This week we review - Giles Wemmbley Goes Off (Series 2 Episode 6) Sitcom following the adventures of Giles Wemmbley Hogg. Traveller, backpacker, fearless investigator of cultural diversity... and an upper middle-class student from Budleigh Salterton. Giles is a nice but rather dim upper-middle class ex-public school boy who records his adventures on his portable digital recorder as he travels around the world. He rarely realises when things are going wrong, but listeners can hear the damage and...
Dec 14, 2020•45 min
This week we review - Gavin & Stacey (Series 1 Episode 1) Stacey is from Barry, near Cardiff, and Gavin is from Essex. But the difference in backgrounds and culture doesn't hinder their romance, which flourishes when they finally meet for the first time after hitting it off during numerous flirtatious work calls. Stacey's guardian-uncle, Bryn, has pledged to look out for his niece - when not obsessing over his faulty satellite navigation system - whilst Gavin is doted on by his sometimes emo...
Dec 07, 2020•45 min
This week we review - The Mighty Boosh (Series 3 Episodes 1) Surreal sitcom following the adventures of Vince Noir and Howard Moon. Vince and Howard are Zoo Keepers who work in the dysfunctional 'Zooniverse' along with the disturbing Dixon Bainbridge, Bob Fossil and Mrs Gideon. The third series sees the action shifts to Naboo's second hand shop in Dalston. Needless to say they don't get much work done. This doesn't bother Naboo too much, firstly as the shop is really only a cover for his shady i...
Nov 30, 2020•46 min
This week we review - The Break (Series 3 Episodes 1) The Break is set in the fictional Yorkshire coastal town of Flamford - the seaside town sanity forgot - and features retired resident, Jeff Whittaker and his estranged London-bred financial whizz-kid nephew, Andy Chambers, who has arrived unannounced and stressed-out in desperate need of peace and quiet. Andy gets neither of these as Jeff takes it upon himself to cure all of Andy's ills in a series of comic and poignant adventures around the ...
Nov 23, 2020•41 min
This week we review - Stella Street (Series 3 Episodes 1 & 2) From the minds of John Sessions, Phil Cornwell and "The Comic Strip Presents …." creator Peter Richardson, Stella Street showcases the incredible mimicry talents of Sessions and Cornwell. In Surbiton, Surrey, film stars Michael Caine, Jack Nicholson, Al Pacino and others share a street with the likes of musician David Bowie, and soccer pundit Jimmy Hill. Although the residents are all in somewhat reduced circumstances they behave ...
Nov 16, 2020•42 min
This week we review - Rob Newman's Half-Full Philosophy Hour (The New Forest Festival of Stoic Philosophy) Rob Newman tackles some of the great philosophical arguments that trouble him such as what if the right side of history is the wrong side of nature and how do we break up big tech before big tech breaks us? In this episode, the award-winning comedian tells the story of the New Forest Stoic Philosophy Festival, and his part in its downfall as he traverses the weird world of philosophy Writte...
Nov 09, 2020•46 min
This week we review - After Life (Series 1 Episode 1) Set in the small fictitious town of Tambury, the series follows Tony, a writer for the local newspaper whose life is upended after his wife dies from cancer. Tony had a perfect life. But following the death of his beloved wife Lisa to breast cancer, Tony changes. Having contemplated taking his own life, he decides instead to punish the world by saying and doing whatever he likes. He feels it's like a Super Power, because if anything goes wron...
Nov 02, 2020•45 min
This week we review - Stand Up for Live Comedy (Series 1 Episode 3) Stand-up comedy is a vital part of our British culture, and this series aims to support grassroots comedy talent in light of the significant impact Covid-19 has had on the stand-up comedy industry. Stand Up For Live Comedy is filmed in six different cities across the UK in outdoor locations with socially distanced audiences, with a mission to kickstart live stand-up again. We review episode 3 - Birmingham Produced by Adele Fowle...
Oct 26, 2020•45 min
This week we review - Spitting Image (Series 21 Episode 1) First broadcast in February 1984, the series was produced by 'Spitting Image Productions' for Central Independent Television over 18 series which aired on the ITV network. The series was nominated and won numerous awards, including ten BAFTA's and two Emmy's. One of the most watched shows of the 1980s and early 1990s, Spitting Image satirised politics, entertainment, sport and British pop culture of the era and at it's peak it was watche...
Oct 19, 2020•45 min
This week we review - Alan Partridge From The Oasthouse (Episode 5) Alan Partridge is a familiar face (and voice!) to anyone who enjoys genuinely good television (and radio!), having been seen (and heard!) on shows that have delighted the eyes (and ears!) of viewers (and listeners!) for decades, including BBC teatime show This Time (and North Norfolk Digital coffeetime show Mid Morning Matters!). Broadcaster, writer, motivational speaker, sports fan, thought-leader, businessman and consummate pr...
