In this week’s case Alfie investigates an assault on an elderly man at a bus stop. But what could have provoked such a cowardly crime? Join former-cop turned stand-up comedian, Alfie Moore and his audience of sworn-in deputies as they ask if compassion is a thing of the past. It's a Fair Cop is the show where you, the audience, help deal with the cases Alfie's unearthed from 20 years of policing experience, to take a comic look at the law. For more episodes, search "It's a Fair Cop" on BBC Sound...
Can political discussion be funny? Er - yes! Top political comedian Matt Forde convenes his focus group in front of a live theatre audience with guests comedian Pierre Novellie, Baroness Ayesha Hazarika and former Director of Communications at Number 10, Guto Harri - to see if a few sparks fly as they examine different ways people are pandered to and whether they have ever done any pandering themselves. To hear more episodes, search "The Matt Forde Focus Group" on BBC Sounds. Written and perform...
We hear Clive Anderson's new word for the mystery of hotel bathrooms, Sindhu Vee's term to measure cuteness, and a nail-biting finish from Ed Gamble. Ever struggled to find the right word for a feeling or sensation? Unspeakable sees comedian Phil Wang and lexicographer Susie Dent invite celebrity guests to invent new linguistic creations, to solve those all too relatable moments when we're lost for words. To hear more episodes, search "Unspeakable" on BBC Sounds. Hosts: Phil Wang and Susie Dent ...
Kiri Pritchard-McLean shares her journey to becoming a foster carer, detailing the rigorous process, unexpected questions, and the profound impact it has had on her life. From initial radio ad inspiration to navigating the complexities of fostering with her partner Dan, Kiri offers a heartfelt and humorous account. She emphasizes the importance of support and the transformative magic found in fostering, advocating for more people to consider opening their homes to children in need.
The standout satirist of the social media age, Michael Spicer, returns with his sketch comedy show that targets the exponential lunacy of the politics and culture that is overwhelming us. Apprentice hopefuls are challenged to create the perfect, sustainable planet. Can the boys' team rise to the challenge, or will they be fired directly into a supernova? And our government troubleshooters - all called Tim - solve the immigration crisis once and for all. The new series of No Room comes after a cr...
Multi-award winning comedian and author Mark Watson continues his probably doomed, but luckily funny quest to make sense of the human experience. This series is about time - the days of the week, the stages of our existence - and the way we use it to make sense of things. We make our way through the working week, tonight considering 'hump day' - Wednesday. Wednesday's child, famously, is full of woe. Both Mark and Esther are in this category. Is the woe a real issue or merely a fairy tale? What ...
Jon Holmes remixes the news into a current affairs comedy concept album. News meets popular culture in a multi-award-winning mash up. This week: Charlie XCX is bumpin' that with Donald Trump, Minecraft Movie vs Russia, and Starmer: Man of Steel. Producer: Jon Holmes An unusual production for BBC Radio 4
The Naked Week team are back to place satirical news-tariffs on current events with a mix of correspondents, guests and, occasionally, live animals. This week we mourn the death of globalisation, take a tour of Keir's new theme park, and play a game of BBC Balance Local Elections Naked Week Joke Twister. From The Skewer’s Jon Holmes and host Andrew Hunter Murray comes The Naked Week, a fresh way of dressing the week’s news in the altogether and parading it around for everyone to laugh at. With a...
The first four episodes of Call Jonathan Pie series 2 are now available on BBC Sounds, subscribe to be alerted when new episodes in the series are released. Frustrated call-show host Jonathan Pie is back along with his trusted team – Pie’s finding the daily grind difficult and the team have all become as disillusioned with the world as he has. The new series kicks off with a discussion about the BBC licence fee, or at least it was supposed to. It soon becomes clear however that Pie must answer f...
Dan Tiernan doesn't just perform stand up - he attacks it. In Going Under, he debuts his unique brand of furious, unpredictable and wildly entertaining comedy on the radio, covering living with dyspraxia, becoming a dinner lady, and his sister's cancer diagnosis. An exhilarating mix of raw personal chaos, cutting observations, and gloriously queasy gags, recorded live at Backyard Comedy Club. Written and Performed by Dan Tiernan Produced by Ewan McAdam Production Manager - Laura Shaw Executive P...
