Quote: Tokyo Nambu @ December 8 2012, 3:48 PM GMTIn that company, who could argue that Clue is the second best programme in the 6.30 slot at the moment?
Actually, when you put it like that, I have to agree.
Current radio comedy Page 112
Gripe, gripe bloody gripe. You moan when the Beeb puts something new on, you moan when they stick to the tried and tested. If clue were a new show you'd all be raving, its tiring but its still good. The News Quiz is still the best topical show on any medium. Bleak Expectations is a fluffy mad fun. The Now show makes me itch but people do like it, Ed Reardon is as good as ever, Count Arthur is good fun, Andrew Lawrence was brilliant as was Henning Wehn. Mark Steel is an aquired taste but his material is good. Mr and Mrs Smith was really funny, whilst remaining firmly mainstream. The Unbelievable Truth, Cabin Pressure, the list of good stuff well outnumbers the shit. What do you want, lets clear the schedules and have wall to wall shit starring Frankie Boyle, or whichever shock prick you lot would find funny. The Beeb provide a truly great selection of comedy on radio, piloting new programmes and maintaining the best of the tried and tested
Quote: Pingl @ December 10 2012, 9:37 AM GMTGripe, gripe bloody gripe. You moan when the Beeb puts something new on, you moan when they stick to the tried and tested. If clue were a new show you'd all be raving, its tiring but its still good. The News Quiz is still the best topical show on any medium. Bleak Expectations is a fluffy mad fun. The Now show makes me itch but people do like it, Ed Reardon is as good as ever, Count Arthur is good fun, Andrew Lawrence was brilliant as was Henning Wehn. Mark Steel is an aquired taste but his material is good. Mr and Mrs Smith was really funny, whilst remaining firmly mainstream. The Unbelievable Truth, Cabin Pressure, the list of good stuff well outnumbers the shit. What do you want, lets clear the schedules and have wall to wall shit starring Frankie Boyle, or whichever shock prick you lot would find funny. The Beeb provide a truly great selection of comedy on radio, piloting new programmes and maintaining the best of the tried and tested
Quote: Pingl @ December 10 2012, 9:37 AM GMTGripe, gripe bloody gripe. You moan when the Beeb puts something new on, you moan when they stick to the tried and tested.
If only they did put "something new on". Most of the sit-coms are middle-class north London, either literally ("Party") or very thinly under the skin ("Clare in the Community", "Mr and Mrs Jones"). It's as though the whole world consists of twenty-somethings living in NW3. Even the stuff that purports to be about something else is often a comedy of north London manners, even if transplanted to Bletchley Park 1943 or a crumbling charter airline. If you subtract out the marvellous Andy Hamilton, who's writing stuff which isn't "new graduates have a few problems getting decent bread in Stoke Newington"? The one about the arms dealer was good, mind.
And the panel shows are so creaky, they may as well bring back 20 Questions and Fair Deal. Not only are the formats all essentially the same, but there's such a tiny pool of participants that after a while the programmes all just merge into one. Either David Mitchell's on the panel or he's the chairman and look, here's Marcus again --- everyone involved is, of course, white, male, middle-class and university educated, except for Victoria, who's one of the lads really. It's hardly surprising she ended up marrying David Mitchell: they must have spent half every week together anyway.
Vaguely interview-y programs like Chain Reaction and I've Never Seen Star Wars again feature the same small coterie of people. And, in the latter case, represent the last post-PC place where hard-core porn is all a bit of a laugh, really.
When was the last time something genuinely interesting ended up in the 6.30 slot? Milton Jones?
Bleak Expectations, simply brilliant.
Quote: Tokyo Nambu @ December 10 2012, 5:07 PM GMTIf only they did put "something new on". Most of the sit-coms are middle-class north London, either literally ("Party") or very thinly under the skin ("Clare in the Community", "Mr and Mrs Jones"). It's as though the whole world consists of twenty-somethings living in NW3. Even the stuff that purports to be about something else is often a comedy of north London manners, even if transplanted to Bletchley Park 1943 or a crumbling charter airline. If you subtract out the marvellous Andy Hamilton, who's writing stuff which isn't "new graduates have a few problems getting decent bread in Stoke Newington"? The one about the arms dealer was good, mind.
And the panel shows are so creaky, they may as well bring back 20 Questions and Fair Deal. Not only are the formats all essentially the same, but there's such a tiny pool of participants that after a while the programmes all just merge into one. Either David Mitchell's on the panel or he's the chairman and look, here's Marcus again --- everyone involved is, of course, white, male, middle-class and university educated, except for Victoria, who's one of the lads really. It's hardly surprising she ended up marrying David Mitchell: they must have spent half every week together anyway.
Vaguely interview-y programs like Chain Reaction and I've Never Seen Star Wars again feature the same small coterie of people. And, in the latter case, represent the last post-PC place where hard-core porn is all a bit of a laugh, really.
When was the last time something genuinely interesting ended up in the 6.30 slot? Milton Jones?
see the above
Bleak Expectations was excellent. Though references to 50 Shades of Grey in comedy shows are now very tiring.
Just got some Burkiss Way on my headphones. God, it's better than _anything_ Radio 4 are putting out now.
Ed Reardon Christmas Special radio 4 Christmas day 
Also Heresy is back!
Quote: Tokyo Nambu @ December 10 2012, 5:07 PM GMTVaguely interview-y programs like Chain Reaction and I've Never Seen Star Wars again feature the same small coterie of people.
The last series of Chain Reaction had Tim Minchin, Derren Brown, Caitlin Moran and Jennifer Saunders on.
also 
everyone.
Quote: Tokyo Nambu @ December 12 2012, 4:02 PM GMTJust got some Burkiss Way on my headphones. God, it's better than _anything_ Radio 4 are putting out now.
Yup.
The later episodes are as good as it gets.
Bleak Expectations was brilliant this week. Robot Swans, Evil Harry and Pip/ Gently's bromance. A lot of great moments.
Quote: Claire Hardiker @ December 19 2012, 2:53 AM GMTBleak Expectations was brilliant this week. Robot Swans, Evil Harry and Pip/ Gently's bromance. A lot of great moments.
I enjoyed it, but thought it was re-using storylines from previous series, what with Harry being turned evil again and Mr Benevolent becoming nice but then turning evil.
Anybody hear Martin Jarvis reading those Wodehouse New York short stories? I think the grandaddy of the audiobook reading did a grand job there.
Quite a nice doc on Mike Yarwood on radio 2 last night hosted by Rory Bremner. Have very fond memories of the Mike Yarwood show. Available on listen again.
Sad that Bleak Expectations had finished, really enjoyed this series.
The Unbelievable Truth and Heresy herald a new year on BBC radio, alongside the return of the News Quiz with a special hosted by Rory Bremener in which Toksvig and Hardy take on Punt and Dennis from the Now Show, I do hope they give them a hammering.
Double Science, repeated from about 5 years ago; I missed it first time around, so it was interesting to hear something with a reasonable script, and some very well-known performers.