Bill Bailey to host new British Comedy Awards chat show
Stand-up comedian Bill Bailey is to host a new chat show series for Channel 4 called Comic's Choice.
The show will act as a companion series to The British Comedy Awards which, after ten years, is switching from ITV to Channel 4. It forms part of Channel 4's pledge to expand and improve TV coverage of the popular awards.
Each episode of Comic's Choice will feature Bill Bailey chatting to an 'A-list' British comedians about which comedy performers, actors and shows they consider to be the greatest. The guests, using the categories of The British Comedy Awards as a guide, will be given the pick of history and the present day, to create their own fantasy line-up of nominees and winners.
Covering topics such as 'Best Sitcom' and 'Best Male Television Comic', with clips to illustrate each nominee, each guest will tell Bill Bailey who they love, what makes them laugh and their own guilty pleasures.
The producers say: "With audience interaction thrown in, the show will be not just informative and entertaining - but fun, funny and memorable."
The shows will be recorded in London this December, and are expected to be broadcast in the weeks leading up to The British Comedy Awards ceremony, which is due to be broadcast live on Channel 4 sometime in January (the new date for the ceremony which, until now, has traditionally been in December, has yet to be announced publically).