British Comedy Guide
British Comedy Guide
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Image shows from L to R: Alan Simpson, Ray Galton. Copyright: Getty Images / Tony Evans
Galton & Simpson

Galton & Simpson

  • English
  • Writing team

Galton & Simpson features

Frankie Howerd: In His Own Words. Frankie Howerd Features

Comedy Chronicles: Setbacks & Fightbacks #3 - Frankie Howerd, The serial survivor

Sunday 29th June 2025

Biographer Graham McCann charts the varied ups-and-downs in the long, remarkable career of comedy icon Frankie Howerd.

Image shows left to right: Spike Milligan, Harry Secombe Features

Comedy Chronicles: The Great Tiddlywinks Caper - Goons, Royals and Cambridge games

Sunday 23rd February 2025

The story of the time The Royal Family asked The Goons to represent them in a game of tiddlywinks against the University of Cambridge.

The Likely Lads. Image shows from L to R: Terry Collier (James Bolam), Bob Ferris (Rodney Bewes) Features

Comedy Rewind: A likely story - The Likely Lads

Sunday 15th December 2024

As it celebrates its sixtieth anniversary we pay tribute to The Likely Lads, a pioneering series that helped popularise realism in television comedy.

Red Dwarf. Image shows from L to R: Cat (Danny John-Jules), Lister (Craig Charles), Rimmer (Chris Barrie). Copyright: BBC Features

Red Dwarf II retrospective

Monday 1st July 2024

BCG hops aboard the mining ship Red Dwarf for a trawl through the sci-fi sitcom's second series, moving from cult hit towards mainstream classic.

Image shows left to right: John Junkin, Barry Cryer Features

Comedy Chronicles: Taking on the tabula rasa: Inside the writing room

Sunday 19th May 2024

Writing comedy. Some like to do it standing up; some prefer sitting down; and others have ended up lying flat out on the floor. Graham McCann examines how some of Britain's finest comic minds got their words down on the page.

Hancock. Image shows left to right: Tony Hancock (Tony Hancock), Nurse Rawlings (Judith Stott) TV

Hancock and The Girl

Sunday 12th May 2024

Whilst the 1963 Hancock series is not well-known today, one episode in particular has stand-out quality to it that offers a tantalising glimpse of Tony Hancock's genius.

Hancock's Half Hour. Image shows left to right: Sidney Balmoral James (Sid James), Anthony Aloysius St John Hancock (Tony Hancock). Credit: BBC Live

Hancock's Half Hour on the stage at 70

Thursday 9th May 2024

Ahead of comedian Tony Hancock's centenary and the 70th anniversary of sitcom Hancock's Half Hour on radio, actor and producer John Hewer discusses his new stage production of three scripts from lost television episodes.

Steptoe And Son. Image shows from L to R: Harold Steptoe (Harry H. Corbett), Albert Steptoe (Wilfrid Brambell). Copyright: BBC Features

Britain's sitcom invasion

Tuesday 31st August 2021

As his new book on 1970s sitcoms is published, author Robert Sellers takes a look at the topic of British sitcoms being re-made for an American audience, in the process sharing some of the conversations he had with the original writers involved.

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