Best of The News Quiz 2025

An audience show in which Colin explores how his bizarre family made him the man he is today. Now, as a 45 year-old dad, he wonders if it’s too late to do anything about it. Based on his hugely successful 2024 Edinburgh show, Colin weaves anecdotes and musings with all too real stories about his early life, featuring a recurring cast of characters: his perennially pessimistic mum, his not-quite-in-reality brothers and his long-suffering Dad who screams ‘why can’t we just be a normal family?’ Colin asks “is it a surprise my neurodiversity was missed?' But growing up in Nottingham we just had a simple phrase that covered everything - ‘he’s not right’. Colin paints a picture of a childhood full of secrets and lies, dominated by Mum’s terror of ending up in the local ‘madhouse’ whilst espousing paranoid conspiracies and pulling out the Ouija board on Christmas Day. Whilst inherently funny, the craziness is recounted with love and sympathy. A brilliant storyteller, Colin intercuts tales of that childhood life with stories about his own contemporary family and how one has been shaped by the other. What does he want to pass on and what does he absolutely not want to? How does he be the best dad he can when his basic understanding of the world is so scrambled? Each episode begins with Colin telling us how he’s, possibly inappropriately, reacted to something mundane that has just happened or been said to him. He’ll unpick the story across the episode tracing his reaction back to his upbringing with other themes, stories and observations along the way. Colin’s stand-up is intercut with childhood and contemporary scenes. Colin plays all his family members, neighbours, distant relatives, postmen, etc.

Join comedian Russell Kane as he and his guests spill the beans on spiders. Consistently ranked amongst the most creepy and crawly, we ask are spiders abusive arachnids or kooky cuties?Helping Russell decide whether spiders are evil or genius are top comedian Josh Jones and leading entomologist & England Manager for Buglife, Dr. Karim Vahed.To hear more from this series, search "Evil Genius" on BBC Sounds.Additional material by: Eve Delaney, Ruth Huskisson & Christina Riggs Researcher: Catherine Beazley Sound Recordist: Gareth Wood Digital Editor: Jerry Peal Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy Executive Producer: Paul Smith Producer: Simon NichollsEvil Animals with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds.

A Match Made Inshallah is a fearless, funny show where the 44-year-old, twice-divorced stand-up comedian Fatiha El-Ghorri is looking for love and ready to date - and she wants us all to be her wingman.Mixing stand-up, commentary, and the actual date itself, we will hear Fatiha’s deepest thoughts, hopes, dreams, and judgements as we join her every step of the way through the dating minefield.Written and Performed by Fatiha El-Ghorri Producer: Laura Grimshaw Executive Producers: Jon Holmes and Carrie RoseAn unusual production for BBC Radio 4

In this Stand-up Special Finlay Christie makes his Radio 4 debut in front of a live audience at The Brunswick in Brighton.He provides insight into how he and his generation have grown into the adults they’re now expected to be. Using new and existing material from his critically acclaimed Edinburgh shows he’ll cover topics like; the expectations of different generations; “pensioners complaining they can’t heat their house. That sounds like a boast – You’ve got a house?!’ ...”- the differences between the generations; “People say young people are more sensitive, but every generation is sensitive, we’re just sensitive about different stuff. We’re sensitive about pronouns, old people are sensitive about Princess Diana.”- how his generation feel about the world; "Gen Z are very nihilistic. World’s gonna end in our lifetimes and we don’t care. One girl in Sweden cared and that made the news.”“TikTok has made me see people who watch films as intellectuals. Ooh, you have a penchant for cinéma?? Ohohoho.” And how it now feels to be a man; “ the difference between Man and Boy - "Landlord bad…. rent boy..nice….” " “It’s a boy” - “congratulations”. “It’s a man” - “allegations.”At 19, Finlay became one of the youngest ever winners of the prestigious So You Think You’re Funny competition, following in the footsteps of Peter Kay, Lee Mack and Sarah Millican. 3 years later, his debut Edinburgh show “OK Zoomer” was nominated for NextUp’s “Best Show” award and was released as a special in October 2023. His material, based around his experience as a Gen Z, led Chortle to describe him as “the voice of his generation.”Producer: Julian Mayers

