BCG Daily Tuesday 11th February 2014

News

Features

Press clippings

Jennifer Saunders slams reality TV as 'ridiculous'

Ab Fab creator Jennifer Saunders reveals she thinks TOWIE and Made in Chelsea are 'ridiculous'.

Claire Hodgson, The Mirror, 11th February 2014

Review: Steve Gribbin

Steve Gribbin had the last laugh at the Havant Comedy Club, stealing the show in his hilarious satirical style.

Kayleigh Millen, Portsmouth News, 11th February 2014

David Walliams interview

"I would like to do stand-up if I could but it is a very hard thing to do and I don't come from being a stand up comedian so I don't know if I could do it."

Mark Jefferies, The Mirror, 11th February 2014

More women on panel shows? Yes, if you're posh & pretty

Only when we have a female equivalent of Adrian Chiles hosting a panel show will I believe TV is getting gender equality right.

Fern Brady, The Guardian, 11th February 2014

Sometimes, you can't help wondering if Vic and Bob jotted down their script on a hungover bus journey to the studio. Tonight's episode has gloriously silly moments (including Bob as a clashing-cymbals monkey and, later, a Kafka-esque beetle on the wall) but feels more than usually thrown together. As ever the biggest laugh-out-loud moments come courtesy of booming lothario Beef (Matt Berry) who steals every scene he's in. We don't get to see Beef attempt the kiss of life on Bob's ex-wife (who has turned up for his birthday) but we do get to hear it, and that's terrifying enough.

David Butcher, Radio Times, 11th February 2014

Luisa Omielan - how to survive Valentine's Day

Happy couples are engaging in sickening displays of affection. But what about the rest of us? The Beyoncé of comedy, Luisa Omielan, offers some advice.

Luisa Omielan, Time Out, 11th February 2014

Panel-show gender pledge won't halt the comedy rot

The gender imbalance is a problem - but the smugness, scripted improv and stale formats are beyond satire.

Brian Logan, The Guardian, 11th February 2014

Al Murray, Pappy's & more join Altitude line-up

Al Murray has been added to the line-up of this year's Altitude Festival, which takes place in Mayrhofen, Austria from March 31 - April 4. Also joining an impressive bill are Pappy's, Fred MacAuly and Rainer Hersch.

Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 11th February 2014

Should we ban all-male comedy panels?

Perhaps if Cohen & Co introduce some quotas when it comes to the gender split of panelists, the producers might actually have to uncover some new talent instead of falling back on their trusty speed dial.

Clem Bastow, Daily Life, 11th February 2014

Can humour make the world a better place?

Academics are considering how comedy can be socially beneficial.

Stuart Jeffries, The Guardian, 11th February 2014

Ricky Gervais reveals another Extras prophecy

In the wake of Samuel L. Jackson being mistaken for Laurence Fishburne in a cringe-makingly awkward US TV interview, the funnyman took to Twitter to point out that Ashley Jensen's character had done the exact same thing in a 2005 episode of the show.

Caroline Westbrook, Metro, 11th February 2014

Why I'm welcoming the BBC ban on all-male panel shows

Before you splutter all over the comments section, let's be clear that the end goal isn't a rigid 50/50 gender split of everything that ever goes on telly. Nobody's advocating shoehorning extra women into every possible scenario, just to make a statement.

Lauren Bravo, The Huffington Post, 11th February 2014

The Life of Rock with Brian Pern, BBC Four

Move over Spinal Tap, Simon Day updates the mockumentary genre.

Jasper Rees, The Arts Desk, 11th February 2014

The Life of Rock with Brian Pern, BBC Four, review

BBC Four's new mockumentary series had the odd moment of comedy nirvana but was often too hammed-up to be funny.

Jake Wallis Simons, The Telegraph, 11th February 2014

Joe Lycett interview

Joe Lycett is fairly new on the comedy scene but he's sure to be a household name soon.

Leeds Student, 11th February 2014

Doll & Em preview

What begins almost as the pitch for a romantic comedy, complete with Doll and Em both falling for the same man, turns in a surprisingly different direction.

The Velvet Onion, 11th February 2014

Josh Howie review

Josh Howie clearly wants awards (not deserves, mind, just wants) and he's been around the comedy block enough to tell us how to get them: by being bereaved, or being a woman.

Alex Scoppie, Leicester Mercury, 11th February 2014

Jim Davidson At Least I'm Not Boring: Opportunistic TV

All we can take away from Jim Davidson: At Least I'm Not Boring is the knowledge that many people will forever view him as a vile racist, sexist, misogynistic hate-figure. Meanwhile, others will see Jim as the last bastion of politically incorrect jokes and views - a man valiantly continuing to wave the flag for an era that no longer exists.

Adam Postans, MSN Entertainment, 11th February 2014

Videos

TV & radio

3:50pm
7 min

Shaun The Sheep

Series 4, Episode 7 - DIY

When the Farmer pops out for more supplies, Bitzer is left in charge of decorating and calls on the flock for help. He soon realises this may be a terrible mistake as they have their own way of doing things - painting and decorating isn't their strong point!

5pm
30 min