British Comedy Guide

2 days ago | comedy.co.uk | Tim Dawson

One of the most common weaknesses in sitcom scripts from new writers is a lack of authenticity. Their characters and situations float in a vague, generic space, never quite feeling real. Great sitcoms are rooted somewhere specific. Look at The Royle Family. It's unmistakably Mancunian - from the accents to... Confirm your subscription and start enjoying the benefits of Pro right away.

2 days ago | comedy.co.uk | I Love You |Adam Buxton

Monday 12th May 2025, 4:05pm by Jay Richardson Buckle Up, Adam Buxton's first solo record of music will be released in the autumn Five years in the making, the collection of songs have been put together in collaboration with Metronomy's Joe Mount The record executive that signed Buxton reckoned "I was going to be able to just toss off an album in a couple of weeks, get it out for Christmas, job's a good 'un.

3 days ago | comedy.co.uk | Tim Dawson

What's the first thing you remember about your favourite sitcoms? The characters. Captain Mainwaring's pomposity. Basil Fawlty's simmering rage. Alan Partridge's desperate need for validation. Great comedy characters stay with us long after we've forgotten individual storylines or jokes. So how do you create memorable comedy characters? Let's take a look. Establish a key comic trait Every great comedy character needs a core trait that generates conflict and comedy.

4 days ago | comedy.co.uk | Jake Godfrey

Out of the thousands of 20th Century comedy shows, there is a notable paucity of female comics fronting their own series. Notable outliers include Joyce Grenfell in the likes of Joyce Grenfell Requests The Pleasure; Millicent Martin in Mainly Millicent; Dora Bryan's According To Dora; and Beryl Reid's Beryl Reid Says Good Evening, all of which aired in the 1950s and 60s. There was also Marti Caine, who had several series throughout the 1970s and 80s.

6 days ago | comedy.co.uk | Si Hawkins

Love British Comedy Guide? Support our work by making a donation. Find out more It was the first of times, it was the worst of times. This time we welcome Karen Dunbar, the Scottish stage, screen and banger-spinning favourite who has just begun a sizeable tour of her homeland; around the nation in 80 dates, including Dunbar itself (although that's sold out already). Are there other places she's particularly keen to visit on what looks a pretty epic jaunt?