A tight 5: December 24

HEBBURN writer and stand-up comedian Jason Cook is for star in his own Radio 4 show, The comic will front his School Of Hard Knocks in the new year, in which he uses his ‘huge array of mistakes and life-lessons’ to offer advice to the audiences. Producers are also seeking people with stories about funerals, sex education, job interviews and office politics to take part in the show, to be recorded in January. See our free tickets page for more.

JENNY ECLAIR is to make four guest appearances in the panto Aladdin at New Wimbledon Theatre. She will be replacing Jo Brand as Genie Of The Ring for the evening shows and matinees on January 4 and 11 while Brand is away judging the second series of Splash! on ITV1.

MRS BROWN’S BOYS creator Brendan O’Carroll has said that he has donated €350,000 (£210,000) to charity to date – revealing that he was dependent on charity help while growing up in poverty in Finglas, in Dublin’s Northside.

JOHN BISHOP’s Christmas Show attracted a very healthy 4.75million viewers to BBC One at 9pm last night – but the pilot of Caitlin Moran’s sitcom Raised By Wolves was seen by just 445,000 at 10.50pm on Channel 4.

MONTREAL comedy festival organisers Just For Laughs have announced that they are not holding their US offshoot in Chicago this year. ‘We’ve decided to take a year off to rethink the festival model, to adjust to the current marketplace,’ said chief operating officer Bruce Hills. The festival had run for the past five years.

Published: 24 Dec 2013