Showing titles in Entertainment & Performing Arts

A brilliant recording from his 2019 stand up tour. Ed again sees his own world and the world around him through the prism of a razor sharp brain and a comic vision which is quite unique.

Serving up razor-sharp caricatures and explosively satirical truth-bombs since January 2000, Dead Ringers is one of Radio 4’s most popular and critically acclaimed comedy shows. In these five series, first broadcast between 2015 and 2019, media mauling and celebrity savaging are once more the order of the day, as Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens, Lewis MacLeod, Debra Stephenson and Duncan Wisbey poke fun at the worlds of politics and entertainment.

Since it began several years ago Hugo Rifkind's dazzling My Week column has been satirising the high profile and the famous, and basically anyone foolish or unfortunate enough to find themselves at the top of the news agenda that week. The column itself is a fictional diary parodying their movements over seven days in a rarely flattering but always hilarious manner. Rifkind's victims are as diverse and as headline-grabbing as David Cameron, Beyoncé, Oprah Winfrey, Edwina Currie, Barack Obama and Pippa Middleton.

With its brilliant blend of the silly, the serious and the satirical, The News Quiz has been a must-listen for comedy fans since it started 46 years ago. Recorded in front of an audience, these three series see Andy Zaltzman presiding over a motley crew of comedians and journalists as they trawl through the biggest (and smallest) news stories of 2024 to provide comedy, commentary, irony and irreverence.

Who can forget the words "We shall fight on the beaches. We shall fight on the landing grounds. We shall fight in the fields, and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender!" They were uttered in 1940 by one of the 20th century's greatest orators, Winston Churchill, eager to spur on his countrymen in their fight against Nazi Germany. Now the great man's grandson has gathered Churchill's most memorable words, spanning more than half a century, in times of war and in times of peace.

Eight million people improve their mornings by tuning into Terry's words of wisdom on Wake up to Wogan. But is their appetite sated by this daily exposure? Not in the slightest. So it's lucky that Terry has been known to turn his hand to the odd bit of writing. This has allowed him to shed light on such weighty matters as how to survive a wedding, what Bank Holidays are for, why Eurovision could be responsible for the Celtic Tiger, whether we should watch out for potatoes, and where exactly it all went pear-shaped.

Gallifrey is in a state of crisis, facing destruction at the hands of an overwhelming enemy. And the Doctor is involved in three different incarnations - each caught up in a deadly adventure, scattered across time and space. The web of time is threatened - and someone wants the Doctor dead. The three incarnations of the Doctor must join together to set time back on the right track - but in doing so, will they unleash a still greater threat?

Join Kenya Barris and Malcolm Gladwell as they bypass pleasantries and promotional banter to deliver raw, unfiltered conversations with some of today’s most influential figures. Featuring titans across a spectrum of professions (from Olympic gold medalists to trailblazing Fortune 500 CEOs and everything in between), The Unusual Suspects with Kenya Barris and Malcolm Gladwell pulls back the curtain to offer listeners unprecedented access to the minds of the world’s most extraordinary individuals and their distinct paths to success.

The hilarious comic lovechild of A Question of Sport and QI, Jest a Minute is a light-hearted, lively show that quizzes leading comedians on their knowledge of comedy. Host Rhod Gilbert accepts no backchat and gives short shrift to cheek as he recklessly awards points based on how quick, agile and witty he considers the panellists to be. In a series of fast-paced, chaotic rounds, they are tasked with answering quickfire questions on comedy history, sitcom titles, catchphrases and classic comedy films.

In this much-praised interview, octogenarian Peter Ustinov talks to John Bird. The man of many talents has an astonishing range of accomplishments behind him as an Oscar-winning film and theatre actor, author of novels, plays, and screenplays. He is also a raconteur, graphic artist, photographer, stage director, and designer and the recipient of many humanitarian awards for his work with UNICEF and UNESCO.

Josephine Alibrandi is 17 and in her final year of school. Dealing with her mum and the ways of her Nonna are daunting enough as she prepares for her exams. But Josie is about to discover real life gets in the way of her carefully-made plans.

How can we live a more ethical life? This question has plagued people for thousands of years, but it's never been tougher to answer than it is now. Plus, being anything close to an 'ethical person' requires daily thought and introspection and hard work. To make it a little less overwhelming, this fascinating, accessible and funny book by one of our generation's best writers and adept minds in television comedy, Michael Schur, boils down the whole confusing morass with real life dilemmas

Laura Solon won the Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Festival in 2005 with her sensational debut show. She now returns to Radio 4 with a new series of her bittersweet comedy show packed with characters, monologues and sketches from this extraordinary writer and performer. There will be talking, not talking, some stories, and a lion made out of china. Aided by Rosie Cavaliero, Ben Moor and Ben Willbond, Laura Solon is a remarkable talent with an astonishing eye for detail and ear for voice.

This unique anthology of Alan Bennet's BBC radio and television work features extracts from his diaries and readings, as well as tributes to friends Russell Harty and Peter Cook.

A sparkling BBC Radio 4 adaptation of J.B. Priestley’s comic play, starring Alan Bennett, Brenda Blethyn, Gwen Taylor, Alun Armstrong, Michael Jayston and Nicola Pagett. Three eminently respectable Yorkshire couples are in the midst of their joint silver wedding celebrations when they receive a rude shock - they are not legally married.

Mo Gilligan's Spotlight is a brand new live stand-up comedy series hosted by the triple-BAFTA-winning comedian himself and featuring some the UK's most exciting comedic voices. Recorded at iconic South London venue, Up the Creek Comedy Club, this six-episode series has been specially hand-curated by Mo to showcase the best new names in comedy. Mo has scoured the stand-up scene to bring you his favourite acts, including the rising stars you need to know.

Stella Adler was one of the 20th Century's greatest figures. She is arguably the most important teacher of acting in American history. Over her long career, both in New York and Hollywood, she offered her vast acting knowledge to generations of actors, including Marlon Brando, Warren Beatty, and Robert De Niro. The great voice finally ended in the early 1990s. But, her decades of experience and teaching have been brilliantly captured and encapsulated by Howard Kissel, in the 22 lessons you'll hear in this audiobook.

Recorded live at the Manchester Apollo during his sell-out tour, Jason Manford showcases some of the freshest material on the stand-up circuit. Renowned for his cheeky story-telling and loveable, friendly delivery, Jason takes us through the rules of driving, urinal etiquette, and the lies dads tell in a tour de force of observational humour.

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British institution, and its story during the Second World War is also our story. This was a period of remarkable voices: Churchill’s speeches, de Gaulle’s broadcasts from exile, Richard Dimbleby and Vera Lynn. Radio offered an incomparable tool for propaganda while at the same time eyewitness testimonies gave a voice to everyone, securing the BBC’s reputation as a purveyor of truth.

Sharon Osbourne has lived in her own words "fifty lives in fifty years". As the daughter of notorious rock manager Don Arden, Sharon's childhood was a chaotic mix of glamour and violence, villains and diamonds. In rock star Ozzy Osbourne, Sharon found her soul mate, yet Ozzy's drug- and alcohol-fuelled excesses which culminated in his attempt to strangle her made their marriage a white-knuckle ride from the start; only her devotion to their three children gave her the will to survive.