BCG Daily Tuesday 7th November 2017

Monkey Tennis may yet see the light of day

Peter Bradshaw's timely reminder about the re-emergence of Alan Partridge in Brexit Britain (The revenge of Alan Partridge, G2, 6 November) is underlined by the inclusion in recent TV schedules of such absurd real-life programmes as The Ganges with Sue Perkins and Gordon Ramsey on Cocaine, which might have been dreamed up by the great man in a previous television incarnation. Alan's previous suggestions of Youth Hostelling with Chris Eubank and Monkey Tennis are surely now ripe for production.

Jon Richardson review

Cardie-wearing curmudgeon heads to Scotland with his new Old Man tour.

Lenny Henry compares contemporary comedy to punk

Sir Lenny Henry has said the comedy world's reaction to the current political climate reminds him of punk in the late 1970s.

Pippa Bennett-Warner on the 'darkly funny' Sick Note

Metro.co.uk is shining a spotlight on actors who are set to light up the small screen, and our Ones To Watch series continues with Pippa Bennett-Warner, who you might remember from Doctor Who and racy period drama Harlots. She's headed back over to the dark(ly funny) side in the new series of Sick Note.

Book review: How To Be Champion by Sarah Millican

There is undoubtedly something very likeable about Sarah Millican.

Greg McHugh interview

"It can be good to ask what we think normal looks like".

Michael McIntyre's Charity Show review

The comic is all laughs with a touch of Kim Jong-un about him...

Beat The Frog World Series Final 2017 review

Beat the Frog? Well, no one delivered a knockout blow at the final of this annual competition, with a line-up high on competence but without any newcomer to really get excited about.

Interview: Harry Hill

The comedian's new book is a love letter to standup, discovers Janet Christie.

John Cleese interview

John Cleese on Monty Python, Facebook, bad comedy, great comedy and kids these days.

Interview: Andy Riley thought pain would end career

When cartoonist Andy Riley developed repetitive strain injury (RSI) in 2010, he thought it would put an end to his career.

Speaking to 5 live's Stephen Nolan, Andy described living with condition as like wearing "a matador jacket of pain."

The scriptwriter and artist rose to fame with his series of best-selling Bunny Suicides books in 2003.

After years of unsuccessful treatments, he's found a new way to manage his pain and is drawing again.

Paddington 2: interviews with cast and crew

We were pleased to interview the soft-spoken director Paul King, his visual effects supervisor Glen Pratt, and the inimitable Hugh Bonneville with child actors Madeleine Harris and Sam Joslin.

Pippa Bennett-Warner interview

From hopping on board the Tardis alongside Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman in 2014, to her current role opposite Rupert Grint in upcoming comedy drama Sick Note, Pippa has not only been seen in a variety of roles, but has also stretched herself across almost every medium imaginable.

Detectorists feature

Earlier this year, Mackenzie Crook found gold. In an inevitable piece of life imitating art, the creator of the Bafta-winning sitcom Detectorists has taken up metal detecting. He now owns an XP Deus and goes out searching on a piece of farmland, where he turned up a piece of ancient gold jewellery.

Motherland reaches similar heights to Fawlty Towers

Within the first minute of Motherland (BBC Two), a new sitcom from Sharon Horgan and Holly Walsh about being a mum and how bloody awful it is, Julia (Anna Maxwell Martin) is beating her mobile phone against a banister in frustration. It was hard not to be reminded of Basil Fawlty beating his car with a tree branch in vein-swelling exasperation.

Preview: Detectorists series 3

The third series of Detectorists starts Wednesday 8th November on BBC Four. Here are Sophie's thoughts on the opening episode...

Sick Note is already showing signs of heart failure

Amazingly, Sick Note has been commissioned for a second series, which will star Lindsay Lohan as the daughter of Daniel's boss. I can't say I have high hopes - she is hardly the sort of actor you want administering the kiss of life to a programme already showing serious signs of heart failure.

Milton Jones's comedy survival guide

What makes him laugh? Plenty, as it happens. Find out what shows he reckons we should catch on TV, radio, online and live to keep us chuckling through winter, and keep going for his take (and headlines) on this week's Scene extravaganza...

Paddington 2: so good it bears watching twice

They've done it again! Given the first Paddington film earnt $268 million worldwide (from a $38.5m budget), all this needed to do was have the beloved duffel-coated bear show up and bump into the furniture.

Sharon Horgan and Anna Maxwell Martin interview

Sharon Horgan and actor Anna Maxwell Martin talk about their new BBC comedy and realistic portrayals of motherhood.

The Retreat review - funny but faltering Sam Bain play

A funny but faltering first play from Peep Show's Sam Bain.