Comedy of the Week

BBC Radio 4
  • 0.0 (0)
  • COMEDY
  • EVERY TWO WEEKS
Comedy of the Week

Brighten your week with the latest BBC Radio 4 comedy.

Episodes

  1. 3 DAYS AGO

    Ahir Shah's Seven Blunders of the World

    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 place (this was written on a computer, for crying out loud!). Yet, Ahir reckons Gandhi's century-old list of the great societal blunders still feels relevant today. Could they teach us anything going forward? Join Ahir (and sometimes his dad, who started this whole thing), as he explores these seven blunders through his trademark combination of philosophical inquiry, political vigour and sweet gags. Created and Performed by Ahir Shah Additional Material by Glenn Moore Cast: Vikram Shah and Meera Syal Producers: Daisy Knight and Jules Lom An Avalon production for BBC Radio 4

    28 min

  2. 30/12/2024

    Hennikay

    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 is constantly derailed by the constant chatter of Hennikay, his imaginary childhood friend, who is still determinedly living in his head. And if that wasn’t enough, he also has to cope with Tony, his old boss, who is also there, competing with him to land a job. But try as he might, Guy really can’t get enthused by the idea of a career selling pre-paid funeral plans to the people of Maidstone. Was this what he thought his life was going to be, when he and Hennikay were young together, way back in 1976? Acclaimed comedian - and Strictly Come Dancing champion - Bill Bailey leads a series cast which includes Tony Gardner and Elizabeth Carling in this warm, funny look at childhood, adulthood and some of the follies of modern life, where a man with a confused child in his head might just be the sanest person in the room. Written by David Spicer Guy: Bill Bailey Hennikay: Max Lester Tony: Tony Gardner Stacia: Rebecca Boey Producer: Liz Anstee A CPL production for BBC Radio 4

    27 min
  3. One Person Found This Helpful: Christmas Special

    23/12/2024

    One Person Found This Helpful: Christmas Special

    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, Katie Sayer and Peter Tellouche Devised by Jason Hazeley and Simon Evans, with the producer David Tyler A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4

    29 min

  4. 16/12/2024

    Sarah Mills' Bad Bod Squad

    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. Recorded in her home town of Stevenage, in this this week’s episode, Leaky, Sarah explores bodily spills with comedian and writer Ola Labib. Created and written by Sarah Mills Starring Sarah Mills with special guest Ola Labib Recording Engineer and Editor: Jerry Peal Recording Assistant: Guy Thomas Script Editor: Zoe Tomalin Associate Producer: Antonia Gospel Executive Producer: Alan Nixon Production Manager: Co- Producers: Gordon Kennedy and Sarah Mills Recording in front of a live audience at Stevenage Lytton Players Theatre An Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4 Additional information on issues in this episode: https://www.bowelcanceruk.org.uk https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/urinary-incontinence/

    15 min

  5. 09/12/2024

    Wing It

    "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

    28 min

  6. 02/12/2024

    Paul Sinha's Perfect Pub Quiz

    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 Radio 4

    29 min

  7. 25/11/2024

    Best Medicine

    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 back from clinical death with a defibrillator - and has also watched the whole incident on video. Best Medicine is your weekly dose of laughter, hope and incredible medicine. Award-winning comedian Kiri Pritchard-McLean is joined by a funny and fascinating panel of comedians, doctors, scientists, and historians to celebrate medicine’s inspiring past, present and future. Each week Kiri challenges a panel of medical experts and a comedian to make a case for what they think is 'the best medicine', and each guest champions anything from world-changing science or an obscure invention, to an every-day treatment, an uplifting worldview, an unsung hero or a futuristic cure. Whether it’s origami surgical robots, life-changing pineapple UTI vaccines, Victorian scandal mags, denial, sleep, tiny beating organoid hearts, lifesaving stem cell transplants, gold poo donors or even crying - it’s always something worth celebrating. Hosted by Kiri Pritchard-McLean Featuring: Daliso Chaponda, Dr Dana Damian, Thomas Martin and Mr Bob Yang Written by Mel Owen, Pravanya Pillay, Kiri Pritchard-McLean and Ben Rowse Producers: Tashi Radha and Ben Worsfield Theme tune composed by Andrew Jones A Large Time production for BBC Radio 4

    29 min

  8. 18/11/2024

    Stuart Mitchell's Cost of Living (Omnibus)

    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. A working class boy, with huge aspirations, Stuart achieved everything he dreamed of and more. However, he soon came to realise that the cost of having everything was more than he was willing to pay. A morality tale featuring his time working in Westminster, moving to a highly paid job in banking and willingly losing it all to find happiness; Stuart will make us all question the true cost of living. Written and performed by Stuart Mitchell Produced by Lauren Mackay An omnibus version of Episodes 3 and 4 of Stuart Mitchell's Cost of Living

