BCG Daily Wednesday 17th April 2024
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Fern Brady: "I won't water myself down for the Taskmaster crowd"
The comedian talks to Ashley Davies about the inspiration behind her latest tour, dealing with hecklers and why she's over light entertainment.
Ashley Davies, The Times, 17th April 2024
Helen Lederer: "Rik Mayall warned me not to crash his laughs"
Wandering hands, obscene hecklers, strict rationing of parts for funny women - in her new book, Helen Lederer recalls what it was like to be a female comedian in the 80s.
Helen Lederer, i Newspaper, 17th April 2024
Helen Lederer calls out "perplexed" Ed Balls as he "keeps finishing her sentences" in "awkward" GMB chat
During the latest episode, hosts Susanna Reid and Ed Balls spoke to Absolutely Fabulous icon Helen, 69, about her recent stint in Coronation Street as Ken Barlow's love interest Elspeth and also about her new memoir Not That I'm Bitter. However, as chat got underway, Helen appeared to spot a show trend as she called out host Ed, 57. Answering a question from Ed, who kept firing questions at her, Helen said: "You keep finishing my sentences, which is good, because I'm probably being quite slow!"
Olivia Wheeler, The Mirror, 17th April 2024
Drop The Dead Donkey: The Reawakening review
This is no easy romp down Memory Lane: the team has taken the original concept and brought it squarely into the 21st century, delivering a very funny, but also slightly sobering, take on news today.
Selwyn Knight, The Reviews Hub, 17th April 2024
Charlie Higson reveals how little he earns from iPlayer streaming
The Fast Show is already on the BBC streaming platform, and he yesterday revealed just how much it is earning him: less than £2 a month.
Chortle, 17th April 2024
Leigh Francis and Tom Allen becoming Virgin Radio hosts
Leigh Francis will host from 10am until 1pm on Saturdays, while Tom Allen will cover the same slot on Sundays.
Codie Bullen, Daily Mail, 17th April 2024
Swede Caroline review
Marrow mockumentary is gourd for a laugh.
Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian, 17th April 2024
Jonathan Pie review
While his radio show was slick and simple, Tom Walker's transition to live touring with his relentlessly angry alter ego lacks any subtlety.
Fiona Mountford, The Telegraph, 17th April 2024
Jonathan Pie review
Glints of genius, but this show doesn't stack up.
Dominic Maxwell, The Times, 17th April 2024
Jonathan Pie review
Pie rants against every political and social convention that comes, apparently randomly, into his head, reserving special venom for British democratic institutions. However, it is all reminiscent of Basil Fawlty beating up his motionless car and maybe this self-confessed hypocrite's hopes for real change are just pie in the sky.
Stephen Bates, The Reviews Hub, 17th April 2024
Jonathan Pie review
We share his pain and can only admire someone who says what we're all thinking. But once the initial impact wears off, he feels like a one gag character. Nevertheless, it remains an entertaining show if a tad predictable.
Brian Penn, West End Best Friend, 17th April 2024
TV review: Dinosaur, BBC One & iPlayer
The scene is set for a comedy that's funny, touching and sympathetic.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 17th April 2024
TV review: Mammoth, BBC Two & iPlayer
Yes, there is a heavy reliance on time-warp gags, often involving Bille Jean King references. I do wonder what audience it's aimed at - not just people who were around then, surely? But if you get the name checks they do work, exposing how ridiculous the 1970s were while also slyly hinting that maybe some aittudes now are not necessarily as progressive as they might seem. It's also a sneaky way of getting unreconstructed gags back onto television. If it gets both demographics it could be massive. If not it could soon be extinct.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 17th April 2024
Mammoth review
Pitching Mammoth must have been a breeze: "A 1970s PE teacher is transported to 2024 - hilarity ensues."
Rhys John Edwards, Chortle, 17th April 2024
Marc Burrows talks love for Scotland ahead of latest gigs
Marc Burrows would admit himself that the inspiration for his latest comedy show dates back to an encounter his mum had in a pub.
Adam Robertson, The National (Scotland), 17th April 2024
Mammoth review
Gloriously old-fashioned sitcom favours gags over personal demons.
Anita Singh, The Telegraph, 17th April 2024
Jonathan Pie review
With the fury of a thousand Sun headlines, Jonathan Pie returns to the stage with his latest show Heroes & Villains.
Franco Milazzo, Theatre & Tonic, 17th April 2024
Jonathan Pie review
All told, Jonathan Pie: Heroes and Villains was one of those shows I was glad to have seen because I'm now following the character on social media. I'm just not sure I would be up for seeing a full theatrical version again.
Terry Eastham, London Theatre 1, 17th April 2024
Mammoth review
This bold sitcom about a man frozen since the 70s is dad jokes galore.
Rebecca Nicholson, The Guardian, 17th April 2024
Adam Kay: the 10 funniest things I have ever seen (on the internet)
The This Is Going To Hurt creator is very online - so he has some gems to share, including 7,000 fireworks going off at once and a parody of every comedy heist film ever made.
The Guardian, 17th April 2024
Rufus Hound: For three decades, I hid my feelings with booze
This country has drilled into me one simple principle: life is hard - now shut up and drink your way through it.
Rufus Hound, i Newspaper, 17th April 2024Alasdair Beckett-King interview
"It's just a man being silly for a bit more than an hour. That's all it is."
Andy Murray, Northern Soul, 17th April 2024Videos
Radio
Podcasts
TV & radio
6:30pm30 min
Room 101
Series 2, Episode 3 - Daliso ChapondaIf you had to banish items to Room 101 what would you choose? Daliso Chaponda tells Paul Merton his choices, including handshakes and ready meals.
10pm25 min
Mammoth
Episode 1PE teacher Tony Mammoth is back from the dead with his old job, and he's approaching it the same way as the he did in the 1970s. During a parents evening, he discovers he has a lot more in common with a pupil's mother than he thought.
11pm15 min
Aurie Styla: Tech Talk
Episode 3 - Alexa, Make Me A SandwichThis show charts his personal relationship with machines, looking at the past (computer games that you had to load from cassette tapes), the present (houses that are lit and warmed via apps on your phone, cars that drive themselves without you) and the future (AIs that tell you how to dress and what to eat for dinner, and superior intelligences that command your every move whether you want to object or not).
11pm85 min
Jessica Fostekew: The Silence Of The Nans
Co-host of hit podcast The Guilty Feminist, Jessica Fostekew's epic comedy-horror-story is the perfect antidote to finding yourself all at sea.