British Comedy Guide
British Comedy Guide

Schedule Thursday 31st December 2009

Film4 logo. Copyright: Channel 4 Television Corporation 11am (repeat)
Carry On Dick. Richard 'Big Dick' Turpin / Reverend Flasher (Sid James). Copyright: Peter Rogers Productions

Carry On Dick

Sid James and Barbara Windsor go out in style in their last Carry On film, based on the legend of Dick Turpin.

Radio 4 2:15pm
45 min
Fireworks At The Villa Lucia. Pete (Philip Whitchurch)

Fireworks At The Villa Lucia

Comedy drama by Paul Mendelson about a struggling TV writer who tries to sell his dog-eared screenplay to a cult movie director.

BBC One. Copyright: BBC 5:20pm (repeat)
The Wrong Trousers. Credit: Aardman Animations

The Wrong Trousers

Oscar-winning claymation from Nick Park. It is Gromit's birthday, and Wallace gives him a pair of mechanical techno trousers that cause a stir.

Radio 4 6:15pm
15 min
The News At Bedtime. Image shows from L to R: Jim Tweedledee (Peter Capaldi), John Tweedledum (Jack Dee). Copyright: BBC

The News At Bedtime

Episode 6

Mary Mary has shocking news of an egg on a wall.

BBC Two 6:25pm (repeat)
Are You Being Served?. Image shows from L to R: Mrs. Betty Slocombe (Mollie Sugden), Miss Shirley Brahms (Wendy Richard), Mr. Dick Lucas (Trevor Bannister), Mr. Cuthbert Rumbold (Nicholas Smith), Mr. Mash (Larry Martyn), Mr. Ernest Grainger (Arthur Brough), Mr. Wilberforce Humphries (John Inman), Captain Stephen Peacock (Frank Thornton). Copyright: BBC

Are You Being Served?

The Father Christmas Affair: The motorised Christmas Display Units cause havoc, so it is decided that one of the staff should play Father Christmas for a fifty pound bonus. Mr Grainger is given help with a one-man performance.

Radio 4 6:30pm
30 min
Andy Zaltzman's History Of The Third Millennium. Andy Zaltzman. Copyright: Avalon Television

Andy Zaltzman's History Of The Third Millennium

Episode 4

As the decade teeters on the edge of its own existence, Andy looks at the planet we live on and the people who live on it and judges whether or not the world is still fit for purpose.

Radio 7 7pm (repeat)
The Goon Show. Image shows from L to R: Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe. Copyright: BBC

The Goon Show

The Affair of the Lone Banana: Neddie tracks young Fred Nurke, who's vanished from his banana growing family's home. From October 1954.

BBC Two 8:25pm (repeat)
dinnerladies. Image shows from L to R: Jean (Anne Reid), Stan (Duncan Preston), Brenda (Victoria Wood), Twinkle (Maxine Peake), Dolly (Thelma Barlow), Tony (Andrew Dunn), Anita (Shobna Gulati). Copyright: Good Fun / Pozzitive Productions

dinnerladies

Series 2, Special - Minnellium

It's New Year's Eve 1999, and the canteen is preparing for a special millennium dinner. But an abandoned baby and a riot in the city centre begin to throw everyone's plans into chaos.

BBC Radio 5 Live 9pm
60 min
Web 2010 With Helen And Olly. Image shows from L to R: Helen Zaltzman, Olly Mann. Copyright: Somethin' Else

Web 2010 With Helen And Olly

Episode 1 - Web 2009 with Helen and Olly

Helen Zaltzman and Olly Mann present an alternative review of the year by dishing out their expense-spared awards to the cream of weblebrity from the past twelve months.

More4 logo. Copyright: Channel 4 Television Corporation 9pm (repeat)
Father Ted. Image shows from L to R: Father Dougal McGuire (Ardal O'Hanlon), Father Ted Crilly (Dermot Morgan), Mrs Doyle (Pauline McLynn), Father Jack Hackett (Frank Kelly). Copyright: Hat Trick Productions

Father Ted

Good Luck, Father Ted: Ted gets the chance to appear on a prestigious telly show. Could this be the opportunity for him to find television stardom and escape from Craggy Island? No.

