British Comedy Guide

Rebecca Nicholson

  • Writer

Press clippings Page 3

French and Saunders signed off their semi-comeback with a joyous compilation of dance moves and pratfalls. It's been more than a decade since they last had a festive special, and the celebratory 300 Years of French and Saunders (BBC One[) opted to take a "ghost of Christmas past" approach, packing in plenty of archive clips while weaving in a handful of new skits with care. The fresh sketches were sharp and silly: their natural burial service was fantastically daft, the Poldark extras were deliciously awful and it was a thrill to see the white room back in use for their Handmaid's Tale send-up. It was, in short, a welcome return.

Rebecca Nicholson, The Guardian, 25th December 2017

30 years of French and Saunders

With surreal silliness and spot-on parody, the comedy duo - who return to TV screens this Christmas - altered the face of comedy.

Rebecca Nicholson, The Guardian, 11th November 2017

Anna Maxwell Martin on playing TV's most frazzled mum

The queen of period drama is casting off her bonnet and venturing into sitcom with Motherland. She talks about brutal parenting, competing with Cate Blanchett - and misbehaving on set.

Rebecca Nicholson, The Guardian, 30th October 2017

Back review

Simon Blackwell's comedy about a suspected cuckoo in the nest was surprisingly touching without veering into sentimentality. Bring on series two.

Rebecca Nicholson, The Guardian, 12th October 2017

Susan Wokoma: The door shuts firmly on us a lot quicker

She was a demon hunter, stole scenes as Michaela Coel's sister and is in a farce about Labour's identity crisis. But Susan Wokoma is turning to her own family to write her next roles.

Rebecca Nicholson, The Guardian, 19th September 2017

Over six 15-minute episodes, Liam Williams's sharp, pointed mockumentary series takes aim at some of the more inane professional vloggers ("Or, as I call them, self-manipulating content puppets," says the comic), immersing himself in the world of YouTube via a surprisingly successful turn as Vloggy McVlogface. Though internet celebs might seem an easy target, the satire is as bleak as it is witty, and Williams's attempts to become a YouTube star himself in order to win 10 grand turn increasingly dark.

Rebecca Nicholson, The Guardian, 20th August 2017

Catastrophe review: poignant finale full of tenderness

The relationship comedy may have outgrown its original concept, but the superb writing keeps it going.

Rebecca Nicholson, The Guardian, 5th April 2017

Chewing Gum: this is the future of comedy

From its sex clubs to its seedy zoophilia rings, Chewing Gum is always close to the knuckle - and it's taking British comedy to gruesome, gleeful new heights.

Rebecca Nicholson, The Guardian, 9th February 2017

Devil of Christmas review - macabre merriment all round

Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton take us back to the 1970s for this nightmarish festive folk tale.

Rebecca Nicholson, The Guardian, 28th December 2016

Why 2016 was a vintage year for woman TV stars

From Fleabag to Happy Valley; Transparent to Westworld, strong female characters dominated the small screen, leaving countless moments that lingered in the heart and mind.

Rebecca Nicholson, The Guardian, 19th December 2016

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