British Comedy Guide
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Rhianna Evans
Rhianna Evans

Rhianna Evans

  • Writer

Rhianna Evans features

The Likely Lads. Image shows from L to R: Terry Collier (James Bolam), Bob Ferris (Rodney Bewes) Features

Comedy Rewind: A likely story - The Likely Lads

Sunday 15th December 2024

As it celebrates its sixtieth anniversary we pay tribute to The Likely Lads, a pioneering series that helped popularise realism in television comedy.

Red Dwarf. Image shows from L to R: Kryten (Robert Llewellyn), Rimmer (Chris Barrie). Copyright: BBC TV

Red Dwarf VI retrospective: Cowboys and Emmys

Wednesday 4th December 2024

The sixth series of Red Dwarf saw the show at its pinnacle, receiving not just popular acclaim but an Emmy award.

The cast of the Red Dwarf USA pilot TV

Red Dwarf USA: Failure to launch

Friday 1st November 2024

Continuing a series of deep-dive articles looking at sci-fi comedy Red Dwarf, we turn to the ill-fated early 90s adaptation of the programme for US television.

Red Dwarf. Rimmer (Chris Barrie). Credit: BBC TV

Red Dwarf V retrospective: Back to reality

Saturday 5th October 2024

The tumultuous production of Series V saw Red Dwarf nevertheless produce some of its most iconic episodes.

Red Dwarf. Image shows from L to R: Cat (Danny John-Jules), Kryten (Robert Llewellyn), Holly (Hattie Hayridge), Lister (Craig Charles), Rimmer (Chris Barrie). Copyright: BBC TV

Red Dwarf IV retrospective: Sci-fi phenomenon

Sunday 1st September 2024

Series IV, broadcast early in 1991, saw the cult comedy balloon into a bona-fide sci-fi phenomenon with some all-time fan favourite episodes.

Red Dwarf. Image shows from L to R: Kryten (Robert Llewellyn), Rimmer (Chris Barrie). Copyright: BBC TV

Red Dwarf III retrospective: Hitting the big time

Thursday 1st August 2024

The third series of cult sci-fi comedy Red Dwarf brought with it more than a few changes, propelling the sitcom to wider success.

Red Dwarf. Image shows from L to R: Cat (Danny John-Jules), Lister (Craig Charles), Rimmer (Chris Barrie). Copyright: BBC Features

Red Dwarf II retrospective

Monday 1st July 2024

BCG hops aboard the mining ship Red Dwarf for a trawl through the sci-fi sitcom's second series, moving from cult hit towards mainstream classic.

Douglas Adams Features

Enter Douglas Adams' world of Dirk Gently

Saturday 25th May 2024

Think of Douglas Adams and you'll think of The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, but what of his self-proclaimed holistic detective, Dirk Gently?

Hancock. Image shows left to right: Tony Hancock (Tony Hancock), Nurse Rawlings (Judith Stott) TV

Hancock and The Girl

Sunday 12th May 2024

Whilst the 1963 Hancock series is not well-known today, one episode in particular has stand-out quality to it that offers a tantalising glimpse of Tony Hancock's genius.

The Gnomes Of Dulwich. Image shows from L to R: Small (Hugh Lloyd), Big (Terry Scott). Copyright: BBC Features

Three shows missing from the archives

Monday 1st April 2024

A look back at three lost shows: Morecambe & Wise's Running Wild; Tony Hancock performing H.G. Wells; and Hugh Lloyd and Terry Scott in Jimmy Perry's sitcom The Gnomes Of Dulwich.

Whatever Happened To Harry Hill?. Harry Hill TV

A look back at Harry Hill's endearingly bonkers Channel 4 show

Friday 1st March 2024

A look back at Harry Hill's TV show which ran on Channel 4 between 1997 and 2000.

Red Dwarf. Image shows left to right: Lister (Craig Charles), Rimmer (Chris Barrie) Features

Launching Red Dwarf: Series I retrospective

Thursday 1st February 2024

A look back at the creation of Red Dwarf. The sci-fi sitcom nearly launched with a very different cast.

Blackadder. Image shows left to right: Lord Edmund Blackadder V (Rowan Atkinson), Baldrick (Tony Robinson). Credit: Tiger Aspect Productions TV

Blackadder Back and Forth - The forgotten special

Monday 1st January 2024

An article looking back at Blackadder Back and Forth, the special episode of the sitcom made for the Millennium Dome.

Filthy Rich & Catflap. Image shows left to right: Ralph Filthy (Nigel Planer), Eddie Catflap (Adrian Edmondson), Richie Rich (Rik Mayall). Credit: BBC Features

Comedy Rewind: Into the world of Filthy Rich & Catflap

Sunday 12th November 2023

Regularly overlooked between sitcom titans The Young Ones and Bottom, we revisit 1987's showbiz-puncturing Elton-Mayall-Edmondson comedy stepping-stone, Filthy Rich & Catflap.

That Mitchell And Webb Look. Image shows from L to R: Robert Webb, David Mitchell. Copyright: BBC TV

Mitchell & Webb's most iconic sketches

Friday 14th July 2023

From army caps with skulls on to a smug brain surgeon, here is a look at five iconic sketches performed by David Mitchell and Robert Webb.

The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. Image shows left to right: Zaphod Beeblebrox (Sam Rockwell), Humma Kavula (John Malkovich), Arthur Dent (Martin Freeman), Ford Prefect (Mos Def), Trillian (Zooey Deschanel) Film

Exploring The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy film

Thursday 25th May 2023

It's Towel Day, so an ideal time for two new in-depth articles looking at the 'development hell' that the movie version of Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy went through.

The Lavender Hill Mob. Image shows from L to R: Holland (Alec Guinness), Pendlebury (Stanley Holloway) Features

Comedy Rewind: Heist society - revisiting The Lavender Hill Mob

Sunday 22nd January 2023

You've heard of it, but just what makes Ealing classic The Lavender Hill Mob such an internationally lauded film? We delve into the 1951 crime caper to find out.

David Frost. Credit: BBC TV

The Frost Report: Beyond the class sketch

Monday 26th December 2022

We delve into the seminal satirical sketch show The Frost Report, yet to be issued on DVD, and look beyond the much-celebrated class sketch to discover more about this iconic 1960s comedy series.

Colin's Sandwich. Colin Watkins (Mel Smith). Copyright: BBC Features

Comedy Rewind: Fill up on Colin's Sandwich

Sunday 11th December 2022

In the late 1980s, double-act star, actor and director Mel Smith played the lead in a BBC sitcom of his own, the now cult classic Colin's Sandwich, about an amateur novelist and screenwriter trying to find his big break.

Whoops Apocalypse. Image shows from L to R: Premier Dubienkin (Richard Griffiths), The Deacon (John Barron), President Johnny Cyclops (Barry Morse), Kevin Pork (Peter Jones). Copyright: London Weekend Television Features

Comedy Rewind: Have I Got Nukes For You - Celebrating Whoops Apocalypse

Sunday 16th October 2022

One of the most dark and anarchic satires ever broadcast on British television marks its 40th anniversary this year, and the events in Whoops Apocalypse feel almost as pertinent as ever. Find out more about this acclaimed comedy serial from David Renwick and Andrew Marshall.

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