It feels highly appropriate that new sitcom Bull is being aired on Gold. The channel is known for its celebrations of classic comedy and there is something endearingly, instantly classic about Bull.
The series (only three parts, so not a load of old Bull in any sense) is written by comedy circuit regular John-Luke Roberts and Gareth Gwynne and stars Robert Lindsay as natty dresser Rupert, yes you’ve guessed it, Bull, who runs an antique shop. I guess all the china shops were taken.
One thing is certain. You won’t see another film like Aaaaaaaah! this year. Or, probably, any year. And not just because Steve Oram’s directorial debut has no dialogue except for ape-like grunts, but also because it features Toyah Willcox having a shit in a kitchen and Noel Fielding getting his knob gobbled in a seedy cameo.
I don’t know if the QI team knew that Stephen Fry was quitting at the end of the series before they filmed the first episode, but there was one question that seemed to suggest they had an inkling. The programme had a medical theme and at one point Fry asked what part of your body can you live without.
The third Women In Comedy Festival kicked off in Manchester last night. The festival runs until October 25 and features workshops, discussions and plenty of gigs, mainly around the city’s Northern Quarter. While there is maybe a chat to be had about whether a Women in Comedy Festival should exist in an era when gender-boundaries should be coming down, there is no denying that the Festival got off to a cracking start.
A couple of years ago I interviewed Micky Flanagan in his house and as I was leaving I noticed Danny Baker’s autobiography on his shelf. Flanagan and Baker are about the same age and, it turned out, had similar working class upbringings in London. Flanagan told me that judging by the book, which Cradle To Grave is based on, Baker’s feelgood life story was just like his, but with the bad bits taken out.
Sara Pascoe and Will Adamsdale have confirmed a run of special shows at the Battersea Arts Centre in the build-up to Christmas.
So you want to be a comedian? Should you do a comedy course? It’s a question I’m often asked at comedy conferences.
The recent blog post by Jay Islaam questioning the wisdom of doing comedy courses suggested that maybe they are not worth doing. He made some good points, but the answer, however, is not as simple as that.
Jonny Sweet's new romantic comedy series Together continues on BBC3 at 10.30pm tonight. Here is a review of episode one. Please watch it, it is brilliant, Sweet is brilliant and it also features a lot of other brilliant comedy faces.
Three months ago I attended a paid “workshop” in Bristol, which promised to help new comedians improve their chances of winning comedy competitions. One by one, more than a dozen of us got up and did seven minutes of material to each other, and were subsequently judged, X-Factor style, on our performances by a professional comedian and a left-wing comedy critic/booker.
Michael McIntyre has been presented the keys to The O2 after reaching the milestone of 21 performances at the venue. The record, first established by Prince in 2007, was equalled and subsequently smashed by the legendary comedian during his current seven-night run.
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