is bored – radio 4 comedy comedy content

Now show

is awful. Do a gag that’s so obvious the audience are laughing before you’re half-way through the set-up. Then deliver the punchline anyway. Then do a 30 second sketch basically repeating the punchline, but extra points if you manage to shoe-horn in some third-rate, not-very-topical impression from the 3 characters your cast have mastered.

Liked the Unbelievable Truth, News Quiz, JigSaw, Laura Solon (which seems to have dropped off Iplayer), Bleak Expectations which just got more bonkers as it went on, Cabin Pressure (Roger Allam’s voice is perfect for radio character comedy). Also a fan of Finnemore; The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Red Trousers were proper spit-your-coffee funny.

and now for the musical comedy stylings of Mitch Benn…

Radio 4 comedy is generally far superior to anything on TV. Loads of good things on and even more in the way of the old stuff on Radio 4 Extra.

Cabin Pressure is probably my favourite sit-com of all time (TV included). Basically anything John Finnemore touches is comedy genius. It does help if you listen to CP from episode 1 onwards, as a lot of the jokes will make more sense.

Other great sit-coms include Clare in the Community, Ed Reardon, Old Harry’s Game and Hut 33.

News Quiz is a far superior version of Have I Got News For You. Pal of mine was chatting to Fred McAuley once who told him that before going on HIGNFY the producer told him “Remember this isn’t the News Quiz, keep it dumb and don’t use any long words”.

I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue is very silly British humour at it’s very silly best.

And loads of other stuff too. For example a few weeks ago I came across a lovely, gentle little sit-com called The Cold Swedish Winter.

Still three episodes of 1966 And All That on iPlayer.

If you like Craig Brown, it’s a bit of a gem.

HARRUMBLE!