Press clippings Page 24
Undoubted non-comedy of the week was We the Jury, an alleged piece of humour that actually ran out of ideas before the end of its pilot, which is going some. Did anyone at the BBC actually watch this before it aired? I ask in a spirit of genuine inquiry rather than nastiness, because they've just given me Motherland.
Purportedly a half-hour take on jury service, it featured cliched characters and surreal madness; almost never a winning mix. Ivan Goncharov's novel Oblomov is the only successful example. Written in 1859, it's only about three thousand times funnier and more interesting, and it was in Russian. Had We the Jury popped up on Radio 4 Extra at half-four in the morning - I'm always awake about then, musing on different lives - I would have had to put on slippers, race to the loo and swallow bleach. Again: did anyone watch this before it aired?
Euan Ferguson, The Observer, 11th September 2016BBC Landmark Sitcom Season: the pilots review
In my last post I looked at three of the sitcom revivals that the BBC have produced but alongside these pieces, this new season also includes five new sitcom pilots. Over the next two weeks, all five of these shows will air and in this article I will pass judgement on them all.
Matt Donnelly, The Custard TV, 6th September 2016TV preview: We the Jury, BBC2
As one would expect from Acaster there are some gloriously well-chosen lines of dialogue.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 4th September 2016The finest comedy of autumn 2016
Brexit, starting over, a honey-selling scam and karaoke with chickens ... these are the concerns of the big names in comedy this autumn.
Brian Logan, The Guardian, 1st September 2016Defining the Norm winners announced
Will Franken reveals the winners of the first-ever Defining the Norm Awards.
Will Franken, Spiked, 31st August 2016The Defining the Norm Awards: the nominees
Comedian Will Franken honours the most conformist acts at the Edinburgh Fringe.
Will Franken, Spiked, 25th August 2016Edinburgh Comedy Awards 2016 shortlist
The shortlist for the Edinburgh Comedy Awards 2016.
British Comedy Guide, 24th August 2016Opinion: Who will win the Edinburgh Comedy Awards
The List's Comedy Editor on the 2016 award and who he expects to win.
Brian Donaldson, The List, 24th August 201626 things to see during the last week of the Fringe (Link expired)
As we enter the final week of the Edinburgh Festival, there's a certain anxiety that sets in. Have I made the most of it? Did I miss the best show ever? What will become of the lanyards?
Nick Mitchell, WOW247, 22nd August 2016Six shows you shouldn't miss
Dolphins on LSD, a comic symphony and an improbable family show about a school siege ... our critics pick the top tickets of this year's fringe.
Lyn Gardner and Brian Logan, The Guardian, 15th August 2016