    28 min

  9. 11/11/2024

    Unspeakable

    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 that is damp, limp, a bit pathetic. Hosts: Phil Wang and Susie Dent Guests: Jack Dee, Miles Jupp and Ria Lina Created by Joe Varley Writer: Matt Crosby Recorded by Jerry Peal Producer: Jon Harvey Executive Producers: Joe Varley and Akash Lockmun A Brown Bred production for BBC Radio 4

    28 min

  10. 04/11/2024

    Ivo Graham's Obsessions

    Ivo Graham brings 2 more celebrity guests to Radio 4, to tell us about their obsessions. Comedian Fatiha-El Ghorri and Paul Gorton of the hit BBC show 'The Traitors' join Ivo this week. Fatiha El-Ghorri is obsessed with trainers, and judges the audience on theirs while Paul details the hours he spends in his gaming room. Ivo also delves into the audience to find out what their obsessions are, and finally Ivo is joined by a Very Obsessed Person, or 'VOP'. This week, Ailish Morrison comes on to tell us about her unexpected twin passions of cheerleading and Lord of the Rings. Hosted by Ivo Graham Featuring Fatiha El-Ghorri, Paul Gorton and Ailish Morrison Written by Ivo Graham and Zoe Tomalin Additional Material by Cody Dahler, Christina Riggs and Peter Tellouche Recorded at the Marylebone Theatre by Duncan Hannant Sound edited by Charlie Brandon-King Production Coordinators: Katie Baum and Jodie Charman Executive Producer: Pete Strauss Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies, a BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4 An EcoAudio certified production Show image: Matt Stronge

    28 min

  11. 28/10/2024

    Call Jonathan Pie: The American Dream

    In the first of two US election specials Pie (Tom Walker) is tackling the thorny issue of democracy and is quickly derailed. As he takes his usual balanced (not) approach to the US presidential candidates Jules (Lucy Pearman) dangles a juicy carrot. There’s a big gig in the offing; if only he can stop ranting about one of the candidates. Can you guess which one? Written and performed by Tom Walker. Additional material by Daniel Abelson and Will Franken Jules …. Lucy Pearman. Sam ….. Aqib Khan Roger ….. Nick Revell Callers ….. Rosie Holt, Ellile Dobing, Daniel Abelson, Will Franken and Ed Kear Original Music ....Jason Read Voiceover .... Bob Sinfield. Producer ….. Alison Vernon-Smith Executive Producer ….. Julian Mayers Production Co-Ordinator ….. Ellie Dobing A Yada-Yada Audio Production for BBC Radio 4

    28 min

  12. 21/10/2024

    Janey Godley: The C Bomb

    This show was first broadcast in June 2023, as Janey faced a terminal cancer diagnosis. Last week, Janey revealed she is now receiving end-of-life care. This is another chance to hear Janey's powerful personal story of strength and survival, all told in her brutally honest, brutally funny signature style. In this episode, Janey does what she’s always done: turning her own dark and difficult experiences into laugher, as she paints a vivid picture of life in the East End of Glasgow in the 60s, and recounts a childhood steeped in poverty and abuse. As she faces her own mortality, she and daughter Ashley Storrie talk, laugh and cry as they unpick some of the experiences she shares onstage. Relentlessly authentic, she's also had to face up to her own mistakes - taking responsibility and apologising both publicly and onstage, as well as sharing the shame of being ‘cancelled’ and the very dark place that took her to. Then, just months later…. the hand grenade of a cancer diagnosis forced her to start fighting for her life. Now, after finally admitting that after everything she’s been through in life, maybe she‘s not “fine”, and with a terminal diagnosis, she’s submitted to the ultimate ‘C bomb' for many men and women of her generation - counselling. And as a result of this insight, she’s more hilarious and compelling onstage than ever. Janey’s experienced a life of extremes but has come out the other side with rare insight, still able to make light of all its trials and tribulations in her signature dark and uncompromising style. Recorded live in front of an audience in her hometown, Glasgow. A Dabster production for BBC Radio 4

    29 min
  • 12 Episodes

About

Brighten your week with the latest BBC Radio 4 comedy.

Information

  • Creator
    BBC Radio 4
  • Years Active
    2010 - 2025
  • Episodes
    12
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © (C) BBC 2025
  • Show Website
    Comedy of the Week

More From BBC

You Might Also Like

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes and get the latest updates.
Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada