Comedy, the late, great Tony Hancock would often tell his dinner guests, was simply “frustration, misery, boredom, worry – all the things people suffer from”.
This may go some way to explaining the success of a crop of deceptively simple, single-camera comedy-dramas that have all but replaced our more traditional idea of the sitcom in the television schedules.
It’s 4pm on a Friday afternoon, a time of the week when most of us are preparing to wind down the working week. Not Gurinder Chadha, co-creator and director of ITV’s new period drama, Beecham House, otherwise known as “Downton in Delhi”.
She’s at work in a Soho edit suite, putting the finishing touches to another project, her latest movie, Blinded by the Light. The film is based on journalist and broadcaster Sarfraz Manzoor’s memoir, Greetings from Bury Park.
The unlikely crime fighting trio, Detective Inspector Rabbit (Matt Berry), Sergeant Strauss (Freddie Fox) and Mabel (Susan Wokoma), band together to track down a serial killer who leaves mysterious markings on their victims.
A brand-new line up has been announced for Junior Bake Off.
Comedian, author and lover of big shirt collars, Harry Hill, will host the new 15-part series.
Joining Hill will be judges Prue Leith, currently a judge on The Great British Bake Off, and Bake Off alumni Liam Charles, fresh from hosting Bake Off: The Professionals.
In March 2018, CBeebies pulled off a spectacular staging of The Tempest, a pacy version that preserved all the best “O brave new world” lines, while gripping its audience of under-sevens.
Return To Afghanistan With Jason Fox (w/t) follows Fox as he embarks on a personal journey back to Afghanistan to gain a better understanding of the complex country and determine if the sacrifices were worth the legacy the conflict has left behind.
The elite Special Forces soldier will encounter former enemies, old friends and revisit where he developed Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder after harrowing combat experiences, causing him to leave behind a career he loved.
“Afghanistan defined me as a soldier and made me the man I am today,” said Jason Fox.
Sex on Trial examines high-profile student sexual assault cases in the US and explores the impact they have had on the people making the accusations and the accused.
The new commissions include a travelling dance series, a new dating show and a documentary about a family-run sex shop.
Channel 4 has also announced the return of the hit factual series The £1 Houses: Britain’s Cheapest Street, which gave people the opportunity to buy a house for just £1 and turn it into their dream home.
Singer Charlotte Church gives a glimpse into her home life in this one-off documentary.
