BCG Daily Wednesday 23rd July 2014

Big Fat Fringe Bribe blog 2014: Sweater Curse

A 'knitting obsessive' buys some exposure with handmade 'small dog sweaters'.

Review: Madame Magenta - Libros Mystica

Madame Magenta told us that we have an anxiety about overpriced yoghurts, and that we should deal with it by killing ourselves.

'Luxury Comedy': A land of the outright bizarre

As his surreal comedy series returns to E4, Noel Fielding tells James Rampton why mainstream success scares him and what the future holds for The Boosh.

Monty Python, 1969-2014

While it has been 45 years since they first appeared on the BBC with Monty Python's Flying Circus, the group's 40th anniversary of their U.S. television premiere on KERA (PBS/Dallas) is coming up this October.

Harriet Dyer: How not to go crazy at the Fringe

During everyday life I'm usually teetering into the realms of insanity so when it comes to the Fringe... Holy moly, that train is pulling into Crazy Town and it's a one-way ticket.

Dan Schreiber: The idiot elf arrives at the Fringe

Dan Schreiber is one of the QI elves to which Stephen Fry often refers on the popular BBC panel show, helping dig up the trivia and misconceptions that form the heart of the show. But you might now that already if you're a QI fan, because Schreiber is also one of the regulars on the show's spin-off podcast that launched earlier this year, No Such Thing As Fish. Schreiber also works with QI creator John Lloyd on the radio show The Museum Of Curiosity, a programme he helped conceive and co-produces.

Edinburgh Festival Fringe - Lysistrata

In this very loose, modern adaptation of Aristophanes' classic comedy Lysistrata, a fiery young woman takes sex and politics into her own hands.

Radio Times review

Sending the characters in your downbeat sitcom to rock bottom carries the risk that the whole show will become suffocatingly sad. We're dipping into that rut a couple of times tonight as jobless, hopeless impressionist Martin (Terry Mynott) says goodbye to his grief-stricken son and quarrels with his equally lacklustre soulmate Jean (Jo Hartley). Martin's even doing the same old Wogan and Attenborough routines over and over.

The show just about veers back from the edge. As usual Neil Maskell does the heavy lifting as Neil the paranoid newsagent, who this week fears that oestrogen in soya milk is giving him moobs. When Neil and Martin go double-dating and Martin meets a woman who enjoys celebrity voices, writer Matt Morgan indulges in a comic set piece he must have had up his sleeve from the start. It was worth waiting for.

Jennifer Saunders wants everyone in Ab Fab film

Jennifer Saunders, the Absolutely Fabulous writer, wants everyone who has ever appeared in the BBC series to have a role in the film version.

Rebecca Front: I've suffered panic attacks all my life

She was an idealistic MP in The Thick Of It. Here, Rebecca Front talks about the 'catwalk Cabinet' and her own inner demons.

My inspiration: Steve Cole on Douglas Adams

The Astrosaurs author explains how Douglas Adams' novels and Doctor Who scripts taught him the meaning of science fiction comedy.

Tony Robinson joins a bid to restore historic canals

Blackadder star Tony Robinson is throwing his weight behind a scheme bringing new life to Uttoxeter Canal.

Jason Manford's Tweet wipes £500k off luxury home

Jason Manford has warned anyone selling their house "don't mess with me", after the price of a luxury home fell by £500,000 when he joked it would be the perfect pad for comic book hero Iron Man.

Brighton Fringe review - BEASTS: Solo

BEASTS - Owen Roberts, James McNicholas and Ciaran Dowd - have already become one of the UK critically acclaimed sketch group creating a dynamic sketch show that blends their unique brand of dark comedy into an hour of pretty damn fine frolicking fun one won't forget in a hurry.

Edinburgh Fringe preview: Angela Barnes

Angela Barnes is the best mainstream female comedian I've seen since Sarah Millican.

The Richard Soames three minute interview

Richard Soames is a comedian, improviser and human. You might have seen him in critically-acclaimed sketch group The Beta Males. At this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe he and his Beta pall John Henry Falle present, The Beta Males Sessions: Richard and The Storybeast. Richard explains...

The Rick Murtagh three minute interview

This Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Rick Murtagh will tell you why misanthropy and nihilism are positive, realistic qualities and try and be nice about it. He's performing alongside Russ Haynes and Matt Francis in a show that promises to be one of the picks of the Free Fringe.

The Petra Kindler three minute interview

This Edinburgh Festival Fringe you can catch a confessional comedy performance by literary translator and writer Petra Kindler, on the joys and perils of cross-cultural creative work, surviving homemade hurricanes and the challenging concept of laughing with a German. Seriously Now!

The Rob Newsome three minute interview

This Edinburgh Festival Fringe, The Dead Pony Society are going nowhere; quite literally, they're performing sketches on a stationary bus for two weeks. You can join Rob, James and Giles as they seek to prove their scientific theory that everything's funnier on a bus. Rob Newsome explains via email...

