Rolling UK Comedy Thread - "Ricky Don't Lose Larry David's Number

Great list.

I’ll add Tim Key’s Poetry Programme (spoiler: not actually a poetry programme)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/b03pn5pl

oh i meant to add more notes than i did

the Kendall is more stories than jokes but still contains jokes. probably best, i learned later, listened to in order (it lists them in descending order of series but ascending episode order so 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, then 1.1...)

it's funny listening to IA on his new show about political language and then playing the professor of urology at Leicester de Montford in the Lee and Herring show from 30 years ago.

Isy has a new show with Dara which is basically the same as the one he does with Hannah Fry but they both play the dumb one.

one of Love Letters includes how she and Elis met and is quite sweet when you realise.

Thanks for all the recs! Not BBC, but I've been listening to James Acaster's audiodrama (audiocomedy?) Springleaf, which picks up on some of the plot strands from the Repetoire netflix specials. Not the greatest thing he's ever done, but slots in nicely amidst the Goon Show and Beyond Our Ken eps I've been listening to.

it's funny listening to IA on his new show about political language and then playing the professor of urology at Leicester de Montford in the Lee and Herring show from 30 years ago.

Listen, a lot of careers go down the drain as people get older.

This is the podcast he's doing with notorious TERF Helen Lewis? Yeah hard pass on that and disappointing that he's working with her (though after the last decade my expectations of IA were already very low)

Helen Lewis and Armando Iannucci investigate which political buzzwords are strong and stable and which are a crock of covfefe.

There is not enough cringe in the world.

i guess they've stopped doing comedy

I watched two (2) new BBC comedies recently, and enjoyed them both. Season two of Alma's Not Normal was solid working-class, exaggerated, character comedy from Sophie Willan. And also Smoggie Queens on BBC Three, which maybe wasn't the most polished sitcom ever, but I got a kick out of, especially with my be-generous-to-the-young-up-and-comers head on.

https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/news/8204/most-watched-tv-comedies-2024/

nobody even mentioned Gavin and Stacey (i didn't watch it)

too much of the rest of that list is entertainment or chat show rather than comedy imo.

armando is good on that podcast, anecdotes for days with his stints on Veep etc. barely mentions being the Hammond Organ specialist or Gordon Burns in Inexplicable World.

I rewatched all of Gavin and Stacey over the holidays and it's that rare beast of a comedy which didn't outstay its welcome and whose infrequent Christmas specials didn't feel hideously gratuitous.

i have finished all of the above and have been looking for something else.

tried the Tim Key but the comedy bickering is very much DO NOT WANT. will try one of the 30 minute episodes but i've a feeling they will be the same.

also tried That Mitchell and Web Sound (series 4) but had heard it before (maybe on the tv)

and also tried There's No Such Thing As A Fish but lasted about 5 minutes. too giggly, too much 'here's a fun fact...' (also bad sound quality)

oh, and much as i love isy and dara i think their new series might be garbage.

there's a new Nathalie Haynes Stands Up For The Classics in the works though, recording soon.

(the Una Stubbs episode of Women Talking About Cars was lovely though, despite her not having driven since 79)

((entire thing made me wonder why we aren't still making Minis and Morris Minors, about half the guests had one or the other or both))

oh, and much as i love isy and dara i think their new series might be garbage.

It’s really bad.

Cockfields on BBC2 tonight (series 2) which was originally a Gold show. the first series was on bbc2 last year sometime. remarkable for reminding me that bobby ball is still alive (the cast has big old names on it, but dianne morgan seems to not be involved in season 2)

similarly, The Outsiders is also back on bbc2 soon, previously a Dave show (now U&Dave)

Unfortunately Bobby Ball is not still alive.

(ah, i see, 3 episodes, 2019)

(Bobby Ball has been replaced by Rab C Nesbit)

Not exactly like for like then.

same character name so I'm guessing he's a direct replacement, whereas the old girlfriend, Morgan, got described as such and traduced by the mother.

but, yeah, different accent, same casual sexism and passive aggression. it's like being home for Christmas.