BBC announces brand new comedy season The Festival Of Funny

We’re bringing together the very best of BBC comedy past, present and future in a dedicated festival of funny to do comedy’s job of bringing sunshine and laughter when we need it the most.

Beginning later in February and running through to mid-March, The Festival Of Funny will see an array of brand new comedy content across the BBC, as well as celebrating comedy classics and taking a look at some of the greatest icons in British comedy.

The Festival Of Funny includes 14 hours of brand new comedy content including four comedy pilots for BBC Radio 2, a comedy pilot for BBC Three (further details TBA) and an all new live Stand Up series supporting new and upcoming talent. Viewers will also be treated to classics from some of the country’s most loved comedians, favourites from the BBC comedy archive as well as an entire evening dedicated to Victoria Wood on BBC Two.

Shane Allen, Director, BBC Comedy Commissioning, says: “We’re bringing together the very best of BBC comedy past, present and future in a dedicated festival of funny to do comedy’s job of bringing sunshine and laughter when we need it the most.

"Comedians have been starved of both stages and live audiences; it’s important that we continue to back the stars of today and tomorrow as well as honour the beloved legends and shows that the BBC has always led the way with. Alongside the crucial support provided by Bitesize and Headroom, the Festival of Funny is another vital BBC offering to celebrate the world renowned British sense of humour.”

The Festival Of Funny content will be available across BBC television channels, radio, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds. More information will be released in due course.

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Showcasing new comedy talent including brand new live series

An exciting new live Stand Up series is coming to BBC Two and will air over five consecutive nights from a Covid-safe London location. The diverse line-up will see established comedians joined by new and emerging talent from all across the country.

Off the back of a hugely difficult year for stand-up, the series will support comedians in getting back to work and also provide a platform for emerging comedy talents who have not been able to follow their usual path of showcasing their work over the last twelve months. 

Already confirmed for the new series includes Jason Manford, Jo Brand, Darren Harriott, Dane Baptiste, Joanne McNally, Rachel Fairburn and Chris McCausland.

Comedy Shorts selection

To continue to support new and emerging talent, The Festival Of Funny will also present a comedy shorts showcase featuring a bold, contemporary collection of the silliest, most distinctive comedy short films. Platforming the next generation of comedy voices, the films show the wealth of exciting talent from emerging creatives all across the UK and beyond. The films will go out late night on BBC Two and also have a home on iPlayer.

Harry Hill will be writing, directing and starring in a series of four silent black and white comedy shorts in Harry Hill’s 4 Minute Wonders. Each short will see Harry in a different historical setting - from prehistoric times to the Napoleonic era.

Four brand new comedy pilots for BBC Radio 2

Coming to BBC Radio 2 on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 March are four new comedy pilots, which will also be available afterwards on BBC Sounds.

Saturday 6 March, 9pm-10pm 

The Delightful Sausage on Staycations

The Delightful Sausage - aka Christopher Cantrill and Amy Gledhill - are bringing their Edinburgh Fringe Best Show-nominated double act to Radio 2 with a travelogue unearthing some of the UK’s most unique staycations. The show finds them getting hot and bothered at a Dracula-themed B&B, sampling some eye-watering cuisines and having a truly unforgettable stay at a Yorkshire holiday camp. Expect gross-out humour, deranged characters and really, really northern accents! The cast is Amy Gledhill, Chris Cantrill, Gabby Best, Ibinabo Jack, Paul Dunphy, Nicola Redman, Written by Chris Cantrill and Amy Gledhill and produced by Hannah Moulder for Various Artists Ltd.

Tommy Tiernan On Beards

Stand-up comedian Tommy Tiernan is perplexed to know ‘Just when does a beard become a beard?’ To discover the answer, he roots about the facial hair of everyone from Roy Keane to Karl Marx in this half hour of meditative comedy from one of the masters of the art. Produced by Mabinog Productions.

Sunday 7 March, 9pm-10pm

Kiri Pritchard-McLean: Secret Desires

Written and performed by Chortle and Edinburgh Comedy Awards winner Kiri Pritchard-McLean in which she explores all the things she’s missed whilst living in isolation. Featuring audience stories, Kiri will unpick the awkward moments of life that we so weirdly desire… Hen do anyone? Produced by Suzy Grant for BBC Studios.

The Empire

Set in Imperial India where the new district magistrate of Darjeeling grapples with the responsibilities of his new post with the help - and sometimes hindrance - of his colleagues. The cast features Stephen Fry as Viceroy, Alexander Owen as Albright, Rasika Dugal as Sapna, Anuvab Pal as Harbans and Michelle Gomez as Mrs Campbell. It is written by Arnuvab Pal and produced by Ed Morrish for Channel X.

Stand-up shows from comedy favourites

Audiences will be treated to seven stand up shows from some of the UK’s most famous and loved comedians. From the iconic Bill Bailey to the hilarious Rose Matafeo, the selection of classics will sit on BBC iPlayer and air across various BBC channels.

Highlights include:

Rose Matafeo - Horndog
(1x70’)

Rose Matafeo’s critically acclaimed stand up show, Horndog, is both a reflection on personal passions and a dissection of contemporary social etiquettes. The award winning set has enjoyed successful sell-out performances around the world and is captured here in front of a sell out crowd in London.

Fern Brady - Power And Chaos
(1x60’)

Stand up comedian Fern Brady brings her unique take on contemporary culture and the state of the UK to a packed home crowd in Glasgow.

