News digest
Here's some comedy related stories from the last few days which you may have missed:
Aardman Features, the creators of Wallace and Gromit, have agreed a three-year deal with Sony Pictures.
Doctor Who actor David Tennant is to star in a new BBC1 comedy drama called 'Learners'. The programme is written by Spaced actor Jessica Hynes (aka Jessica Stevenson) and will tell the bittersweet tale of a group of learner drivers. The show sees a downtrodden housewife (Hynes) fall for a devout Christian driving instructor (Tennant) after she starts taking lessons.
ITV1 has confirmed that it has given Teenage Kicks the go ahead. The sitcom, which started life as a BBC Radio 2 comedy, is written by Adrian Edmondson and Nigel Smith, It tells the story of Vernon (Edmondson), an ageing punk rocker who moves into his teenage kids' student flat after a spectacularly nasty divorce. Vernon is genuinely excited about having the chance to be young again but his kids, Max and Milly, and their flatmate David, are mortified.
Hit sitcom My Family returns to BBC1 for a 7th series this Friday. Not everyone is a fan though. This is what star Zoe Wanamaker (pictured) had to say in a newspaper interview: "Robert [Lindsay] and I refused at one point to do one [a My Family episode], it was so bad. That caused a lot of problems, but we just felt it was not good enough. We had practically a football team of scriptwriters working on the last series". Ouch. Series 7 Preview Clip.
Peep Show is also back for another series soon. In the new series Mark spends a horrific weekend with Sophie's argumentative parents, tries to get his gym instructor sacked, and is involved in a spot of arson. Meanwhile, Jeremy performs some 'handy work' for a male pop star, does something pretty unspeakable to a dog and, worst of all, sleeps with Sophie's mother. Preview Clip / Peep Show on MySpace / Free Catch-up Video
Vicar of Dibley star Dawn French's autobiography is subject to a bidding war. The Sunday Times predicts the book could set a record by selling for more than £1.6 million!
The new Mr Bean movie - Mr Bean's Holiday - was the biggest grossing film this weekend according to international box office receipts.