Despite a complex childhood, and with her teenage years spent guiding the career of her controversial comedian mother Janey Godley whilst caring for her depressed autistic father, Ashley has just had the most surreal, dramatic, tragic… and successful year of her life.Her dream job was always in the magical world of TV with all its escapism, justice and happy endings. But the universe has a twisted sense of humour, and just as Ashley finally gets her big break, Janey is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Yay.In this episode, we jump inside the brilliant and unhinged autistic brain of our “adult perma-child” protagonist and attempt to unspool this tragicomedy with some hilarious digressions en route.Produced by Julia Sutherland Sound Design by Sean Kerwin A Dabster production for BBC Radio 4

Chris McCausland asks Amy Gledhill and Luke McQueen to take on Angela Barnes and Kiell Smith-Bynoe. The teams must figure out what on earth is being advertised on TV, guess what famous objects or locations children are trying to describe, and guess what soundscapes their teammates are trying to convey using their mouths alone.This is the first episode from the third season of You Heard It Here First, titled The Live Disintegration of a Man's Being. To hear more episodes, search "You Heard It Here First" on BBC Sounds.Producer: Sasha Bobak Assistant Producer: Eve Delaney Executive Producer: Pete Strauss Production Coordinator: Jodie CharmanA BBC Studios Production.

Unarguably tall comedian Pierre Novellie uses his unique style of erudite bafflement to focus on the deep and the shallow in a comedic answer to In Our Time. In this episode, all about why we can’t stop eating, Pierre discusses the misuse of soap, weaponised crisps, Saint Aetholwold, and George Orwell vs the pizza.As Pierre says, “I’m delighted to be given the chance to perform my own comedy on the BBC, the original source of my obsession with comedy as a child. It’s a chance to bring my stand up to a hypothetically grateful nation.”Written and performed by Pierre Novellie and produced & directed by David Tyler (Cabin Pressure, One Person Found This Helpful, Armando Iannucci’s Charm Offensive)A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4

Rapid-fire sketch show featuring original comedy sketches from breakout online stars The Squid.Taking listeners from Michaelangelo repainting his spare bedroom, to the Scooby Doo gang buying Velma contact lenses for her birthday, each sketch is a fun and unpredictable concept rooted in The Squid’s trademark dry humour.The Squid are a Manchester-based comedy trio made up of writers/performers Liam Shaw, Zoe Freeman and Jack Holding. They have been creating one-minute-long comedy sketches for the last two years, which have gained them 151,000 followers on TikTok, 205,000 on Instagram, and 12 on Facebook.A Hat Trick production for BBC Radio 4

A satirical smorgasbord of The News Quiz's best bits of the year, covering local elections, flag fever, Starmer's struggles, Trump's travails, and a very special meeting between King Charles and Pope Leo XIV.To hear more episodes of The News Quiz, search "Friday Night Comedy" on BBC Sounds.Written and presented by Andy Zaltzman.Producer: Rajiv Karia Executive Producer: Pete Strauss Production Coordinator: Giulia Lopes MazzuA BBC Studios Audio Production for Radio 4 An Eco-Audio certified Production

Chloe Slack presents an Anniversary Special celebrating 81 years of Time Of The Week alongside former host Ruth Paul (special guest Ellie White). Plus: items on Tall Sons, viral dances and we answer the question ‘Do women feel storms more than men?’Sian Clifford stars as self-important journalist Chloe Slack in this comedy series parodying women’s current affairs and talk shows, surrounded by an ensemble cast of character comedians.Chloe Slack - Sian Clifford Ruth Paul - Ellie WhiteEnsemble cast: Ada Player Alice Cockayne Aruhan Galieva Ayoade Bamgboye Caroline Elms Em Prendergast Jodie Mitchell Jonathan Oldfield Lorna Rose Treen Mofé AkàndéCreated by Lorna Rose Treen and Jonathan OldfieldWriting team: Alice Cockayne Jodie Mitchell Jonathan Oldfield Lorna Rose Treen Priya Hall Will HughesScript Editors - Lorna Rose Treen and Jonathan Oldfield Photographer - Will Hearle Producer - Ben WalkerA DLT Entertainment Production for BBC Radio 4