Louis Barfe

Radio review: The Now Show

Despite liking Hugh Dennis and Steve Punt since they emerged as Jasper Carrott's TV sidekicks, I've never been a big fan of The Now Show. Seeing it being made was far more fun than I've ever found it on air. Maybe the inclusion of relatively unknown Welsh performers like Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Tudur Owen and Lisa Jen Brown gave it a kick up the backside?

There's plenty of bite at Alexei Sayle's sandwich bar

I haven't laughed as long and hard at a piece of radio comedy for ages.

I first became aware of comedian Andrew Lawrence last year, when he caused a minor kerfuffle by moaning about '"political" comedians cracking cheap and easy gags about UKIP', the 'ever-creeping militant political correctness of the BBC' and 'women posing as comedians'. I filed the name away under 'tedious try-hard blowhards to be avoided like the plague'.

So, when I saw that he'd been rewarded by the militantly PC BBC with his own Radio 4 sitcom, my instinct was to avoid. However, when told how awful the show was I weakened in disbelief. I wish I'd stuck with my original instinct.

In There Is No Escape (R4, Tuesdays, 6.30pm), Lawrence plays a loser called Andrew who lives with his girlfriend in mutual disdain. The script consists of people being sarcastic to each other in the most charmless way, in a manner that people only do in bad sitcoms. Wise-cracking without any glimmer of wisdom. Diane Morgan (perhaps best known as Weekly Wipe's Philomena Cunk), who plays the girlfriend, deserves far better. Happily there is an escape. It's called the 'off' switch.

Radio review: Shush!

Quite a lot of Radio 4's comedies should be disqualified under the Trade Descriptions Act, but this isn't one of them. Shush! is filthy, daft, and I love it.

John Moloney's new radio show is a laugh a minute

John Moloney, a stalwart of the stand-up comedy circuit, has a superbly deadpan manner, which is perfectly suited to wondering how an animal that sleeps 23 hours a day and spends most of the rest 'pooing and eating' can have any concept of anxiety.

Farewell Teddington, birthplace of comedy

When Granville locks up and Still Open All Hours finishes shooting at Teddington Studios later this month, Thames Television's former home will close for ever. The front of the building is covered with blue plaques commemorating the comedy legends who worked there, including comedians Morecambe and Wise, Benny Hill, Tommy Cooper and Only Fools And Horses writer John Sullivan.

No one does humour quite like the British

Nobody does humour quite like the British and here comedy expert Louis Barfe chooses some of the greatest lines from our funniest classic comedians.

My father, Eric Morecambe

Morecambe & Wise were the classic comedy double act and are a staple at this time of year. Here, Eric's son speaks about how they found their magic...