Monday scattershooting….Paul the alien, Ricky Gervais, Bond23 and more….

Meet Paul, the 21st century E.T., premiering tonight Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, the genius minds behind Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead, star as two sci-fi geeks whose pilgrimage takes them to America’s UFO heartland, where they meet ‘Paul‘, an alien who alters their universe forever. Let’s just say, this isn’t your parents E.T. The film premieres tonight in […]

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Super Bowl tailgating do's and don'ts – a British perspective

As the world prepares for today’s ‘big game’ (evidently, we’re not allowed to call it by its real name due to potential copyright infringement), there are those that take the art of tailgating as serious as they take the game. With all the festivities going on this week leading up to the game, having heard […]

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The return of the sitcom, old-school style….finally

Before you begin reading, please understand that this isn’t even close to being a knock on the greatness of The Office, Outnumbered or The Thick of It. I also don’t want this to seem like a planting of the flag for the good ‘ole days syndrome. Merely a celebration, as The Independent‘s Tim Walker brilliantly […]

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Hugh Dennis' MI-5 job interview

Imagine your the son of a Bishop, a member of the Cambridge Footlights, did stand-up improv at places like the London Comedy Store and, later, your an impressionist doing voices for the Spitting Images series. Then, imagine you’re approached by a plain-clothed individual, while at University, who asks, “….interested in a job in intelligence“? You’re […]

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5 minutes with Chris Gernon – director, Grandma's House

With the 4+” of ice that blanketed North Texas overnight, crippling daily activity as we know it, comes news from our friends over at the British Comedy Guide that the British Comedy Award-nominated Simon Amstell comedy, Grandma’s House, is rumored to be commissioned for a second set of six episodes. Hopefully, the BBC will confirm this in […]

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More on British sitcoms: Class warfare on the horizon?

Working class sitcoms vs. Blue collar comedy. Fawlty Towers vs. Father Ted. The Telegraph vs. The Guardian. No matter what side you’re on in this rather ridiculous issue, what viewers ultimately want is good comedy. While Telegraph readers tend to lean more towards the Conservative Party and a centre-right view, the majority of the Guardian readers […]

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Great British comedy entrances

No one knows better than the BBC when it comes to comedy so it comes as no surprise to see their assessment of what makes a good comedy entrance. As they spell out, “…comedy shows are where entrances really come into their own: a good comedy entrance can signal character information to viewers and set […]

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Jeremy Lloyd to BBC: Good comedy is good writing and acting, %$@#&*

New BBC controller, Danny Cohen, lobbed the first grenade with his desire for the Beeb to “…curb middle class comedy” and add more “…blue-collar comedy shows“. Series like the long-running My Family and Outnumbered seem to not reflect the country as a whole. According to Cohen, the UK needs more shows like Only Fools and […]

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2010 British Comedy Awards – and the winner is….

Rightfully so, last night (Saturday, 22 January) was billed as the biggest night of the year for the British comedy industry as UK’s funniest gathered at London’s O2 for the annual British Comedy Awards. Jonathan Ross returned as host of the gala evening, broadcast live on Channel 4, that, for the first time, tapped the […]

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