British Comedy Guide

BCG Daily Monday 21st July 2014

News

Press clippings

David Walliams and Miranda Hart sign BBC Worldwide deal

A production company, part-owned by David Walliams and Miranda Hart, has signed a deal with BBC Worldwide to send its shows round the globe.

BBC News, 21st July 2014

No more Mr Nice Guy: When disabled people get nasty

Disabled comedian Laurence Clark admits that sometimes he's not been very nice to people who have tried to help him - but he doesn't care. Much.

Laurence Clark, BBC Ouch!, 21st July 2014

Kevin McHale interview

The host of Channel 4's new panel show Virtually Famous is ditching his musical theatre roots for Britain's dry sense of humour...

Susanna Lazarus, Radio Times, 21st July 2014

Plymouth Comedy Club review

Plymouth Comedy Club's big summer show, the Night of Headliners, coincided with an electrical storm hitting the city - appropriate as there was plenty of lightning wit inside the Holiday Inn.

Plymouth Herald, 21st July 2014

Jethro to auction off his comedy club

Cornish comedian Jethro is to sell his cabaret club north of Tavistock on the border of Cornwall and West Devon.

Plymouth Herald, 21st July 2014

A guide for surviving the Edinburgh Fringe

We've put together a survival guide of practical info for these temporary residents - after all, if you're in it for the long haul, you might need to know more than just the location of the latest pulled pork emporium.

The Scotsman, 21st July 2014

Monty Python Live wins record ratings for Gold

Monty Python's final live show scored record ratings for Gold on Sunday (July 20), according to overnight data. The show at London's O2 Arena brought in an average audience of 597,000 viewers (2.9%) from 7.30pm.

Digital Spy, 21st July 2014

Monty Python Live (mostly) - flogging the dead parrot?

Monty Python Live (Mostly) was always going to be a mild disappointment, because everyone's favourite memories of the troupe are from 30-40 years ago, but as a celebration of the Python name it worked very well. It felt good to see them all together, one final time, having fun, giving the fans what they came to see. It could have been a lot better with more thought and fresh material, and had the slight whiff of a cash-grab because it felt a bit lazy at times... but, during the inevitable "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" climactic sing-along, after which the Pythons linked hands and bowed to the 15,000-strong audience (plus the millions of others watching around the world), I was suddenly moved.

Dan Owen, Dan's Media Digest, 21st July 2014

Interview: Ray Peacock

In an extensive interview with Giggle Beats, Ray talks about his career to date, his Fubar Radio shows with Ed Gamble and Angela Barnes, new Edinburgh show Here Comes Trouble, and much more.

Andrew Dipper, Giggle Beats, 21st July 2014

Edinburgh Fringe preview: Tony Law

Putting the right show together for the Edinburgh Fringe is no walk in the park. Ask Tony Law.

Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 21st July 2014

Edinburgh Fringe 2014 interview: Rachel Parris

Edinburgh's dodgy bookies, deep fried food and the Pubic Triangle don't quite compete with vices of Las Vegas.

Laugh Out London, 21st July 2014

Edinburgh Festival Fringe - Winky

A unique, thoughtful and hilarious satire staged verbatim from the short story written by George Saunders, Winky exposes the lie under self-help, pitting the fantastic dreams of fast cars and instant success against the loyalty one man has to his unbearable sister.

John Hislop, The Edinburgh Reporter, 21st July 2014

Edinburgh Fringe - A TED* Talk with Clay JW Crowne

A Fringe debut combining funny, moving stories with a pastiche of the hyperbolic TED Talk style.

John Hislop, The Edinburgh Reporter, 21st July 2014

The Next Big Thing: a musical comedy for all ages

Authors sometimes say that their characters 'take over'- by which they mean that the story moves in directions they hadn't anticipated when they began to write. But what if a novelist's creation really does start to have a life of her own?

Rosemary Kaye, The Edinburgh Reporter, 21st July 2014

Edinburgh Festival Fringe - Keeping up with the Joans

Promised as 'A highlight of this year's Fringe', this bittersweet comedy about failing memory, friendship and mimicking martyrs.

Phyllis Stephen, The Edinburgh Reporter, 21st July 2014

Edinburgh Fringe: Bowjangles presents On The Box

On The Box! is Bowjangles' Edinburgh Fringe debut - a day in the life of a TV that's been left switched on.

