BCG Daily Friday 14th February 2014

Cuban Fury - review

Nimble-footed stars such as Nick Frost, Chris O'Dowd and Olivia Colman step lively in a comedy that doesn't quite fill the floor.

Jonny Sweet: My nickname was Gimpy at school

"I must say, I'm fed up of playing these slightly wet poshos," laughs Jonny Sweet, whose career to date has seen him frequently assume the persona of wet posho. "I think it's about time I was given a gun for something or an action film. I always thought I was going to be plucked from university into the secret service anyway - I'm still waiting for the call."

David Baddiel: Fame, Not The Musical @ The Lowry,

Initially a little rusty - to be expected with it being the first night of the tour - his timing is a little off and he has to keep checking notes on his laptop, but he soon finds his stride and deliveres what becomes a hilarious lecture on the pitfalls of fame and the nature of the unpleasantness it can create.

Sacha Baron Cohen's comedy 'Grimsby' heads to Sony

Sony has come on board Sacha Baron Cohen's spy comedy Grimsby, which had been developed at Paramount. The story follows a British black ops agent who is forced to go on the run with his long-lost brother, an English soccer hooligan. Sony plans to release Grimsby in the U.S. on July 31, 2015.

Radio Times review

Another enjoyable meander through the gripes of the rich and famous. The temptation is for celebrity guests to overstate their bugbears. Are sliding doors truly "an abomination", Miles Jupp? Is there really "nothing worse" than people with limp handshakes, Kelly Hoppen? But Frank Skinner always has a nice way of either undercutting the grumbles or trumping them with a funnier observation of his own. ("Don't you find that litter can brighten an otherwise grey pavement?" he enquires of Vernon Kay.)

The host also has viral video clips at his fingertips that are worth the price of admission on their own: tonight, the classic moment when a sleeping commuter is swept aside by sliding train doors, plus a man doing the washing up overreacts to a shock from his daughter.

Radio Times review

All the regulars are out in force with new sketches in this Valentine's Day one-off special, but don't expect them to go soppy. Not when Rattus Rattus's idea of a romantic meal is "cockroach in jus de rubbish bag" and Henry VIII is taking part in a TV show called Dating in the Dark - where he falls in love with Anne of Cleves. Our advice: don't turn the lights on, Anne!

Radio Times review

Businesses are booming in Pontyberry. Brenda's Buses has the luxury of choosing whether to take the local pensioners to the retail outlet on the A470, or the special needs children to Castle Cook. Inevitably, Aunty Brenda wins out. "I think we should take a leaf out of Whitney Houston's book - God rest her tortured, bloated, drug-addled soul. It's the children are the whatcha-call."

And now Simpsons Funeral Services has camp whirlwind Gwyn (Robert Evans, who scripts this episode) to help deal with the stiff backlog, its glamorous relaunch can't fail. That is, unless they let Gwyn make a promotional video.

Meanwhile Stella, driven to horny distraction by her hormone replacement treatment, offers an olive branch to grumpy neighbour Michael and is soon sharing wine and walking in on him in the shower. Told you.

Radio Times review

You've tittered at QI. You've guffawed at Would I Lie to You? So how will your sides cope with a brazen fusion of both formats?

That's obviously the thinking behind this derivative panel show, in which Lee Mack asks a team of celebrity guests to provide hard evidence for their seemingly outlandish claims. This week's unlikely facts include: dogs can "catch" their owners' yawns; shrimps are fitter than humans; and an adult male will never be shorter than his mother.

Padded out with pop-science facts, whimsical practical tests and based in a weirdly cramped, overly busy set - it looks like it's filmed in a stationary drawer - it has the whiff of a project cobbled together during a busy executive lunch. But it passes the time affably.

Mack's guests are Olivia Colman, Rhod Gilbert and Paul Hollywood, who gamely leaves his Bake Off comfort zone to see if it's possible to scale a wall using household vacuum cleaners.

Daniel Sloss interview

The 23-year-old Daniel Sloss has just finished a stand-up stint on American talk show Conan - his second time in as many months - but the comic says he wants to earn laughs the hard way and will be returning to the capital fest in August.

Two left feet: Cuban Fury falls flat

As a romantic comedy it has, alas, two left feet.

Nick Frost interview

Nick Frost follows the fine tradition of big guys who can shake it on the dancefloor.

QI Valentine's special

Conversational lozenges, genital claws and courtly love, a love-themed compendium of trivia from the brains behind QI.

Cartoon Museum celebrates 30 years of Spitting Image

The Cartoon Museum has announced its Spitting Image - From Start to Finish exhibition.

Babylon: Social media meets serial killer

For what it's worth, I loved Babylon. I loved that I loathed the first 10 minutes, post-assassination No 1, and hated this bolshie dick-swinging armed response team.

8 unexpected celebrity cameos on Benidorm

From Dynasty's Kate O'Mara to Corrie's Ken Morley - can you remember them all?

Hardeep Singh Kohli review

It's hard to talk about the subject of sex to a cross-cultural audience, relentlessly poking fun at bedroom habits - and yet offend no-one.

Lynn Ruth Miller review

here's no such thing as a slow start with 80-year-old comedian Lynn Ruth Miller.

The UK Pun Championships review

Who do we have here? His face looks like Lee Nelson, his voice sounds like the crude cockney, but his tracksuit and cap have been swapped for an undeniably smart suit. It's out of character.

Lucy Porter review

Lucy Porter is so bubbly and effervescent that it's hard not to like her.

Andrew Ryan review

Some bits were less polished - there were a couple of moments where he just lost the thread - but there's more than enough originality here to admire and applaud. Here's to the next 10 years, Mr Ryan.

TV preview: Doll & Em

If Emily Mortimer and Dolly Wells have any regrets in their lives, it's filming the pilot for their new series - minus hair styling and make-up.

Rashida Jones interview

As Quincy's daughter, Rashida Jones might have been just another Hollywood brat. But the Parks And Recreation star has a Harvard degree - and big plans for America's funniest women.

The week in comedy - feat. Simon Amstell, Kevin Bridges

Looking ahead to the week's chuckle forecast, including strong showings from the Knock2Bag mirth franchise, pun-based comedy, videogame-based comedy, and plents more ...