U&Dave channel logo 9pm
45 min version (repeat)
QI. Image shows from L to R: Alan Davies, Sandi Toksvig. Copyright: TalkbackThames

QI

Three episodes of QI XL.

ITV2 logo. Credit: ITV 9pm (repeat)
Love Actually. Image shows from L to R: David, The Prime Minister (Hugh Grant), Natalie (Martine McCutcheon). Copyright: Working Title Films

Love Actually

Romantic comedy by Richard Curtis, charting a multitude of relationships across a Christmas period.

More4 logo. Copyright: Channel 4 Television Corporation 9:35pm (repeat)
Black Books. Image shows from L to R: Bernard Black (Dylan Moran), Manny Bianco (Bill Bailey), Fran Katzenjammer (Tamsin Greig). Copyright: Assembly Film And Television

Black Books

Series 1, Episode 1 - Cooking The Books

Bookshop owner Bernard dreads the end of the financial year as his accounts beckon, Fran is an unlikely birth partner and accountant Manny swallows The Little Book of Calm.

More4 logo. Copyright: Channel 4 Television Corporation 10pm (repeat)
The IT Crowd. Image shows from L to R: Jen (Katherine Parkinson), Moss (Richard Ayoade), Roy (Chris O'Dowd). Copyright: TalkbackThames

The IT Crowd

Series 1, Episode 1 - Yesterday's Jam

The unloved, ignored, socially-awkward Roy and Moss make up the I.T. department of Reynholm Industries. Their world is shattered by the arrival of Jen, a new 'relationship manager'.

E4 logo. Copyright: Channel 4 Television Corporation 10pm (repeat)
Alan Carr: Chatty Man. Alan Carr. Copyright: Open Mike Productions

Alan Carr: Chatty Man

Series 2, New Year Special - Chatty Man New Year's Special

In this New Year special - and last episode of the second series - Alan is joined on the sofa by the Time Lord himself, David Tennant, who tells Alan about his final performance in Doctor Who. Also dropping by for a chat is the very lovely Catherine Tate; plus Davina McCall discusses the last ever Celebrity Big Brother and her new fitness DVD. With music from 80s icons Spandau Ballet.

More4 logo. Copyright: Channel 4 Television Corporation 10:35pm (repeat)
Father Ted. Image shows from L to R: Father Dougal McGuire (Ardal O'Hanlon), Father Ted Crilly (Dermot Morgan), Mrs Doyle (Pauline McLynn), Father Jack Hackett (Frank Kelly). Copyright: Hat Trick Productions

Father Ted

Entertaining Father Stone: For six years Father Stone has been coming to Craggy Island, which is at least seven years too many for Ted, Dougal and Jack.

BBC One. Copyright: BBC 10:40pm
65 min
The Graham Norton Show. Graham Norton. Credit: So Television, Christopher Baines

The Graham Norton Show

Series 6, New Year Special - The Graham Norton New Year's Eve Show

The Graham Norton brings the year to an end with his anarchic talk show. Among the guests in this special edition are Sex and The City star Sarah Jessica Parker; heart-throb British actor Dominic West, who discusses his life as the star of hit show The Wire; and legendary comedienne Joan Rivers, who helps Graham take a satirical look back at the events of 2009.

BBC One Scotland. Copyright: BBC 10:45pm (repeat)
Still Game. Image shows from L to R: Victor McDade (Greg Hemphill), Jack Jarvis (Ford Kiernan). Copyright: The Comedy Unit

Still Game

Series 5, New Year Special - The Party (Hogmanay Special)

Jack and Victor find themselves holed up in the Osprey Heights Hoist at Hogmanay. Trapped in a lift, Winston recalls the daddy of all New Years Eve, in the dim and distant past when Craiglang knew how to throw a party.