The Russ Haynes three minute interview

Russ Haynes will be a busy bee this August. He and Matt Francis are bringing their comedy podcast show to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for a live daily recording. He's also performing stand-up in a shared bill with a couple of other comics. Russ talks to Martin Walker via email.

Comedy club punters hit by falling maggots

Punters walked out of a comedy club in disgust after maggots started falling from the ceiling. The Jongleurs show at Oceana nightclub in Nottingham on Friday night descended into chaos as the grubs rained down on the front rows from the air conditioning.

13 ways to get the most out of the Fringe

We're very excited to be heading for the Edinburgh Fringe next week. Being old stalwarts of the festival (we performed a 40 minute show in a free venue last year) we thought it pertinent to teach you new dogs a few old tricks, so here is our survival guide for the festival we call Fringe.

Terry Mynott interview

Where are all today's distinctive voices? That's the question The Mimic star Terry Mynott and I are left asking as we chat about the inspirations behind the many voices he masters during his off-beat comedy.

Mock The Week, Series 13 - Female Panellists

Despite the humiliation of the extremely concentrated 'positive discrimination' that women (including the public as well as comedians) are being force-fed with, it is undeniable that Mock The Week is a better show because of it, I just wish it hadn't been done so blatantly, before everyone's eyes.

Latitude Review: Pappy's

There was an end-of-school, pressure-off, demob happy feel to their nonsense. They didn't seem to have a care in the world.

House from Gavin and Stacey up for sale

The house from Gavin And Stacey is on the market - and it could be yours for £125k.

News Just in review

Random Accomplice's marathon effort takes a swipe at the city's festivities, creating a new play about the day's sporting efforts every evening.

Will Franken's exclusive video for Comedy Blogedy

Critically acclaimed, surrealistic character comedian with a myriad of personalities Will Franken returns this year to the late-night, rock & roll, filth'n'fury ethos of the Just The Tonic at The Caves at 10.40pm with another violent explosion of his kaleidoscopic, manic, and hysterical imagination in his new show The Stuff They Put In Sleep.

'Sleep Advice From A Seasoned Imsoniac'

As a seasoned insomniac I've spent many (and I mean many) an hour lying awake, whilst the bulk of you are cradled gently in a blanket of sleep.

Tom, Tom, Tom, Tom, Tom, Tom, Tom, Tom, Tom and Tom

Ten Fringe acts all called Tom.

Tony Law Q&A

Tony Law is a stand-up comedian from Canada who you might recognise from TV appearances on Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Have I Got News For You, and Russell Howard's Good News. In an interview with Giggle Beats, Tony talks about why he loathes writing a new show, the fabled 'Tone Zone', his Edinburgh Fringe lunchtime slot and why he loves doing panel shows.

Fringe Q&As: Danny Mcloughlin

In the third of our new series, Danny McLoughlin tell us about his Fringe show and what's on his rider.

Seven comedy acts not to be missed

The Edinburgh Fringe Festival kicks off in less than a fortnight with nearly 60,000 performances expected to take place. There is bound to be something for everybody, with plenty of stand-up, sketch comedy and improv being performed from 1 to 25 August in everything from big theatres and pubs to a double decker bus and a garden shed. With so many acts to choose from, here are some of the critics' top recommendations for comedy at the Fringe.

Cheltenham Comedy Festival line-up revealed

When it comes to a star-studded line-up, The Hobgoblin Cheltenham Comedy Festival has raided the night sky.

Edinburgh Picks 2014... and a quiz to test you

Sidestep the brochure and use our picks to find the best comedy in town...

Edinburgh picks 2014: Debut hours

Some of the best-looking first hours on offer this August...

Edinburgh picks 2014: young and exciting

Some of the best young acts on offer this August...

Edinburgh Fringe preview: The Cleek

For all but one of the members of The Cleek, this is their first time performing at the Fringe. Here three of the fledgling Fringers (Liz McCreight, Nina Howard and Caroline Kaplan) share their expectations and a little bit about their show.

Edinburgh Fringe preview: Lloyd Langford

An interview with stand-up Lloyd Langford.

Edinburgh Fringe preview: Jonny Lennard

An interview with the comedian Jonny Lennard.

Ranking the BBC's 9 comedy pilots

Flat TV has its roots in a four-part webseries. Its extra time in development shows. It's comfortable with its intriguing and potentially expansive format, and gone is the strange teething period where actors are trying to work out their characters. Easily the most TV-ready of the batch.

A-Z of Edinburgh Fringe 2014

Festival favourites, late-night laughs, X-rated shows, Jesus... We present Time Out's 2014 Edinburgh Fringe comedy highlights and recommendations in a neat A to Z slideshow.

Minterview: Paco Erhard

An interview with German comedian Paco Erhard.