Comedy of the Week

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 MorrishA Lead Mojo production for BBC Radio 4

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.

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 FennerA Mighty Bunny Production for BBC Radio 4About 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.

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 guestDara 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

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

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 SpicerGuy: Bill Bailey Hennikay: Max Lester Tony: Tony Gardner Stacia: Rebecca BoeyProducer: Liz Anstee A CPL production for BBC Radio 4

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

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 LabibRecording 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 MillsRecording in front of a live audience at Stevenage Lytton Players TheatreAn Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4Additional information on issues in this episode: https://www.bowelcanceruk.org.uk https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/urinary-incontinence/

"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 HipProducer: Sam Holmes Executive Producer: James Robinson Production Co-ordinator: Becky Carewe-Jeffries Sound Editor: Joe BayleyA BBC Studios Audio Production

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 AudienceOriginal music: Tim SuttonRecording engineer: David Thomas Mixed by: Rich Evans Producer: Ed MorrishA Lead Mojo production for BBC Radio 4