Rachel Ward

The Rack Pack, BBC iPlayer, review

The rivalry between Alex Higgins and Steve Davis was so tense, it is difficult to imagine snooker ever creating such drama again, says Rachel Ward.

Bernie Clifton moves Ricky Wilson to tears on Voice

He's best known for riding an yellow ostrich, but Crackerjack's Bernie Clifton adds another feather to his cap as he sings on the BBC show.

Peter Kay's funniest moments

As the Lancashire comedian Peter Kay's new sitcom Car Share airs on BBC One, we take a look back at some of his funniest moments and jokes.

Last Tango in Halifax, series 2, episode five, review

It's Nicola Walker's turn to shine in the latest Last Tango in Halifax episode.

Last Tango's Anne Reid: 'Sex on TV is voyeurism'

As Last Tango in Halifax returns for a new series, its star Anne Reid tells Rachel Ward how Facebook frightens her and why 'sexing up' the hit drama would ruin it.

Is the TV sketch show dead?

The Fast Show's Charlie Higson bemoans the absence of comedy sketch shows on TV.

John Cleese: BBC bosses never written or directed shows

Monty Python star John Cleese complains that BBC execs are out of touch with the creative process.

"Cruising is like the new Las Vegas," says one comedian of the $3 billion industry. This final episode of the series about how comedians make money from corporate gigs follows Wigan comic Jimmy O as he makes his debut at sea. Comics may have turned their noses up at cruising in the past but with the potential to treble their earnings, many are now taking to the waves. Indeed, Tom O'Connor says that 40 per cent of his income comes from working on the ships.

Hunderby, DVD review

Julia Davis's Hunderby is beautifully odd, deliciously dark, and played absolutely straight, writes Rachel Ward.

This tribute to Eric Sykes, one of Britain's best-loved comedy actors and writers, who died in July, forms an evening of programmes dedicated to the man. An episode from series seven of his sitcom Sykes - in which the lofty Eric and the cuddly Hattie Jacques played an unlikely pair of oddly sexless twins, leading fanciful lives in Sebastopol Terrace, Acton - follows at 10.30pm, plus a repeat of an Arena documentary at 10.55pm.

The comedy writer and actor had a career in film, TV and radio that spanned more than 50 years, and saw him work with Tony Hancock, among many others. Sykes was part of a new wave of comedy and was catapulted to fame in the postwar years when hit shows such as Variety Bandbox and Educating Archie made him the highest-paid comedy writer in the country. His popularity continued as he became one of the brains behind The Goons and Sykes ran for a further 20 years. Comedians Eddie Izzard and Russ Abbot, Monty Python star Michael Palin, entertainer Bruce Forsyth and film director Mike Newell are just some of the celebrities paying their respects to a man whose comic influence will continue to be felt for many years to come.