Comedy of the Week BBC

Don't worry, Geoff hasn't suddenly become a raging Socialist.

But one consequence of Covid is that the right wing comedian, like many people, has had his most solid convictions challenged repeatedly by events.

A lot of Geoff's long-held beliefs have been challenged by a politically and culturally turbulent twelve months; it can be confusing to have a supposedly right-wing government locking us at home and getting cheered on by large parts of the left, and it's a lot harder for Geoff to explain why he believes in a small state when the government is in the process of successfully rolling out a vaccine.

People ask Geoff if he regrets voting for a Conservative government but, looking at the casual attitude to debt, he says he now regrets not getting one!

It’s not just politics. Has the police's main role become to question why people are sitting down on benches while standing back from actual riots? As beliefs get challenged, statues fall and breakfast TV presenters get cancelled, Geoff pauses to take it all in.

This show is his attempt to get to grips with what happens to convictions and ideology when a pandemic comes along and turns everything on its head.

Producer: Alison Vernon-Smith
Sound Engineer: David Thomas
Production Co-ordinators: Sarah Tombling, Sarah Wright, Jacob Tombling
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4

Comedian Rich Hall is joined by Nick Doody to look at the first 100 days of the Biden presidency via the stylings of an American radio talk show.

Starring: Rich Hall, Nick Doody, Lewis MacLeod, Freya Parker, Alonzo Bodden and Merrill Markoe.

It was written by Rich Hall and Nick Doody, with additional material from Tasha Dhanraj and Jenny Laville.

Producer... Hayley Sterling
Production Coordinator... Sarah Sharpe
A BBC Studios Production

Actor, comedian and broadcaster Stephen Mangan presents a new comedy chat show about shame and guilt.

Each week, Stephen invites a different guest into his virtual confessional box to make three confessions - with remarkable storytelling and surprising insights.

We’re used to hearing celebrity interviews where stars are persuaded to show off about their achievements. Stephen's not interested in that. He doesn’t want to know about his guests' proudest moments, he wants to know what they’re ashamed of. That’s surely the way to find out what really makes a person tick.

Stephen and his guest reflect with empathy and humour on why we get embarrassed, where our shame thresholds should be, and the value of guilt.

Series guests include Joan Bakewell, Clarke Peters, Phil Wang, Dr Phil Hammond and more.

In this first episode, he takes the confession of the award winning improvisational comedian, actor and presenter of Griefcast, Cariad Lloyd.

Written and presented by Stephen Mangan
With extra material by Nick Doody
Produced by Dave Anderson and Frank Stirling
A 7digital production for BBC Radio 4

Episode 1 - Birth

Following on from her hugely successful, award-winning previous series – ‘Minds The Gap’ and ‘Utopia’, Bridget now turns her attention to Mortality, covering ‘Birth’, ‘Life’, ‘Death’ and ‘The Afterlife’.

Like many of us forced to work from home during lockdown, Bridget has recorded this series herself in her house, and in her local park, on a pre-sanitised recording device sent to her in the post. Batteries weren’t included. She had to buy them all herself.

In a collection of informative, personal and absurd recordings, she confronts the difficult questions most of us spend our lives avoiding - all whilst being interrupted by cats, chores, children, foxes and a plumber.

“Do twins share a soul or do they get one each?”, “Why don’t we bury our placentas and plant a tree on top of them?” and “Who’s blocked the toilet again?”

If you are mortal, then this is the show for you.

Written and performed by Bridget Christie
With guest appearances from her dad, her sister Eileen and her friend Ash.
Producer... Carl Cooper
Sound Mixer... Olga M. Reed

Bridget Christie: Mortal is a BBC Studios Production