Radio comedy

Just A Minute is still good, despite Nicholas Parsons showing signs of his age esp on this week's show.

Sorry I Haven't A Clue is usually good, and if nothing else Jack Dee's introductory monologues are worth the listen.

I gave up on The News Quiz a while ago. It's not what it was in the golden days of Barry Took, Richard Ingrams, Alan Coren etc and despite Miles being a more than capable host the round-robin parade of witty panellists doesn't do it for me.

Where's The F In News is dire, from the awful title to the topics and material. But mostly for the title. Are they all 12? May as well shout Knickers into the microphone and run away laughing at themselves. Dire. Did I mention the awful title?

Old Harry's game

Giles Wemmbley-Hogg

Bleak Expectations

Money Box

Do any commercial radio stations do comedy (apart from Jim White's show on TalkSport, of course) anymore? The Beeb seems to have the comedy field to itself.

I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (especially vintasge episodes hosted by Humph) is the pick, but one could also go for Dead Ringers, Round The Horne and the peerless Ed Reardon's Week. Ed is an emittered, poverty-stricken hack writer raging against the modern world from his Berkhamsted eyrie. It's beautifully performed and written.

Clare in the Community, a gentle satire about right-on social workers,, is often still funny. Then there's the pun-tasically daft Another Does of Milton Jones, the dark Blue Jam from Chris Morris (who also made another groundbreaking radio series, On The Hour), and that wonderfuly written and wrought portrait of small-time dreamers in the North of England, The Shuttleworths (and its spin off, Radio Shuttleworth).

Finally, it's often forgotten that many hit TV comedies start off as radio series - Flight of the Conchords and Little Britain, for example; and Steve Coogan's breakthrough Knowing Me Knowing You With Alan Partridge.

ChrisR_EPL posted:

I gave up on The News Quiz a while ago. It's not what it was in the golden days of Barry Took, Richard Ingrams, Alan Coren etc and despite Miles being a more than capable host the round-robin parade of witty panellists doesn't do it for me.

I’m inclined to agree, I find much of the new blood coming into these programmes rather irritating, on TV as well as radio. I thought Sandi Toksvig was particularly good as host of the News Quiz. It was a shame that she left to take over QI, where I thought she was no match for Stephen Fry.

The Long Swedish Winter

I found "Feedback" on BBC4 quite often funny.

Kevin-W posted:

Do any commercial radio stations do comedy (apart from Jim White's show on TalkSport, of course) anymore? The Beeb seems to have the comedy field to itself.

I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (especially vintasge episodes hosted by Humph) is the pick, but one could also go for Dead Ringers, Round The Horne and the peerless Ed Reardon's Week. Ed is an emittered, poverty-stricken hack writer raging against the modern world from his Berkhamsted eyrie. It's beautifully performed and written.

Clare in the Community, a gentle satire about right-on social workers,, is often still funny. Then there's the pun-tasically daft Another Does of Milton Jones, the dark Blue Jam from Chris Morris (who also made another groundbreaking radio series, On The Hour), and that wonderfuly written and wrought portrait of small-time dreamers in the North of England, The Shuttleworths (and its spin off, Radio Shuttleworth).

Finally, it's often forgotten that many hit TV comedies start off as radio series - Flight of the Conchords and Little Britain, for example; and Steve Coogan's breakthrough Knowing Me Knowing You With Alan Partridge.

From your suggestions, Ed Reardon's Week would definitely get my vote. Pitiful, but funny. Not so sure about Dead Ringers, but the one that really has me diving for the off button is the Now Show.

Nick from Suffolk posted:

Giles Wemmbley-Hogg

 

Haven't come across that, I'll see if I can dig out any old episodes, thanks.

This is a few years old now, but it's an entertaining parody of the way in which greed has overrun the financial industry:

https://soundcloud.com/richge/...hargeisa-goat-bubble

First published in the Financial Times, then made into this Radio adaptation on R4. Certain contributors to the Bitcoin thread might find this amusing!

I’d add:

John Finnemore’s Souvenir Programme, in fact anything with John Finnemore in it. Google his two sketches where he plays Pachelbel. Priceless.

The Unbelievable Truth, panel game created by Graeme Garden and hosted by David Mitchell. Episodes with Henning Wehn are particularly good.

nickpeacock posted:

I’d add:

John Finnemore’s Souvenir Programme, in fact anything with John Finnemore in it. Google his two sketches where he plays Pachelbel. Priceless.

The Unbelievable Truth, panel game created by Graeme Garden and hosted by David Mitchell. Episodes with Henning Wehn are particularly good.

Agree on both. Finnemore's Matrimony sketch with Colonel's Croome's daughters nearly had me off the road twice when it was on. Definitely one of the best of the current crop of writers.

"Mark Steel's in town" is excellent, and I like "the Unbelievable truth" and "I'm sorry I haven't a clue".

I find most of the rest dire.

For me on Radio 4 it's:

I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue

The Now Show

Mark Steel's In Town

Just A Minute

Cabin Pressure (but nothing else by Fennimore as it happens)

Ed Reardon;s Week

On Radio 4 Extra:

I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again

Old Harry's Game

Revolting People

The Men From The Ministry (reminds me of when I was a civil servant in 1960s)

Dad's Army

A programme I really miss is Week Ending, the satirical show that finished 1998. Always on target and extremely funny.

steve

That Josh Howie thing this evening, not too bad.

Count Arthur Strong and Dead Ringers - both better on Radio 4 than on TV IMHO

Thanks for the various suggestions, many of which I dare say we are all familiar with as perrenial BBC favourites, but a few there I’ve missed. It does indeed look as though Radio 4 has a virtual monopoly here. 

Chris,

 what about radio search by genre for comedy, and looking at comedy podcasts.

my daughter swears by a few Aussie podcasts for comedy

Cbr600 posted:

Chris,

 what about radio search by genre for comedy, and looking at comedy podcasts.

my daughter swears by a few Aussie podcasts for comedy

That’s a good idea, I’ve had a quick browse in the past but that was some time ago and I didn’t find anything much. Could be time for another look. 

Does anyone listen to British Comedy Radio? It plays old comedies such as The Ministry Men, Brothers-in-Law, Dad’s Army etc. 24hrs a day.

I often tune in using the radio.net app.

I don’t think anyone has mentioned it... but the Infinite Monkey Cage for a mix of science with humour - perfect PSB material which informs, educates and entertains in equal measure.  For those who like movies, Simon Mayo and Mark Kermodes weekly movie show is worth a listen though not really comedy.

As a general aside, check out BBC 4 Extra for classic comedy as well as looking at podcast for downloading some shows.

Every episode (just about) of I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue is available, courtesy of Ben Newsam, here:

http://www.bennewsam.co.uk/ISIHAC.html

A real treat! 

Thanks for that Rod, heaven for an ISIHAC freak like me!

Thanks, Rod.

Eloise - R4X is one of my favourite radio stations. Lots of good comedy shows on there.

Don't forget The Goon Show!

Thanks for reminding me. I also forgot Hancock's Half Hour which is one of my all time favourites.