thanks to a recent Facebook spat with a disgruntled gig-goer from Aberystwyth.

Seymour Mace becomes 1st comic in residence for museum

An Ashington museum has appointed a "Comedian in Residence" in what is believed to be the first project of its kind anywhere in the world.

Carl Donnelly reviews his reviews

The chatty stand-up averaged four-stars from the critics at the Edinburgh Fringe. But what did he make of the write-ups?

Jack Dee to host Channel 4's Twit of the Year

Hosted by sardonic comic Jack Dee, Twit Of The Year will take an entertaining look back at 2013 to reveal the biggest social media gaffes and triumphs that got the nation talking and reminisce on how they were viewed, shared and retold online.

Jessica Knappett interview

'I had to move at least a few miles away but not too far away so I could still pop back for a Sunday roast.' Jessica Knappett clearly chose the University of Manchester for all the right reasons.

How much would Del Boy's flat be worth these days?

Looking at property websites, you can get a fair sense of how much the homes from TV would cost you now. Do so and you'll find the dingy Croydon flat Mark and Jez share in Peep Show is relatively affordable, at somewhere around the £175,000 mark (lucky, really, since only one of them has a job). The one from Spaced, though, is in a Victorian block in desirable Tufnell Park, placing it way out of reach at nearly half a million.

The story behind Set List

James Mullinger met with the two founders of Set List, Paul Provenza and Babs Romen to discuss the runaway success of the concept.

Radio Times review

When an impressionist has such a distinct face, sketches can fall flat on television, no matter how uncanny the voice. The same could be said of Jon Culshaw and Debra Stephenson, so a return to radio should bode well.

I have to say, however, it's a mixed bag. The John Craven skit was by far the funniest, where he's challenged to sex up Countryfile à la cult US show Breaking Bad. "Have you ever cooked crystal meth?" asks a terribly posh female TV exec. Ironically, the impersonation of Craven is probably the least accomplished in the programme.

Not so the ones of Alan Bennett, Jools Holland and William Hague, whose vocal quirks are caught to a T, though the scripts could have been tighter. In all, the show leaves a satisfactory, if not great, impression.