The secret of the bees, an unusual secret Santa and the secret to a happy marriage all feature in this week’s show, written by the next generation of comedy writers. DMs Are Open is back for a brand new series. Stevie Martin is your host and she’s brought together an incredible cast of comedy legends: Al Roberts, Charlotte Ritchie, Sunil Patel and Emily Lloyd-Saini. Written by the public. This week it was written by: Steve Blair Jo Bunting Caitriona Dowden Aruhan Galieva Ben Pope Vicky Richards ...
More than 13 million people in this country can be classed as disabled, often in ways we don’t think or talk about – sometimes in ways which even they are not fully conscious of. The spectrum of mental and physical disability is far wider than most of us have ever thought about. It’s an elephant in the room - we can all see it (unless we’re visually impaired) but none of us talk about it (unless we have Tourette Syndrome). If you’re uncomfortable with these jokes, don’t worry, this show isn’t al...
Stand-up, philosophy and memoir from the godfather of alternative comedy, Alexei Sayle. In this episode, Alexei recalls his unorthodox upbringing in Liverpool, his subsequent move to London, and a woman called Mrs Cocker who said something that has stuck with him for ever. Written and performed by Alexei Sayle. The song was written and composed by Tim Sutton with: Sophie Creaner - clarinet and sax Tom Ellis - acoustic guitar Matt Sharp - cello Producer - Richard Morris Production Co-ordinator - ...
Frank & guests Laura Smyth, Sunil Patel, Simon Evans & Kyrah Gray discuss googling, goggling, groping, gropping and the correct way to punch yourself in the face. This is the panel game based on what we all sit down and do at least once a day - shop online and leave a review, as an all-star panel celebrate the good, the bad & the baffling Everyone has an online life, and when the great British public put pen to keyboard to leave a review, they almost always write something hilarious....
Fresh from his appearance on Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, actor Stephen Mangan finds himself in the kind of trouble where the Bible, the Complete Works of Shakespeare, and his luxury item will be no help whatsoever. From Bill Dare (Dead Ringers), Jon Holmes (The Skewer) and writers Tom Oxenham and Simon Alcock, actor Stephen Mangan washes up on the actual island from Desert Island Discs, only to discover that he is not alone. Living among the palms and rocky outcrops and thousands of copies of...
Nathan Blakely was a popstar. But he was useless, died, and was reincarnated. The comedy about Nathan’s adventures in the afterlife returns for a fourth and final series, starring Daniel Rigby, Ashley McGuire, Freya Parker and Henry Paker. In this first episode of the final trilogy, Nathan is brought back to life as a rat in a London sewer. As usual, Nathan has a mission to complete - this time he needs to save an abandoned terrapin who's lost in the sewers from the clutches of a disgruntled cro...
Comedian and Broadcaster Sunil Patel invites you to join him in his new get-rich-quick scheme by marrying an Heiress. In this episode, Sunil meets with a premium dating agency, learns how to conduct himself on a date with an etiquette coach and goes on a megadate. Written and Performed by Sunil Patel With Additional Material from Charlie Dinkin, Em Humble and Benjamin Sutton Featuring Helen Bauer Sound Design and Mix by Andy Goddard Produced by Laura Shaw and Benjamin Sutton A Daddy’s SuperYacht...
The internet's best comedy creators bring you a sketch show that features Colin from Portsmouth, Broken News, Sally In HR, and every Ed Sheeran song ever. Written and performed by Kylie Brakeman, The Exploding Heads, Rachel Fairburn, Matt Green, Rosie Holt, Charlene Kaye, Kelechi Okafor, Larry & Paul, Morton, Burke & Fry, The Squid, and Ed Night & Paddy Young. Recorded in London, Manchester, Dublin, Los Angeles, New York and Edinburgh. Edited by Rich Evans at Syncbox Post Produced by...
Sue Perkins challenges Tony Hawks, Ian Smith, Zoe Lyons and Charlotte Ritchie to speak for 60 seconds without repetition, deviation or hesitation. Subjects include Getting Butterflies, Bottling it, and a Desire for Revenge. Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls Sound Editor: Marc Willcox Producer: Rajiv Karia An EcoAudio certified production. A BBC Studios Audio Production for Radio 4.
Comedian Alison Spittle explores some of her longest and deepest held grudges. The kind of thing most people would be ashamed to still be thinking about 30 minutes later, let alone contemplating exacting retribution decades on. Studies show that the role you play in the school nativity can affect your life. And Alison is taking those studies very seriously. She was once cast as Mary - big gig - but forced to drop out after the director said she lacked focus. 30 years on, it's still something she...
In this episode, Dara and Isy are joined by the astronaut Helen Sharman to learn about how humans learned to survive in space - with some diverting conversations about glitter, cat statues, hibernation, and shell suits. What? Seriously?? is a new podcast which combines comedy with quirky history, hosted by Dara Ó Briain and Isy Suttie, who will unravel an extraordinary real-life tale each week with the help of a celebrity guest Dara and Isy unearth stories that are definitely true, but also kind...
Inspired by an email from his 74 year-old father, comedian Ahir Shah introduces us to the The Seven Blunders of the World. In 1925, Mahatma Gandhi published an article in the journal Young India, outlining what he called the Seven Social Sins. They were wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity, religion without sacrifice, and politics without principle. One hundred years on, the world is a very different pl...
Bill Bailey stars as Guy Starling, a middle aged man who, after 45 years, and for reasons quite unknown to him, is suddenly revisited by his imaginary childhood friend, Hennikay. When Guy’s great business idea – developing a phone-based app designed to stop people using phone based apps – unsurprisingly fails, he needs to find a job. And so he attends a sales seminar with Shining Path, who are apparently, "the number one providers of after-life finance packages in the UK". However, his attention...
In this Christmas special, Frank Skinner and his guests decipher the good, the bad, and the baffling, as they try to work out a mystery item - based entirely on its online reviews. Which traditional panto features an animatronic dinosaur? What’s the worst present they’ve ever received? And is that one star write-up “bit claggy, made me feel sick” a review of some stuffing or Love Actually? Written by Frank Skinner, Catherine Brinkworth, Sarah Dempster, Jason Hazeley, Rajiv Karia, Karl Minns, Kat...
Sarah Mills' comedy guide to dealing with a fallible and embarrassing body. Since losing part of her bowel, comedian Sarah Mills has used a stoma bag. She might tell you that having a bag attached to her belly to collect her poo has made her unembarrassable - but the truth is she has always been completely shameless. Now, with the assistance of her outrageously candid celebrity guests, she wants to smash the taboos around bodily malfunctions and help us all banish bodily embarrassment for good. ...
"No Script. No Prep. No Clue." Alasdair Beckett-King plays host to a panel of improv comedy all stars in this new spontaneous series, full of ridiculous challenges & completely made up games. Presented by Alasdair Beckett-King. Starring Cariad Lloyd, Steen Raskopoulos, Alexander Jeremy, and Emma Sidi. Devised by Shoot From The Hip Producer: Sam Holmes Executive Producer: James Robinson Production Co-ordinator: Becky Carewe-Jeffries Sound Editor: Joe Bayley A BBC Studios Audio Production...
Paul celebrates his 50th stand-up show for Radio 4 with questions about anniversaries, 2011 (the year of his first show on the network), and his home borough of Croydon. In return, his audience tests his knowledge of tax years, anagrams, and the Crystal Palace. Written and performed by Paul Sinha Additional material: Oliver Levy Additional questions: The Audience Original music: Tim Sutton Recording engineer: David Thomas Mixed by: Rich Evans Producer: Ed Morrish A Lead Mojo production for BBC R...
Joining Kiri Pritchard-McLean this week is comedian Daliso Chaponda who champions Denial as the best medicine (or does he?). Urology Consultant Mr Bob Yang explains how a pineapple-flavoured UTI vaccine is changing lives, Dr Dana Damian takes Kiri on a journey through the body with tiny swallowable Origami Surgical Robots, and paramedic Thomas Martin teaches Kiri how to stay alive with Defibrillators. And the panel hear from David, one of the few people in the world who can claim he was brought ...
In this second omnibus episode, comedian Stuart Mitchell examines his own cost of living crisis with a move into the high flying world of banking - and just when he thinks he has it all, the world crashes around him. Stuart gives up everything he has worked so hard for in an attempt to be true to his self and is left wondering if his journey was really worth it, when he's scrambling to pay the bills? Each episode, Stuart looks at a chapter of his own unbelievable, but absolutely true, life story...
Ever struggled to find the right word for a feeling or sensation? Unspeakable sees comedian Phil Wang and lexicographer Susie Dent invite celebrity guests to invent new linguistic creations, to solve those all too relatable moments when we're lost for words. This episode we hear Jack Dee’s new word for when you try to sound cool but end up sounding exactly your age, Miles Jupp’s new word for being fed up by a world in which there is an app for everything, and Ria Lina’s new word for something th...
