Comedy gets its own review show

Digital radio station BBC7 is to launch a new weekly show dedicated to reviewing comedy.

Serious About Comedy, to be hosted by Robin Ince, will focus on the week’s TV, radio and DVD releases

Unusually for BBC7, the show will be recorded in the week of transmission, to ensure it is kept topical.

The first of 12 weekly instalments, featuring a panel of comedians and journalists discussing the new releases, goes out on August 12.

It will go out at 8.30am on Fridays with repeats at 10pm and 4.30am – and then be available for the next seven days via the BBC’s Listen Again service.

The show is the latest in a number of new comedy commissions for the station, which concentrates on archive material.

As well as the BBC New Comedy Awards, BBC7 has also produced The Mitch Benn Music Show, which launches at 11pm on July 27.

It’s a DJ show which only plays comic songs, and also features guests performing live.

Line up for the first series are (in order): Boothby Graffoe, Andrew Lawrence, Hils Barker, Philip Pope, Neil Innes and Phil Nichol.

• Robin Ince will be writing a blog for Chortle during this year's Edinburgh Fringe

Published: 19 Jul 2005