BCG Daily Monday 5th July 2021

Mae Martin interview

"If you put a teenage girl in any industry, people will take advantage".

Alan Partridge's a dinosaur so why's he still relevant?

It seems everyone from scandal-hit politicians to Richard Madeley has been given the Partridge treatment lately. Ed Cumming explores the curious position Steve Coogan's hapless character occupies in the culture.

Waller-Bridge launches Fleabag gin to help Fringe

Fleabag star Phoebe Waller-Bridge is to help the next generation of Edinburgh Festival Fringe artists - by bringing out her own gin inspired by the show's origins at the event.

Talent review

Victoria Wood drama tackles the squalid side of celebrity.

Radio 4 is the world's most industrious comedy factory

Radio 4's nurturing of new writers and performers has produced some of our best comedy talent.

Toksvig's school warned her dad she wasn't keeping up

Sandi Toksvig has recalled how a school she attended once warned her father she was not keeping up in lessons, and would be better off studying agriculture. She went on to get a first at Cambridge.

Dave and W marketing boss promoted to channel director

Cherie Cunningham tasked with growing ratings and cementing comedy entertainment reputation.

Rosie Jones joins C4's Paralympics team for Last Leg

Rosie Jones is heading to Tokyo to cover the Paralympics for Channel 4. The comedian will be the on-the-ground reporter for The Last Leg, which will air nightly during the Games.

British comedy has shaped the way I understand design

Wouldn't it be nice to stand at a bar, mention that one is an architect, and Grand Designs not to be the first thing that people talk about? asks Cristina Monteiro

Richard Herring launching new emergency questions book

Richard Herring is publishing a new book of hypothetical conundrums based on the success of the 'emergency questions/ he deploys on his hit podcast. Would You Rather? is a family-friendly take on his ridiculous conversation-starters, which have previously been compiled in their own book.

Aisling Bea and Friends review

The Irish comedian and guests Nish Kumar and Fatiha El-Ghorri lift their crowd's soggy spirits with some choice gags.

Talent at Sheffield Crucible - review

Victoria Wood's piece returns.

New tour dates for Jack Dee

When everyone's favourite grumbler, Jack Dee, announced he was returning to the stand-up stage in 2019 with Off The Telly, his first solo tour in six years, tickets flew off the shelves selling out the initial dates at incredible speed, and the was tour extended in to 2020 in order to meet exceptional public demand. Now this tour has been fully rescheduled and even more dates have been added, including the iconic London Palladium on Friday 30th September 2022.

English comedy venues 'back to normal' on July 19

Comedy clubs in England will be able to operate without restrictions from July 19. In a Downing Street press conference, Boris Johnson has confirmed the much-leaked news that social distancing capacity limits, compulsory mask wearing and QR code sign-ins will no longer be required in two weeks' time.

The Essay: Adrian Edmondson review

These all-too-brief recollections prove him to be an evocative writer, mature but unshowy, whose short, simple sentences summon vivid pictures from his past.

Joel Dommett will host most brutal dating show ever

Channel 4's The Love Trap will see unlucky-in-love contestants binned through a trap door.

Gary Powndland's Perfect Playlist

Gary Powndland picks his comedy favourites.

Rose Matafeo shares her rom-com secrets

The Kiwi comic spoke to Salon about Starstruck, periods, film bros and fonts.

John Cleese enjoys lavish lunch date with wife Jennifer

John Cleese delighted Monty Python fans by revealing he has finished the first draft of the script for the stage version of Life Of Brian.

But before making his big announcement on Twitter, the 81-year-old actor was seen enjoying a lavish lunch date with his wife Jennifer Wade, 48, at The Ivy Chelsea Garden on Saturday.