Comedy of the Week

BBC Radio 4

4.2 (424)
COMEDY
UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Brighten your week with the latest BBC Radio 4 comedy.

5 DAYS AGO

ReincarNathan

Nathan Blakely was a popstar. But he was useless, died, and was reincarnated. The comedy about Nathan’s adventures in the afterlife returns for a fourth and final series, starring Daniel Rigby, Ashley McGuire, Freya Parker and Henry Paker. In this first episode of the final trilogy, Nathan is brought back to life as a rat in a London sewer. As usual, Nathan has a mission to complete - this time he needs to save an abandoned terrapin who's lost in the sewers from the clutches of a disgruntled crocodile. And Nathan also has his own demons to battle - can he come to terms with the failed pop career he had as a human? Cast: Ashley McGuire - Carol Daniel Rigby – Nathan Henry Paker - Terry the Terrapin Freya Parker - Crocodile Tom Crowley - Music Manager Writers: Tom Craine and Henry Paker Producer: Harriet Jaine Sound: Jerry Peal Music Composed by: Phil Lepherd A Talkback production for BBC Radio 4

29 min
FEB 10

Sunil Patel: An Idiot's Guide to Bagging an Heiress

Comedian and Broadcaster Sunil Patel invites you to join him in his new get-rich-quick scheme by marrying an Heiress. In this episode, Sunil meets with a premium dating agency, learns how to conduct himself on a date with an etiquette coach and goes on a megadate. Written and Performed by Sunil Patel With Additional Material from Charlie Dinkin, Em Humble and Benjamin Sutton Featuring Helen Bauer Sound Design and Mix by Andy Goddard Produced by Laura Shaw and Benjamin Sutton A Daddy’s SuperYacht Production for BBC Radio 4

15 min
FEB 3

P.O.V.

The internet's best comedy creators bring you a sketch show that features Colin from Portsmouth, Broken News, Sally In HR, and every Ed Sheeran song ever. Written and performed by Kylie Brakeman, The Exploding Heads, Rachel Fairburn, Matt Green, Rosie Holt, Charlene Kaye, Kelechi Okafor, Larry & Paul, Morton, Burke & Fry, The Squid, and Ed Night & Paddy Young. Recorded in London, Manchester, Dublin, Los Angeles, New York and Edinburgh. Edited by Rich Evans at Syncbox Post Produced by Ed Morrish A Lead Mojo production for BBC Radio 4

28 min
JAN 27

Just a Minute

Sue Perkins challenges Tony Hawks, Ian Smith, Zoe Lyons and Charlotte Ritchie to speak for 60 seconds without repetition, deviation or hesitation. Subjects include Getting Butterflies, Bottling it, and a Desire for Revenge. Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls Sound Editor: Marc Willcox Producer: Rajiv Karia An EcoAudio certified production. A BBC Studios Audio Production for Radio 4.

29 min
JAN 20

Alison Spittle: Petty Please

Comedian Alison Spittle explores some of her longest and deepest held grudges. The kind of thing most people would be ashamed to still be thinking about 30 minutes later, let alone contemplating exacting retribution decades on. Studies show that the role you play in the school nativity can affect your life. And Alison is taking those studies very seriously. She was once cast as Mary - big gig - but forced to drop out after the director said she lacked focus. 30 years on, it's still something she thinks about. Can Natalie Cassidy help Alison get closure? Written by Alison Spittle & Simon Mulholland With Ian Smith and Natalie Cassidy Script Edited by Joel Morris Produced by Lyndsay Fenner A Mighty Bunny Production for BBC Radio 4 About Alison: Alison Spittle is an award-winning screenwriter, actress and comedian. She is the creator, writer and star of the TV series Nowhere Fast which aired on RTE2 to critical acclaim in 2017. Her play Starlet premiered to great acclaim at the Dublin Fringe Festival, garnering 5 stars from The Sunday Times. She can also be heard on The Guilty Feminist and BBC Radio 4’s Wheel of Misfortune.

28 min
JAN 13

What? Seriously??

In this episode, Dara and Isy are joined by the astronaut Helen Sharman to learn about how humans learned to survive in space - with some diverting conversations about glitter, cat statues, hibernation, and shell suits. What? Seriously?? is a new podcast which combines comedy with quirky history, hosted by Dara Ó Briain and Isy Suttie, who will unravel an extraordinary real-life tale each week with the help of a celebrity guest Dara and Isy unearth stories that are definitely true, but also kind of unbelievable at the same time - the sort of stories that make you go ‘What? Seriously??’ when you hear them, but you resolve to tell them in the pub the first chance you get. The twist is that Dara and Isy have absolutely no idea how these strange-but-true tales will unfold and we’ll all be trying to figure it out together – or Dara and Isy will just go off on funny flights of fancy that are tangentially related to the story. They will be drip-fed the nuggets of narrative by a special guest expert who might just know something about the subject. Across the series they will be joined by I’m A Celeb winner Georgia Toffolo, the Aussie comedian Rhys Nicholson, the broadcaster Stuart Maconie, Master Chef star Louisa Ellis, Miles from The Traitors, the comedian Richard Herring, the astronaut Helen Sharman, and Slow Horses star Chris Chung. ‘What? Seriously??’ with Dara Ó Briain and Isy Suttie and special guest Helen Sharman. Format co-developed by Dan Page. Story compiled by Gareth Edwards and Dan Page. Producer: Laura Grimshaw Executive Producer: Jon Holmes An unusual production for BBC Radio 4

29 min
JAN 6

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
12/30/2024

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

See All (18)

4.2

out of 5

424 Ratings

Hit and miss, sometimes hilarious

12/12/2023

The Shadow Nose

Recently Nora Roberts was great with droll snippets. The four previous episodes were mostly lacking. There is 60 seconds of commercials to skip at start and more at end. I recommend giving each episode 1-2 minutes and quitting if not yet zinging. None seem to progressively improve.
I liked it!

Feb 3

Thurashe

It’s hard to find good sketch comedy podcasts. This is one. I’d like to listen to these guys regularly.
A selection of mostly drivel

06/20/2024

Mallarie121

Purile and nonsensical moronic drivel are some of the words that come to mind. What ever happened to the great R4 comedy of yore?
Quite Enjoyable

06/11/2021

Katledoodle

The Skewer is quite a well done political show. Reminds me of Vicki Bennett’s People Like Us work.