Ashley Blaker

The comedians who are putting their faith in jokes

While great stand-ups are often revered as latter-day preachers and holy fools speaking truth to authority, comedians have generally displayed a recalcitrant attitude towards religion. Nevertheless, comedy is a broader church than its reputation for militant atheism suggests.

Ashley Blaker: Meshuga Frum review

At long last, a Jewish guy gets a break in comedy....

Ashley Blaker: Meshuga Frum - The Lowry, Salford review

Billed as 'the UK's only Orthodox Jewish Comedian', whatever you think of Ashley Blaker, you're going to be getting something different to the norm.

Making The Matt Lucas Awards

Ashley Blaker, series producer, co-creator & co-writer of The Matt Lucas Awards stopped by Comedy Towers to talk to us about making the final episode of series one.

The Matt Lucas Awards is the radio adaptation of the BBC Radio 2 show And The Winner Is... in which Matt Lucas and his panel of guests - this week it was Jason Manford, Henning Wehn and Graeme Garden - present awards in unusual categories.

The main worry with any radio adaptation is will it carry off the transfer from radio to telly? By the looks of things I'd say that it's doubtful, which would be a huge shame because I'm a big fan of the radio show.

To me it seems that the TV version has strained too far from the original format. Let's start from the beginning with the opening titles. When I saw the original pilot that was on the BBC website some time ago (and which I've reviewed previously) there were some things I enjoyed, like the catchy "excruciating theme tune."

The song is good, but I can't stand the animated opening titles, which were just too cheesy. You don't need to mute your TV, but you do need a blind to cover the scene until the show properly starts. Also, a word of advice: don't put a character from a much more successful show (in this case Vicky Pollard) in the opening titles, reminding everyone that the older show was brilliant and this new show may well not be as funny...

Moving on to the actual show, the pilot was set in a ritzy studio while the series is set in a mock-up of what is supposed to by Lucas's flat. According to a blog by co-creator of the series Ashley Blaker, they thought the ritzy studio didn't work. But I don't think the flat works either. It comes across as a bit gimmicky for me.

Then you have certain awards in which the guests are made to do stupid activities, like drawing a nude model and having to sing terrible football songs while dressed up as the singers in question. It just gets more cheesy as the show goes along.

I hope the series improves, but to be honest I have my doubts. But if the BBC does decide to cancel it, I hope they don't get rid of it all together and it returns to the radio.

Creating The Matt Lucas Awards with my childhood friend

The corner of a school quad in Elstree, Hertfordshire is where this story begins in in the winter of 1986.