British Comedy Guide

John Prescott (I)

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Press clippings

Harry Hill creates Tony Blair rock opera

Harry Hill has co-written Tony!, a musical about former prime minister Tony Blair. It'll be staged in Battersea in February.

British Comedy Guide, 15th December 2020

Gavin & Stacey: Why we fell in love with Barry Island

It's been nearly 10 years since we last said adieu to Gavin and Stacey (and Nessa and Smithy, of course). But fans have never given up hope of another reunion and they've now been rewarded with the news that a second Christmas special is in the works.

Emma Saunders, BBC, 28th May 2019

The Baby Boomers' Guide to Growing Old review

Su Pollard's voiceover did try to prepare us. 'Warning!' she growled at the outset of The Baby Boomer's Guide To Getting Old (More4). 'This programme contains old people talking about sex. Get over it!' And she wasn't kidding. Honestly, you'd think the over-70s never think about anything else.

Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail, 14th June 2017

John Prescott takes swipe at Sacha Baron Cohen

Sacha Baron Cohen is another "spoilt public schoolboy from the south kicking the north" John Prescott has said following the release of the comedian's new film, Grimsby.

Frances Perraudin, The Guardian, 6th March 2016

Ian Hislop has big showdown with John Prescott

That was a bit of a tense Have I Got News For You wasn't it? Presented by Victoria Coren Mitchell, episode two of the latest series saw Ian Hislop come to verbal blows with John Prescott.

Duncan Lindsay, Metro, 17th April 2015

Armando Iannucci: I had a soft spot for John Prescott

An interview with Aramando Iannucci ahead of the second series of his US sitcom Veep.

Andrew Williams, Metro, 14th October 2013

Half an hour in the company of John Bishop would be reason enough to tune in, but he's plundered his address book and persuaded his celebrity pals to dust off their favourite one-liners.

Robbie Williams, John Prescott, Ricky Hatton, Freddie Flintoff and Warwick Davis all do their best to make us giggle, along with fellow stand-ups Jason Manford, Jason Byrne, Andi Osho and Mick Miller.

Members of the public are also given the chance to exercise their funny bone, including an impish schoolboy with a joke about poo (naturally) and a side-splitting laugh. As you'd expect from that line-up, it's a mixed bag but squeaky clean, so there's no need to cover young ears.

Claire Webb, Radio Times, 11th January 2013

John Bishop's new series serves scant purpose other than for the comedian to act as compere for a series of clips of fellow stand-ups (among them Jason Manford, Jason Byrne and Mick Miller), celebrities (including Jamie Redknapp, Ricky Hatton, John Prescott and Freddie Flintoff) and members of the public, telling jokes. The series runs to 10 episodes and is entirely dependent on the quality of jokes, which on tonight's evidence aren't very good. They are, however, squeaky clean, so at least it's an option for entertaining family viewing.

Simon Horsford, The Telegraph, 10th January 2013

This is a new series covering everything that's been going on in 2012 starring John Bishop. Well, I say new. This series appears to be John Bishop's Britain remarketed.

Like its predecessor, Bishop covers a range of different topics using both stand-up and sketches. However, this time around the sketches are all performed by the sketch trope Pappy's, and there are no pre-filmed segments with celebrities or members of the public.

I must say that this worked rather well for most of the time. I especially liked the opening sketch about the Greek economy, which featured two Greek men trying to mend their broken plates to save money. However, I was annoyed by the pasty tax sketch which featured another lazy John Prescott gag. You'd think we've moved on from such a basic gag, or at least changed that target to someone more current (no doubt that would be Eric Pickles)...

However, there's one problem I do have with this programme and all programmes of this type, really. Namely it doesn't cover all of the year. Bishop's show aired in November, which is just ridiculous. I don't want to sound like someone from the Daily Mail, but these review programmes just seem to keep coming around earlier every year. It's just not right...

Ian Wolf, Giggle Beats, 3rd December 2012

John Prescott is among Frank Skinner's guests tonight in the last of the current series of Room 101 (BBC1, 8.30pm).

"Labour party legend," is how Frank actually introduces him. Bet he's not been called that before.

And among the former Deputy Prime Minister's gripes? Footballers' goal celebrations. Especially the whole lifting-the- shirt thing.

Frank, who of course is a West Bromwich Albion nut, warms to this theme, pointing out the problem with those celebrations where players have a pre-planned message scrawled on their T-shirt underneath - ready for the dramatic moment when, having hit the back of the net, they can reveal it to the crowd.

His concern is that for some players this wait can be a tad long. "A bloke scored at the Albion about two months ago," he goes, "and his T-shirt said, 'Who shot JR..?'"

Mike Ward, Daily Star, 9th March 2012

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