Comedy of the Week

BBC Radio 4
Comedy of the Week

Brighten your week with the latest BBC Radio 4 comedy.

  1. 4 DAYS AGO

    Ashley Blaker's Hyperfixations

    "Americans have a long history of taking British things and ballsing them up. They took football and added helmets and cheerleaders; they took ice lollies and called them popsicles; and they took James Corden and then sent him back here." Among Ashley’s more unusual hyperfixations is a life-long love of professional wrestling. This special interest was first developed on Saturday afternoons at his grandparents’ house watching Big Daddy, Giant Haystacks and Kendo Nagasaki. It continued through the 1980s when Britain was invaded by Hulk Hogan and his colleagues from the then WWF (before they lost a court case to the World Wildlife Fund), and Ashley was fortunate enough to be in attendance at the legendary Summerslam show at Wembley Stadium in 1992, which so many British wrestlers have cited as the day that cemented their love of the grunt and grapple business. This undeniably extraordinary spectacle is sometimes called ‘sports entertainment’ - for many people it is neither! When Ashley Blaker was diagnosed with autism and ADHD, one of the most significant aspects of his diagnosis is his propensity for hyperfixation in special interests, which he now realises has entirely shaped his past and which he uses to mine comedy for this new series. It’s no exaggeration to say Ashley’s life has been driven by obsessions. He has variously been a schoolboy with a love of Star Wars and Doctor Who, a wannabe comedian who performed on the London comedy circuit at 16, a trivia nerd who appeared on University Challenge, a history PhD candidate at Cambridge, a BBC producer of hit comedy shows including Little Britain, a fanatical football fan who saw Liverpool play across England and Europe, a strictly Orthodox Jew who went to synagogue three times a day for over ten years, a father of six, and latterly, a heavily tattooed renegade in hiding from his former community. In this series, Ashley takes a comedic look at each of his obsessions in turn, merging personal memoir with a delve into subjects which have yet to be covered in stand-up comedy shows. The result is a series which, while based on the broader topic of neurodiversity, covers it with the lightest of touches and is focused more on Ashley’s individual hyperfixations, lifting the lid on many of the different worlds he’s inhabited. To hear more episodes from this series, search "Ashley Blaker's Hyperfixations" on BBC Sounds. Written and performed by Ashley Blaker co-starring Rosie Holt and Kieran Hodgson Script Editor: Steve Hall Recording engineers: Jerry Peal and Jon Calver Producer: Steve Doherty A Giddy Goat production for BBC Radio 4

    28 min
  2. 7 JUL

    Maisie Adam: Euros Fever

    Are you excited to watch England and Wales this summer? Comedian and football obsessed Maisie Adam can’t wait for the Euros and wants to capture the magic you only get before a big international tournament. This is her ultimate guide to the Euros and guarantees to get you in the mood for the highs, the lows and the drama of the Women’s Euros 2025. Maisie has encouraged the audience to come in their favourite footie strips, scarves and hats, the sillier the better – just no flares up any arses please. She’s joined by comedians Rhys James and Harriet Kemsley to chat about the glorious summer of footie we have ahead of us. They re-live some of their best/worst Euros moments, play games and give their predictions for the summer – is football coming home again? Plus Maisie gets some very special advice from former Lioness and Euros winner, the one and only Jill Scott MBE. If you can't get enough of the tournament, search ‘Women’s Euros’ on BBC Sounds for more coverage and reaction. Plus you can listen live to the games, including every England and Wales match, on 5 Live and BBC Sounds. Host: Maisie Adam Guests: Rhys James and Harriet Kemsley Producer: Georgia Keating Executive Producer: James Robinson Production Co-ordinator: Jodie Charman Production Assistant: Danita McIntyre Additional material by Matthew Crosby and Eve Delaney Sound Design by Arlie Adlington Recorded by Jerry Peal and Atharva Bankar at Backyard Comedy Club A BBC Studios Audio Production for Radio 4.

    29 min
  3. 23 JUN

    Henry Normal: A Normal... Humanity

    Join Henry Normal as he uses his unique blend of comedy and poetry to investigate what it truly means to be human. How are we different from other animals? Is there such a thing as a soul? Is it green or brown bin day today? These are just some of the unanswered questions Henry will be leaving unanswered in this new show, recorded live at the Hay-on-Wye Festival. This is the latest episode in his acclaimed, occasional series where the celebrated writer tackles subjects so vast only radio can possibly contain them. Written and performed by Henry Normal Production Coordinator - Katie Baum Produced by Carl Cooper A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4 To listen to more episodes from this series search "Henry Normal" on BBC Sounds. -- Henry Normal is a multi-award winning writer, producer and poet. Co-writer of TV classics including The Royle Family, The Mrs Merton Show, Coogan’s Run and Paul Calf, and producer of, amongst many others, Oscar-nominated Philomena, Gavin and Stacey and Alan Partridge. He’s published twelve collections of poetry, including his most recent An Alphabet of Storms, and co-wrote the memoir A Normal Family with Angela Pell – the everyday adventure of life with their autistic son. Praise for previous episodes in this series: "Shove up National Treasures. We need to make room for Henry Normal" – Simon O'Hagan, Radio Times -"It's a rare and lovely thing: half an hour of radio that stops you short, gently demands your attention and then wipes your tears away while you have to have a little sit down" -"It's a real treat to hear a seasoned professional like Henry taking command of this evening comedy spot to deliver a show that's idiosyncratic and effortlessly funny" -"Not heard anything that jumps from hilarious to moving in such an intelligent, subtle way as Henry Normal's show"

    29 min
3.7
out of 5
2,382 Ratings

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Brighten your week with the latest BBC Radio 4 comedy.

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