Oct 12, 2020•46 min
This week we review - Red Dwarf (Series 10 Episode 1) Following a catastrophic leak of radiation aboard mining space ship Red Dwarf, technician Dave Lister finds himself as the last living human. Having been held in a form of suspended animation known as stasis at the time of the leak he was shielded from its fatal effects whilst all of his colleagues were turned into piles of dust. Now, some 3 million years later with background radiation at a safe level, the ship's computer Holly has revived h...
Oct 05, 2020•45 min
This week we review - Hitmen (Series 3 Episode 4) Paul Whitehouse is an experienced fisherman; Bob Mortimer is a complete novice. Their friendship stretches back for decades, but they've recently reconnected after both suffering very serious heart problems and each staring death in the face. Paul has suggested to Bob that he take up fishing to help recover from his triple heart bypass. Now, these two much loved comedians tour the country to fish side by side in some of the most picturesque lands...
Sep 28, 2020•45 min
This week we review - Hitmen (Series 1 Episode 1) Hitmen is about two best friends trying to make their way in the world with only each other to rely on. They also just happen to kill people for a living. Having stumbled into a career in contract killing, misfits Fran and Jamie are not your typical killers for hire. Working out of their scruffy van, each episode follows the hapless duo as they try to carry out their latest hit, inevitably derailed by incompetence, bickering, and inane antics. As...
Sep 21, 2020•45 min
This week we review - Detectorists (Series 3 Episode 1) Detectorists follows the relationship between two friends who share a passion for metal detecting. When Andy and Lance are together, they're like an old married couple. They gripe at each other, but there is a true bond underneath. Each has their own slightly dysfunctional lives but together they dream of finding a priceless Saxon hoard that will cement their place in detecting history. Helping them along the way is a delightfully quirky cr...
Sep 14, 2020•44 min
This week we review - Staged (Series 1 Episode 1) David Tennant and Michael Sheen (playing themselves) were due to star in a production of Six Characters In Search Of An Author in the West End. The pandemic has put paid to that, but their director (Simon Evans - also playing himself) is determined not to let the opportunity pass him by. He knows how big a chance this is for him and turns his attention to cajoling his stars into rehearsing over the internet. All they need to do is read the first ...
Sep 07, 2020•45 min
This week we review - Tom Wrigglesworth's Open Letters (Series 1 Episode 4) This series started life as a one-off recording of Tom Wrigglesworth's Edinburgh Comedy Award nominated stand-up routine about a rude and unhelpful train guard. After the success of this first show, Tom was commissioned to return to Radio 4 to regale his audience with more tales of corporate lunacy and ridiculous rip-offs. Through the medium of four open letters, Tom investigates the countless examples of corporate lunac...
Aug 31, 2020•44 min
This week we review - Early Doors (Series 2 Episode 1) Gentle paced comedy series set in a small Manchester public house. Landlord Ken has been left by his wife (for his best friend), but lives with his adopted daughter Melanie and mother Jean. He is assisted at the bar by reliable Tanya. The regulars in the pub include lazy skiving husbands Joe and Duffy; dense but friendly couple Eddie and Joan; old git Tommy; and useless coppers Phil and Nige. Written by Craig Cash & Phil Mealey Produced ...
Aug 24, 2020•43 min
This week we review - Parks & Recreation (Series 3 Episode 1) Parks and Recreation is an American political satire sitcom television series created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur. It stars Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope, a perky, mid-level bureaucrat in the Parks Department of Pawnee, a fictional town in Indiana. The ensemble and supporting cast features Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt, Adam Scott and Rob Lowe. The writers researched local California poli...
Aug 17, 2020•42 min
This week we review - What We Do In The Shadows (Series 1 Episode 1) Set in Staten Island, What We Do in the Shadows follows the lives of three traditional vampires; Nandor, Laszlo, and Nadja; Colin Robinson, an energy vampire; and Guillermo, Nandor's familiar. The series revolves around the centuries-old vampires interacting with the modern world and other supernatural beings. Written by Jermaine Clement Produced by Joanne Toll & Hartley Gorenstein Directed by Taika Waititi An FX / Two Cano...
Aug 10, 2020•46 min
This week we review - Relativity (Series 3 Episode 2) Death, birth, falling in and out of love, resentment over forgotten slights and indestructible affection - it's all relative. Relativity is a witty and loving portrait of family life, with affectionate observation of inter generational misunderstanding, sibling sparring and the ties that bind, that will resonate with anyone who has ever argued with their dad about how to pronounce crisp brand names. Written by Richard Herring. Produced by Pol...
Aug 03, 2020•43 min
This week we review - Ever Decreasing Circles (Series 3 Episode 3) Martin Bryce lives in a cul de sac in a quiet suburban area. He is the chairman of every club committee going and believes himself to be the pivotal member of the community. The stability of Martin's life is disturbed when Paul moves in next door. He has the poise, looks and self-confidence to dent Martin's self-imposed rule of 'the Close'. His wife, Ann, has tolerated his compulsive behaviour as she knows he is a good man at hea...
Jul 27, 2020•46 min
This week we review - Dead Ringers (Series 20 Episode 5) Dead Ringers is an impressionist show with a satirical bite. Regular victims in the original series - which starred Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens, Phil Cornwell, Kevin Connelly and Mark Perry - included Tony Blair, who keeps referring to his physical mannerisms; an almost totally incoherent Robin Cook; and the gaff-strewn speeches of George W. Bush. As well as mocking politicians, Dead Ringers also makes fun of other Radio 4 programmes and perso...
Jul 20, 2020•46 min
This week we review - The Blagger's Guide (Series 2 Episode 2) David Quantick presents a light hearted guide to music, in which not every fact is a truth. In the first two series, The Blagger's Guide aimed to provide an encyclopaedia guide to rock and pop. Entries on artists, movements and places as diverse as Sheffield, Folk, Stadium Rock, Stax and Madonna all featured. The third series switched to looking at The Classics - Beethoven, Bach, Tchaikovsky and music of that ilk. Series four, length...
Jul 13, 2020•46 min
This week we review - Dave (Series 1 Episode 3) The series stars a fictionalised version of Lil Dicky, a suburban neurotic man in his late twenties who has convinced himself that he's destined to be one of the best rappers of all time The co-creator of the show Dave Burd (better known by his stage name Lil Dicky) is an American rapper and comedian. He came to prominence with the release of the music video of his song "Ex-Boyfriend" on April 25, 2013, which became popular with more than one milli...
Jul 06, 2020•58 min
This week we review - Brass Eye - Decline (Series 1 Episode 6) Brass Eye is a British television comedy series which parodied the current affairs news programming of the day. A series of six episodes aired on Channel 4 in 1997, and a further episode in 2001. The series was created and presented by Chris Morris, written by Morris, David Quantick, Peter Baynham, Jane Bussmann, Arthur Mathews, Graham Linehan and Charlie Brooker and was directed by Michael Cumming. Originally planned as a spin-off f...
Jun 29, 2020•56 min
This week we review - A Bit Of Fry & Laurie (Series 1 Episode 3) A Bit of Fry & Laurie is a British sketch comedy television series written by and starring former Cambridge Footlights members Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie. Broadcast on both BBC1 and BBC2 between 1989 and 1995, it ran for four series and totalled 26 episodes, including a 36-minute pilot episode in 1987. As in The Two Ronnies, elaborate wordplay and innuendo were staples of its material. It frequently broke the fourth wall; ...
Jun 22, 2020•58 min
This week we review - Star Stories (Series 1 Episode 2) Star Stories is a British television comedy programme that took a satirical look at celebrities and their lives. Star Stories is made by Objective Productions (the people behind Peep Show) commissioned for Channel 4 by Shane Allen and Andrew Newman with Lee Hupfield producing, Elliot Hegarty directing and Phil Clarke and Andrew O'Connor as executive producers. Spanning three series it featured episodes entitled - The Church Of Scientology P...
Jun 15, 2020•56 min
This week we review - Uncle (Series 2 Episode 1) Uncle follows the darkly comedic misadventures of Andy, an irresponsible man-child forced to watch his neurotic pre-teen nephew, Errol. With laughs, heart and some original songs, Uncle explores what it means to be family - when you're still learning how to be a good human being. Written by Oliver Refson and Lilah Vandenburgh Produced by Alison Macphail Directed by Oliver Refson A Baby Cow Production For BBC. Uncle is available to here: https://bi...
Jun 08, 2020•55 min
This week we review - The Reluctant Landlord (Series 1 Episode 1) Much to his annoyance Romesh is left running the local pub after his mischievous father left it to him in his will. He has never wanted to be a landlord, but his mum feels it is the only way to keep his dad's legacy alive, and his wife and kids are having a ball there. Starring Sian Gibson as his wife, Natasha, and Nick Helm as best mate Lemon, this semi-autobiographical sitcom follows Romesh's misadventures as he tries to offload...
Jun 01, 2020•57 min
This week we review - Chewing Gum (Series 1 Episode 3) In Chewing Gum, Michaela Coel plays Tracey Gordon, a religious Beyoncé-obsessed 22-year-old who is fast finding out that the more she learns about the world, the less she understands. Tracey and her mates are in their early twenties, living in an estate in Tower Hamlets, east London. Some of them have full time jobs, some are in uni, some are already parents. But really - they are all stuck. Stuck in their youth and still trying to coast thr...
May 25, 2020•59 min
