Greg Davies (I)

TV comedy editor Charlie Phillips dies

Renowned comedy editor Charlie Phillips has died. Phillips worked on a huge number of critically-acclaimed comedy shows including series one of Greg Davies sitcom Man Down, Him and Her, Psychobitches, Rev., Saxondale, Psychoville, Monkey Trousers, The Thin Blue Line, and Vic and Bob's Shooting Stars and Catterick.

Radio Times review

The Lichfield love triangle is finally resolved in this delightfully silly special: Rachel is struggling to choose between nice-but-dull boyfriend Ben and the hunky-but-bonkers American who just happens to be the son of her late husband. As always, the real reason to tune in is Greg Davies who plays curmudgeonly dad Ken and inevitably ends up in a Santa Claus suit cussing wide-eyed children.

Meanwhile, Mum - a trilling Helen Baxendale - jumps to the wrong conclusion after suffering a fainting fit. Hang in there for the musical interlude crooned by Outnumbered veteran Tyger Drew-Honey.

Radio Times review

For a while it looked as if Man Down might not return. Greg Davies' splendidly daft sitcom about a blundering oaf who is the victim of bizarre attacks from his father, looked in doubt when Rik Mayall - who played said father brilliantly - died in June 2014.

Without Mayall's injections of crazed comic energy the show won't be quite the same, but this Christmas one-off should give us an idea of how much he'll be missed. It was still being made as RT went to press but the plot involves Dan and his two friends - off-with-the-fairies Jo and brilliantly square Brian - visiting the farm of Dan's aunt Nesta (Stephanie Cole). There they meet a peculiarly mean turkey.

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Radio Times review

In a year when a celeb seemed to pop off every week, some losses were keener than others. Rik Mayall was 56 when he died suddenly in June: nowhere near retirement, as evidenced by his TV comeback last year in Man Down. That show's bereft creator, Greg Davies, contributes to this documentary, as do Michael Palin, Lenny Henry, Ben Elton, Alexei Sayle, Tim McInnerny and Ruby Wax.

The rare footage here should illustrate how Mayall justified the over-used phrase "force of nature". He was like a child eternally refusing to grow up. That's why it was so shocking when he turned out not to be unstoppable after all.

Greg Davies: we never considered replacing Rik Mayall

The Channel 4 comedy's writer and actor pays tribute to his late co-star and reveals The Young Ones legend was the first comedian to speak to him when he was growing up.

A Christmas instalment of Greg Davies's sitcom ahead of a full new series next year, though one that will be sadly missing the late Rik Mayall among its cast. Dan (Davies) has had a tough 12 months, but he's trying to turn things around. A festive thorn in the side, however, threatens to derail his efforts with the unwelcome arrival of his Aunt Nesta (Stephanie Cole). Meanwhile, Jo and Brian have realised rather sooner than expected that a farm is really not their natural habitat.

Radio Times review

Now in its 25th year, The British Comedy Awards remains that rare thing: an awards ceremony with the potential for something unpredictable and interesting to happen. Still, some things are guaranteed: Jonathan Ross will say something deeply off-colour, making the audience "Ooh" like mischievous schoolchildren. Leading the nominations with six is Matt Berry's shouty-voiced sitcom Toast Of London, while among those competing for the King Or Queen Of Comedy award are David Mitchell, Jo Brand and Greg Davies.