Phyllis Stephen, The Edinburgh Reporter, 21st July 2014

Edinburgh Festival Fringe - Kiss Me, Honey Honey!

The Edinburgh Reporter met Grant Stott and Andy Gray the two stars of stage and screen who have combined their talents to delight audiences young and old at the King's Theatre pantomime over the years, but who are now doing something a bit more serious in their Fringe show Kiss Me, Honey Honey!

Phyllis Stephen, The Edinburgh Reporter, 21st July 2014

The ​Katerina Vrana three minute interview

Katerina Vrana was born and raised in Greece, but now lives in London and does stand-up in both Greek and English, sometimes simultaneously. She co-runs and MCs Angel Comedy, one of London's popular comedy clubs. She returns to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this August.

Martin Walker, Broadway Baby, 21st July 2014

Harvey, Garvey & The Kane - the Comedy Blogedy game

Bound & Gagged are proud to present the highly anticipated sketch show Harvey, Garvey And The Kane making their debut as a trio at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this year at the Underbelly Dairy Room.

Comedy Blogedy, 21st July 2014

From YouTube to BBC Comedy Feed to full series

The fact that none of us had ever acted or written before never felt like a problem.

Steve Stamp, BBC Writersroom, 21st July 2014

Ten feminist fatales

A selection of ten feminist Fringe shows.

Chortle, 21st July 2014

Big fat Fringe bribe blog 2014: Chelsea Manders

The Canadian comedian buys some exposure with a classy bottle of icewine.

Niki Boyle, The List, 21st July 2014

Stewart Lee & Bridget Christie: Fringe previews 30 July

Laugh Out London comedy club closes its best Edinburgh festival preview season yet with another great show featuring two of the most acclaimed comedians in the country.

Laugh Out London, 21st July 2014

Edinburgh Fringe - Riptide: The Slasher Musical

200 blood packs ready for the Edinburgh Fringe. With 240 on-stage deaths during the run of Riptide: The Slasher Musical at the Edinburgh Fringe, the blood will be flowing.

John Hislop, The Edinburgh Reporter, 21st July 2014

Edinburgh Festival Fringe - Alexis Dubus, Cars & Girls

A 55-minute ode to travel and lost love performed entirely in verse, Cars And Girls was recently a hit at Melbourne Comedy Festival, Adelaide Fringe and New Zealand Comedy Festival.

John Hislop, The Edinburgh Reporter, 21st July 2014

Edinburgh festival Fringe - Morgan Berry

Born in Barnsley, raised in Africa-Bafrican! Morgan Berry is the world's first 24 hour Pet Bereavement Counsellor.

The Edinburgh Reporter, 21st July 2014

Edinburgh Festival Fringe - The Matchmaker

The Matchmaker, based on the novella Letters of a County Matchmaker by John B Keane one of Ireland's most celebrated writers, will play at Georges Square Studio Three as part of the 2014 Edinburgh Fringe Festival at 1500 daily from 31st July to 25th August.

The Edinburgh Reporter, 21st July 2014

Edinburgh Festival Fringe - Baba Brinkman

With Canadian, Baba Brinkman, about to Fringe premiere his deity defying show A Rap Guide To Religion, it may be apposite to recall Voltaire's deliciously death-bed naughty retort to the priest's pleading for him to renounce Satan and all his Works - 'Now, now, my friend, this is not the time to be making enemies!'

John Kennedy, The Edinburgh Reporter, 21st July 2014

Russell Brand shelves 3rd installment of My Booky Wook

Russell Brand has shelved plans for a third installment of his best-selling My Booky Wook autobiography series after getting serious with girlfriend Jemima Khan.

Hannah Hope, The Mirror, 21st July 2014

The Jim Campbell three minute interview

A bedroom can be many things: Sanctuary. Workspace. Fort. When Amused Moose Laughter Award nominee Jim Campbell moved house the mementos he found told his life story through a series of forgotten embarrassments. At the Edinburgh Festival Fringe he invites you into his room to relive his misadventures.

Martin Walker, Broadway Baby, 21st July 2014

The Joey Page three minute interviews

Absurdist comedian, Joey Page returns to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with a silly, irreverent technicoloured extravaganza to make you forget about rising house prices or that row you had with your lover over dinner...