Radio 7 11pm (repeat)
Hamish And Dougal: You'll Have Had Your Tea. Image shows from L to R: Dougal (Graeme Garden), Hamish (Barry Cryer). Copyright: BBC

Hamish And Dougal: You'll Have Had Your Tea

Series 2, New Year Special - Hamish And Dougal's Hogmanay Frolic

Hamish and Dougal, two elderly Scotsmen made internationally quite well known from their appearances on I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, find themselves celebrating Hogmanay (normally they prefer not to as it clashes with New Year) after a bus-load of celebrities gets stuck in a snowdrift on its way to the BBC's Hogmanay Cavalcade in Edinburgh.

More4 logo. Copyright: Channel 4 Television Corporation 11:05pm (repeat)
Black Books. Image shows from L to R: Bernard Black (Dylan Moran), Manny Bianco (Bill Bailey), Fran Katzenjammer (Tamsin Greig). Copyright: Assembly Film And Television

Black Books

Series 1, Episode 2 - Manny's First Day

New arrival Manny is on a mission to impress as Bernard's assistant. But Bernard far from approves.

BBC One Scotland. Copyright: BBC 11:15pm
30 min
Only An Excuse?. Jonathan Watson

Only An Excuse?

New Year Special - 2009

Kick-off time again for the famous football satire show. Scotland's premier football comedy team, led by Jonathan Watson, sharpen their studs for another sliding tackle on the national obsession.

BBC Three 11:15pm (repeat)
Russell Howard Live. Russell Howard

Russell Howard Live

Live stand-up from Mock The Week star Russell Howard, recorded at The Bloomsbury Theatre during his sell-out 2007 tour.

Radio 7 11:30pm (repeat)
Absolute Power. Image shows from L to R: Charles Prentiss (Stephen Fry), Martin McCabe (John Bird). Copyright: BBC

Absolute Power

Series 1, Episode 5 - Radio 3

Prentiss McCabe take on the ultimate challenge - to achieve a substantial increase in Radio 3's listening figures.

More4 logo. Copyright: Channel 4 Television Corporation 11:35pm (repeat)
The IT Crowd. Image shows from L to R: Jen (Katherine Parkinson), Moss (Richard Ayoade), Roy (Chris O'Dowd). Copyright: TalkbackThames

The IT Crowd

Series 1, Episode 2 - Calamity Jen

The team face their first test during Reynholm Industries' so-called 'war on stress'. The office is on fire, Roy has a sudden attack of kleptomania, and Jen's new shoes are two sizes too small.

Channel 4 logo. Copyright: Channel 4 Television Corporation 11:45pm (repeat)
Alan Carr: Chatty Man. Alan Carr. Copyright: Open Mike Productions

Alan Carr: Chatty Man

Series 2, New Year Special - Chatty Man New Year's Special

In this New Year special - and last episode of the second series - Alan is joined on the sofa by the Time Lord himself, David Tennant, who tells Alan about his final performance in Doctor Who. Also dropping by for a chat is the very lovely Catherine Tate; plus Davina McCall discusses the last ever Celebrity Big Brother and her new fitness DVD. With music from 80s icons Spandau Ballet.

BBC Four 11:50pm (repeat)
We Need Answers. Image shows from L to R: Mark Watson, Tim Key, Alex Horne. Copyright: BBC

We Need Answers

Series 2, Episode 5 - Language

Former EastEnder and comic actress Tracy-Ann Oberman competes against best-selling author of The Long Firm, Jake Arnott. In the physical challenge, Tracey-Ann takes on Jake in composing a sentence using alphabet spaghetti.

More4 logo. Copyright: Channel 4 Television Corporation 12:10am (repeat)
Bill Bailey: Tinselworm. Bill Bailey

Bill Bailey: Tinselworm

A TV broadcast of Bill Bailey's 2008 stand-up tour. This performance was filmed at Wembley Arena at the end of the comic's sell-out tour.

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