Dylan Moran - Off The Hook
(1x60')

In the broadcast premiere of his 2015 stand up show, Moran’s Off the Hook playfully scrambles through the struggles of life. He journeys through politics, loneliness and middle age, offering his uniquely kaleidoscopic lens on familiar subjects, and distilling pearls of wisdom all along the way.

Eddie Izzard - Force Majeure

This broadcast premiere of Force Majeure is a typically inventive adventure into the weird and fantastical world of Eddie Izzard. In an epic challenge to find global resonance, Izzard chooses huge universal topics to take on - from ancient civilisations to mythical creatures - seeking out what is universal in humour.

Stephen Merchant - Hello Ladies
(1x60’)

The Bafta and Emmy award-winning writer/actor/comedian looks at the etiquette of love and romance from his unique 6’7” perspective.

Bill Bailey - Limboland
(1x60’)

Strictly winner and maestro of music Bill Bailey explores our expectations of happiness with the help of some heartfelt songs and hilarious tales.

Celebrating the comedy greats

The Festival of Funny will be showcasing the work of six of the country’s most successful comedy greats, taking a deep dive into their lives and a look at some of their greatest work.

This includes:

Tommy Cooper At The BBC
(1x30’)

In the centenary of his birth, this programme takes a look at the unique comic genius of Tommy Cooper with a selection of clips from his appearances at the BBC. Presented by Sir Lenny Henry.

Caroline Aherne At The BBC
(1x30’)

Groundbreaking comic genius Caroline Aherne is celebrated in this selection of her work, including The Mrs Merton Show and The Royle Family. Presented by Fast Show colleague John Thomson.

Victoria Wood: Victoria At The Albert
(1x90’)

Recorded at the Royal Albert Hall in 2001, Victoria Wood performs her At It Again stand up show, showcasing her brilliantly penetrating observations on the mundanities of life.

Dave Allen On Life
(1x90’)

Marking 50 years since his seminal BBC series Dave Allen At Large. In this broadcast premiere, Dave Allen presents a selection of his favourite monologues from across his career. Armed with his trademark props, he sits on a stool, sips his whisky and reflects on the idiocies of life, meditating on everything from the process of ageing through to the invasive tendencies of the modern telephone.

Billy Connolly: Made In Scotland
(2x60’)

Two-part series with intimate interviews with Billy Connolly, providing unique insight into the early influences and motivations that made this comedy legend the man he is today.

BBC Radio 4 stand ups

Eleanor Tiernan: Success Without A Sex Tape

 Sunday 21 February, 7.15pm-7.45pm

A half-hour stand-up comedy special in which comedian Eleanor Tiernan argues with herself on the merits of releasing a sextape.

Anna Morris: Kid-Life Crisis

Sunday 28 February, 7.15pm-7.45pm

Anna Morris hit 40, was single, childless and living back with her parents. Success! She hit a kid-life crisis - like a mid-life crisis but with the added pressure of diminishing fertility. In this half hour stand up show, recorded in front of a remote audience, she looks at all the different ways in which women deal with ageing, dating and being childless - or child free. There's a difference in approach evident in just those two ways of describing women who don't have kids. From an 'incompetent cervix' diagnosis to proud but patronising new mothers, Anna Morris recounts her journey through the travails of a woman without children.

Stephen Buchanan: Talking Shop

Sunday 7 March, 7.15pm-7.45pm

BBC New Comedy Award winner Stephen Buchanan's debut stand up show for BBC Radio 4.

In Talking Shop, Stephen outlines his chequered work history from shop worker to human ping pong ball. At home Stephen lives with his mum and a Vietnamese refugee Dove. Can Stephen help Dove onto the career ladder and can they both move up in the world?

Stephen Buchanan: Talking Shop encapsulates the trials and tribulations of Stephen's life so far, alongside the true story of Stephen and Dove's developing friendship - all of which have led to this very moment: Stephen's debut Radio 4 special.

Borderline: A postcard from the edge of the Union

Sunday 14 March, 7.15pm-7.45pm

Comedian Patrick Kielty reflects on growing up in Northern Ireland and addresses its changing relationship with the rest of the UK from his hometown of Dundrum, County Down, near the land border with the EU and overlooking the new 'Irish Sea Border'.

From pre ceasefire to post Brexit, Patrick shares his Northern Ireland experiences with a (virtual) Northern Irish audience, who have lived through the same, as he sends a postcard from the edge of the Union.

Jacob Hawley: Class Act

Sunday 21 March, 7.15pm-7.45pm

Stevenage soft lad Jacob Hawley left his hometown behind a decade ago and has ascended Britain's social class system, moving to London and forging career in comedy... just in time for commissioners to decide they want more working class voices (he has quit the oat milk lattes, drawn a Nike tick on to his chinos and re-adopted the glottal stop).

In this show he dissects his journey from working class banter boy to Inner-London-feminist. This is politics for idiots, feminism for lads, love stories for louts and self-care for those who don't bother.

Are blokes dismissed as bad-feminists purely because they lack the correct language? Are working class people's mental health problems dismissed because our society values tortured artists over tortured cleaners? And most importantly, is it even worth going to a protest if you don’t tell everyone about it?

This show aims to answer those questions via stand up described as a 'constantly entertaining and often thought-provoking.' (The List).

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01/03/2021

This press release originally included John Cleese - Live At The Acropolis, but this show is no longer part of the season.