Martin Walker, Broadway Baby, 21st July 2014

The John Robins three minute interview

After starting out in stand-up in spring 2005, John Robins reached the semi-final of So You Think You're Funny in Edinburgh that year after only a handful of gigs. In 2013 he had the best reviewed stand-up show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Martin Walker chats to John about his new Fringe hour.

Martin Walker, Broadway Baby, 21st July 2014

Fringe Q&As: Wendy Wason

In the first of our new series, HeraldScotland blogger Wendy Wason tells us about her Fringe show, Edinburgh experiences and her favourite heckle.

The Herald, 21st July 2014

Review: Kevin Bridges at Latitude

Some of this material debuted at the Melbourne comedy festival earlier this year, but it's been tightened, tweaked and expanded â€" all work towards the next tour and DVD, no doubt.

Steve Bennett, Chortle, 21st July 2014

Review: Marcel Lucont at Latitude

Alexis Dubus, the man beneath the black rollneck, writes plenty of artful, epigrammic one-liners for his self-centred alter-ago, intolerant of anything that fails to fall outside his narrow focus of how the world should be. And that includes children.

Steve Bennett, Chortle, 21st July 2014

Review: Elliot Steel at Latitude

It’s a big booking for 17-year-old Elliot Steel, a virtual unknown taking a primetime slot in Latitude’s vast comedy tent.

Steve Bennett, Chortle, 21st July 2014

Videos

TV & radio

BBC Radio 4 Extra 9:30am
30 min
My First Planet. Image shows from L to R: Richard (John Dorney), Carol (Cariad Lloyd), Brian (Nicholas Lyndhurst), Lillian (Vicki Pepperdine), Mason (Tom Goodman-Hill), Archer (Phil Whelans). Copyright: Pozzitive Productions

My First Planet

Series 2, Episode 1 - Sample Of Terror

Day 30 and Brian has to win the Tour De France to save the contents of Lillian's freezer. Meanwhile, Mason discovers that a nuclear core is not the best venue for some role play.

Radio 4 11:30am
30 min
Bad Salsa. Image shows from L to R: Chippy (Jessie Cave), Jill (Natasha Little), Terri (Camille Coduri). Copyright: BBC

Bad Salsa

Series 1, Episode 3 - All Change

Jill wonders if she should have an affair.

Radio 4 4:30pm
30 min
The Infinite Monkey Cage. Image shows from L to R: Brian Cox, Robin Ince. Copyright: BBC

The Infinite Monkey Cage

Series 10, Episode 3 - Does Science Need War?

With Katy Brand, Philip Ball, Kevin Fong.

Radio 4 6:30pm
30 min
I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue logo. Copyright: BBC

I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue

Series 61, Episode 4

A return visit to the Assembly Hall in Worthing for regulars Tim Brooke-Taylor, Barry Cryer and Graeme Garden, with Harry Hill on the panel and Jack Dee in the chair.

E4 logo. Copyright: Channel 4 Television Corporation 10pm
45 min
Virtually Famous. Image shows from L to R: Chris Stark, Kevin McHale, Seann Walsh. Copyright: Talkback / Hungry Bear Media

Virtually Famous

Series 1, Episode 1

Team captains Seann Walsh and Chris Stark are joined by comedians Chris Ramsey and Romesh Ranganathan, Countdown's Rachel Riley, and actor Tyger Drew-Honey as they face a lip-sync challenge and witness the wonder of a flying cat.

BBC One. Copyright: BBC 10:40pm
40 min
Kevin Bridges Live At.... Image shows from L to R: Hal Cruttenden, Jack Dee, Kevin Bridges, Kerry Godliman, Frankie Boyle. Copyright: Open Mike Productions

Kevin Bridges Live At...

Episode 1 - Kevin Bridges Live At The Commonwealth

Kevin Bridges takes to the stage in front of a live theatre audience to present four internationally-renowned comics from the Commonwealth countries. Appearing on stage are Canada's finest Katherine Ryan, top South African comedian Trevor Noah, Scotland's own Danny Bhoy and English comic Simon Evans.

Sky Atlantic logo. Copyright: Sky 11:15pm
30 min
Set List. Copyright: Princess Productions / Susquehanna Hats

Set List: Stand-Up Without A Net

Episode 10

Drew Carey, Tony Law and Andrew Maxwell perform improvised stand-up comedy routines based on subjects presented to them while on stage at the Brixton Electric.

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