BCG Daily Wednesday 29th January 2014

Preview: Punt and Dennis Are Ploughing On Regardless

Punt and Dennis celebrate their 25 year partnership in their 2014 UK tour, which arrives in the North East this weekend.

Radio Times review

It's now possible to measure the passage of time not just by how your own children have grown up but by the way the Outnumbered kids have changed. And it's frightening.

Little Karen has started secondary school and is almost unrecognisable with her dark, swishy hairstyle, while 14-year-old Ben is much bigger than older brother Jake, who's got a tattoo, sideburns and is learning to drive. Hugh Dennis and Claire Skinner look exactly the same, though.

It's gently entertaining but somehow the cheeky dialogue that made us laugh when delivered by cute yet precocious children back in 2007 doesn't sound so funny coming from teenagers.

Radio Times review

This is the one the fans have been waiting for. It's the festival of Nacken so, ignoring Arbiter Maven's edict to take their Nightly Bye pill and sleep in peace, the residents hit the Moosic Tavern for a Dionysian all-nighter.

Inspired by Sky's smart decision to package up all the songs from series one into a music special two years ago, creators Chris Bran and Justin Chubb deliver a whole episode of catchy, weird sing-along folk. It's safe to say the pair, who write the series in a room full of musical instruments and switch constantly between script and song, own a copy of The Wicker Man.

Amid all the strange duos played by Bran and Chubb is guest star Rob Brydon as the beefy, Springsteen-esque Rex Camalbeeter. His song Female Badger will stay in your head for a week.

Jo Caulfield interview

An interview with Jo Caulfield.

Lenny Henry loses three stone after fight with diabetes

Lenny Henry has opened up about his recent weight loss after being diagnosed with diabetes.

Al Murray and David Cameron are distant cousins

Al Murray is related to David Cameron, according to newly released family records. The comedian and British prime minister are distant cousins through 19th century novelist and Vanity Fair writer William Thackeray.

Punt & Dennis: Ploughing on Regardless, comedy review

The latest foray of Radio 4's hardy perennials is, sadly, a return to lukewarm form.

Steve Hall interview

Self-Googling, trawling through tawdry pornography and watching fat people falling over are just some of the things UK stand-up comedian Steve Hall deems to be important tools of his trade.

Comedians take apart their comedy routines

Where do jokes come from? And how do they change in the telling? Three standups - Hal Cruttenden, Kurt Braunohler and Kerry Godliman - dissect their acts...

Brit Marling: the Hollywood star on Channel 4's Babylon

From Sundance to Hollywood to... the Met Police? Brit Marling talks about her role in Danny Boyle's Babylon, pub culture and why she's glad she turned down a job in banking.

Jim Davidson odds-on to win Celebrity Big Brother

Jim Davidson looks set to walk out of the 13th series of Celebrity Big Brother a victorious winner this evening, if the bookies' odds are to be believed.

Kurt Braunohler - review

These lively tales of mortifying inadequacy are skilfully delivered by the dorky US comic.

Vault opens to reveal 4 golden comedy shows

Down beneath Waterloo, the cultural cavalcade that is the Vault Festival begins this week, and it contains some hit comedy shows for your attention, curated by LiF's friends over at Such Small Portions. SSP's Andrew Mickel walks you through the fab line-up, AND offers you a money-off code to see Sara Pascoe's superb show.

Interview: Lee Hurst

Lee Hurst is back and he's seriously hacked off...

It's not just Lenny Henry; most comics turn to tragedy

According to one obituary notice, Charlie Chaplin once said that "Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot".

Joke Thieves: Show that encourages stealing material

The show lets comedians 'duplicate, spoof, parody, deconstruct or destroy' other comics' sets.

Harry Shearer: 'Richard Nixon wanted my ass in Vietnam'

If the US president had had his way, the actor, best known for Spinal Tap and The Simpsons, might have had a much shorter, more brutal life. But why has he now decided to play him in TV series Nixon's the One?

QI: Which secret society does Prince Charles belong?

A quietly intriguing column from the brains behind QI, the BBC quiz show. This week: magic.

Gallery - Outnumbered: how the stars have changed

A photo gallery of how the cast of Outnumbered have changed.

Outnumbered kids reflect on life in the spotlight

The Outnumbered kids are growing up! Here's what they have to say about their on-screen parents, siblings and their plans for the future.

Review: Outnumbered, BBC One

As the Brockman family returns for a fifth and final series of Outnumbered, some viewers will find their hackles standing to attention at the family's extraordinary distillation of middle-class characterstics.

10 pearls of wisdom from the Brockmans

Outnumbered is back for its fifth and final series, and any parent could learn from the wisdom that Pete and Sue Brockman impart to their children Jake, Ben and Karen. Here are ten gems from tonight's opening episode.

Andrew Lawrence review

There are moments at an Andrew Lawrence gig when he 'tests the water'. That is to say, innocently, only not so innocently, delivers a line that sinks like a depth-charge before its stark nature explodes, leaving some unsure whether or not to laugh, while others, who laughed spontaneously, suddenly think better of it.

Reece Shearsmith interview

As his new collaboration with Steve Pemberton - Inside No. 9 - comes to our screens, Reece Shearsmith talks about his inspirations, so-called 'dark comedy' and a possible League Of Gentlemen reunion...

Inside No. 9 review

Inside No. 9 played with familiar themes Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith have dealt with in the past, but it had a sustained air of maturity about it that's felt only fleeting in their previous work.