David Cameron, comedy critic

WTF: Weekly Trivia File

Despite the economy being in the toilet, uproar over the NHS Bill and police embroiled in bribery scandals, the Prime Minister has found time to comment on a matter of great national importance – the brevity of British sitcom series. At a St David’s Day bash this week, he gushed that Gavin & Stacey the ‘finest sitcom to come out in the last five years’ and urged television bosses to make another series. ‘Like all sitcoms in the United Kingdom, it was much too short,’ he said. ‘We needed more episodes.’

Stand-up John Moloney got a cab in London this week, and the driver recognised him as a comedian. Naturally enough the cabbie the share his tuppenceworth about the state of British comedy, saying: ‘I tell you who I like... fat bloke... wears black.... deadpan delivery. Reminds me of Roy Walker. Stewart Lee, that's him.’

This season’s uniform for the comic-about-town is the red-and-white chequered shirt. And if you’re called Dave it would help, too. Just ake a look at this page from the Melbourne comedy festival programme, as blogged by local comic and commentator Don Romeo.

Last week we told how Jim Davidson recalled how a drunk Frank Carson heckled Stephen K Amos and Jason Manford at a comedy festival in Dubai, saying how rubbish they were and boasting ‘thank God I’m here’. But Manford recalls it quite differently, in that it was Davidson who was ‘destroyed’ by Carson’s constant heckling. He also recalls Davidson introducing Stephen K Amos as ‘Matt Blaize’ – another black comic. But at least it gave Amos the neat opener: ‘I’m actually Stephen, but obviously to Jim we all look the same.’

The Beaconsfield Advertiser is getting excited. ‘Beaconsfield: The new Edinburgh Fringe?’ boasts a headline today, as it asks readers if the Buckinghamshire town could one day rival the world’s biggest arts festival. The reason for all the hoopla? ‘Four television actresses are set to perform stand-up comedy for over 140 people in Davenies School to raise funds for the Beaconsfield girl guides new HQ’.

Always know your medium. Announcing a new series of So Wrong It’s Right for Radio 4 this week, programme-makers Zeppotron put out a press release quoting creative director Ben Caudell saying: ‘We’re very pleased that we didn’t put too many Radio 4 VIEWERS off their suppers.’