News roundup
We've been a bit pre-occupied elsewhere the last couple of days so have missed reporting on a few comedy stories. Here's a summary for you:
Friday Ratings
The final episode of A Bucket O' French and Saunders lost yet more viewers on Friday, managing just 2.8 million. The BBC will no doubt be pleased Have I Got News For You is taking over its slot this Friday!
Bucket O' French and Saunders is thankfully likely to be the long-running duo's last sketch show. Saunders has said: "There comes a time when there's nothing more you can do, we'll find a different way for French and Saunders to be on television, but the sketch format is a bit tired."
Elsewhere on Friday, Channel 4's Comedy Showcase sitcom Other People attracted 1 million viewers, a 5% share; whilst QI attracted an audience of 2.8 million.
International Emmy Nominations
Little Britain, Stephen Fry and Victoria Wood have made the shortlist for this year's International Emmys. The Little Britain Abroad Christmas special was nominated in the comedy category; Fry picked up a nomination for his documentary The Secret Life of a Manic Depressive; whilst Wood made the shortlist for best actress in the ITV wartime drama Housewife 49.
May Contain Nuts
Filming has started on a new ITV1 comedy drama about pushy mothers. May Contain Nuts stars Sophie Thompson (Stella in Eastenders) and Shirley Henderson (Kelley in Wedding Belles) as parents who will do almost anything to ensure their children get into the best school. The two-part comedy drama, which is based on John O'Farrell's best-selling novel, has been adapted for TV by Mark Burton, writer of Chicken Run and Wallace and Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.
New War Satire
The writing team behind The Thick Of It are creating a satire about the build-up to war. Armando Iannucci told the Cheltenham Literature Festival that their new film will look at the lives of people in the Foreign Office and the US State Department in the build-up stages of an as of yet un-named conflict. In The Loop by BBC Films is expected in cinemas in late 2008.
Another Audience with Al Murray
Al Murray the Pub Landlord is to record a second An Audience with Al Murray special for ITV1. The show will be broadcast early next month. As reported previously, the comedian's chat show Al Murray's Happy Hour is also returning. The new series is scheduled for January 2008.
Brightonomicon
BBC Worldwide is making Robert Rankin's fantasy comedy book Brightonomicon into a 13-part audio series. The comedy will star Andy Serkis (voice of Gollum) and David Warner (Lord Downey in The Hogfather). It will also feature the voices of Kevin Eldon, Michael Fenton-Stevens, Rich Fulcher, Ricky Grover, Martin Jarvis, Iain Lee, Tom Meeten, Ben Miller, Steve Oram, Katherine Parkinson and Mark Wing-Davey. What makes the series unique is that it will not be broadcast on radio but will go straight into the shops. It will be sold via download and a seven-CD box set from February (pre-order here)