Bumper crop of stand-up titles ahead

This year’s Christmas market for stand-up DVDs is set to be the most crowded yet, after ITV announced new releases by Johnny Vegas, Stephen K. Amos and Al Murray.

The line-up adds to an already crowded release schedule, which includes potential bestsellers from Russell Brand, Michael McIntyre, The Mighty Boosh and numerous other acts.

ITV’s new titles include Murray at the O2, a follow-up to The Pub Landlord’s 2007 release, which sold more than 200,000 copies for the same label; Harry Hill's TV Burp and Amos’s debut release Find The Funny. Johnny Vegas: Live At The Benidorm Palace is billed as the Ideal star’s first live stand up DVD – even though his 2003 mockumentary Who’s Ready For Ice Cream? included full length stand-up shows as extras.

Dawn Wright, acquisitions director at ITV DVD said: ‘Comedy DVDs continue to sell well and we’re very excited to continue our strong relationships with Al and Harry. 

‘It is also very pleasing to sign up extraordinary talent new to the home entertainment market and to launch live stand up DVD debuts for Johnny and Stephen – two of the funniest men around.’

But they will face tough competition when they are released in November, with more than 20 other new stand-up titles scheduled for release ithat month

Jimmy Carr, Omid Djalili and Dylan Moran also have new DVDs, while Bill Bailey releases his Remarkable Guide To The Orchestra.

Other titles come from Dave Spikey, Mock The Week regulars Andy Parsons and Russell Howard, and 8 Out Of 10 Cats captain Jason Manford, while Edinburgh hits Rhod Gilbert And The Award-Winning Mince Pie and Ed Byrne: Different Class also make it to the small screen.

There are also releases from Irish comics Neil Delamere, Colin Murphy and Des Bishop, as well as old-school acts Jethro, Jim Davidson and Roy Chubby Brown, whose 2009 offering has the delightful title Too Fat To Be Gay.

See our Coming Soon page to pre-order any of these titles.

Published: 15 Jul 2009