Beeb gets new comedy chief
Royle Family honcho jumps ship
23/01/2003 … The producer of The Royal Family has joined the BBC to oversee a raft of new comedy shows.
Thu 23 January 2003
Foreign Office success
US critics rave over Gervais sitcom
23/01/2003 … Americans have had their first glimpse of The Office - and like what they see.
Cleese defends his reputation
Comic demands damages over article
23/01/2003 … John Cleese has launched a High Court bid for damages over an article that claimed his career was on the slide.
A wizard role
Tavare lands Harry Potter part
23/01/2003 … Jim Tavare has landed a part in the next Harry Potter film.
Goodnight, Seattle
23/01/2003 … Johnny Vegas, Mark Thomas, Ed Byrne, Frank Carson and Doug Stanhope will all appear in Scotland's first festival dedicated purely to comedy.
Glasgow-ho-ho
Scotland's first all-comedy festival
23/01/2003 … Johnny Vegas, Mark Thomas, Ed Byrne, Frank Carson and Doug Stanhope will all appear in Scotland's first festival dedicated purely to comedy.
Ab Fab's coming back
Saunders agrees to fifth series
23/01/2003 … Absolutely Fabulous is set to return following the success of the Christmas special.
Best of Three
Coogan and Joly head BBC3 line-up
23/01/2003 … Steve Coogan, Dom Joly and Johnny Vaughan will all feature in the schedules of BBC's new digital channel BBC3 when it launches on February 9.