Radio 4 announces six topical comedy specials
- Six new one-off topical comedies will air on Radio 4 over the summer
- Star talent includes Rachel Parris, Dom Joly, Ria Lina, Rhys James, Catherine Bohart and Andrew Hunter Murray
- The new shows represent a range of new new-based formats, airing between 28th July and 1st September
Radio 4 is to air six new comedy specials this summer.
Broadcasting in the 6:30pm slot on Friday evenings from 28th July to 1st September, they encompass a range of formats and come from a mix of established talent, including topical deep-dives and new satirical mash-ups.
The BBC says: "This fresh take on the satirical comedy slot will feature new programmes from the likes of Rachel Parris, who will kick off the series with a range of comic characters; Dom Joly, who will take a mischievous approach to investigating the week's biggest stories; Ria Lina, bringing a global perspective to the news with comedians from around the world sharing news from their countries; Catherine Bohart, who will take a deep dive into the roots of a news story; Rhys James, bringing his trademark quick wit to interrogate the news; and Andrew Hunter Murray hosts the latest creation from The Skewer's Jon Holmes, which takes aim at the way the news is packaged and presented."
The specials will be broadcast in Radio 4's popular Friday Night Comedy slot this summer, between series of Dead Ringers and The News Quiz.
Julia McKenzie, Radio 4 Commissioning Editor for Comedy, said: "I'm hugely proud of the much-loved programmes in Radio 4's Friday Night Comedy slot, which are so popular with listeners. This summer, I'm excited to add to the Friday Night Comedy roster by introducing six new one-off programmes, where we'll hear fresh takes on topics from each week's news from some of the best satirists around."
In broadcast order, they are:
The Newsmakers
Revealed on Monday by British Comedy Guide, Rachel Parris hosts this show from Lead Mojo.
She will deliver her views on the week's news and then talk to the people at the centre of those stories, from journalists to MPs to yacht-attacking orcas - all of whom are fictional, and played by comedians. The cast includes Rosie Holt, Michael Spicer, Bilal Zafar, Emily Lloyd Saini and Sam Pamphilon.
What Are You Talking About?
What Are You Talking About? investigates the major issues of the week before solving them perfectly forever.
Host Rhys James is joined by a gaggle of comedy's fastest rising stars, including Alasdair Beckett-King and Celya AB, to look at the news and ask 'Why?', 'How come?' and 'Why though?'.
Dom Joly Breaks The News
A surreally mischievous take on the week's news stories by the inimitable Dom Joly. In a mash-up of prank calls, interviews and features, Dom Joly Breaks The News attempts to get to the bottom of the biggest stories of the week.
Dom's serious about tackling the actual news of the week. He just wonders whether approaching it from a slightly different angle might give us a more interesting answer.
The United Nations Of News
Ria Lina heads up a crack team of comics from around the globe including Daliso Chaponda (Malawi), Ignacio Lopez (Spain) and Heidi Regan (Australia) to discuss the UK's biggest stories before looking at what's hitting the headlines in their homelands.
We show them ours, so they show us theirs. This is The United Nations Of News: proof that comedy really is universal.
Catherine Bohart - TL;DR
Columns. Analysis. The Guardian's long read. Who has time?
Catherine Bohart, that's who, and she and the TL;DR team will be digging deep into one big story that's making the news this week to fill you in on how we got here.
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The Naked Week
From The Skewer's Jon Holmes comes The Naked Week, a fresh way of dressing the week's news parading it around for everyone to point and laugh at.
Host Andrew Hunter Murray strips away the flimsy covering and jeer at not only the big stories, but also at the way in which the news itself is packaged and presented.
From award-winning writers and a crack team of contemporary satirists - and recorded in front of a live audience - The Naked Week delivers a (consensual) topical news-nude straight to your ears.