The comedy week ahead

The comedy week ahead

Today

RADIO: To mark the 75th anniversary of its first transmission, Radio 4 Extra begins a run of one of the most popular radio series in British history. It’s That Man Again - ITMA – ran for more than 300 episodes from 1939 to 1949, made a superstar of Tommy Handley, and had more than 20 million listeners on the BBC Home Service each week. Radio 4 Extra, 8am and now on iPlayer.

Monday July 28

LIVE IN LONDON: Not every comedian is heading for Edinburgh this week, although sometimes it feels like it. The Camden Fringe returns for its ninth year, featuring 200 productions in 26 venues. Among them, stand-ups Brett Goldstein, Juliet Meyers, James Dowdeswell and Helen Arney - plus Robin Askwith, star of the smutty Confessions comedy films, who’s doing two 'audience with' shows on Friday and Saturday at Upstairs At The Gatehouse. Website

LIVE IN LONDON: Not for the easily offended, America’s brutally non-PC king of the roast, Anthony Jeselnik, comes to the Soho Theatre for the week.

DVD: The first series of Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy is out on DVD today. Order

Wednesday July 30

LIVE IN EDINBURGH: The first previews start at the Fringe. We might hear a little more from this niche festival yet…

RADIO: Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens and others return for the first new series of impressions show Dead Ringers in seven years. Radio 4, 6.30pm

RADIO: Lesley Manville stars in the first of Jenny Éclair's series of six short radio stories, Little Lifetimes, each set in real time and revolving around a different fictional woman. Radio 4, 11.15pm

Thursday July 31

BOOK: Mark Watson’s latest novel, Hotel Alpha, is published today – an ambitious time-spanning book about what was once London’s finest hotel. And to accompany the book 100 mini-stories are also published online giving additional scenes and alternative versions of the events described in the book. Order

BOOK: Katy Brand, too, has a novel out today: Brenda Monk Is Funny, set in the world of stand-up about a journalist who was long the butt of jokes by her comedian boyfriend… until she decided to grasp the nettle and take to the stage herself. Order.

TV: The second series of Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy - Tales From Painted Hawaii, starts on E4 on July 31.

Friday August 1

LIVE IN PRESTON-ISH: Halfway between preston and Blackpool, Ribby Village Hall hosts one of Jason Manford’s ever-growing chain of pub nights. Wordplay is the watchword tonight, with both one-liner royalty Gary Delaney and the visual puns of The Raymond & Mr Timpkins Revue in the line-up.

RADIO: Marcus Brigstocke returns to Radio 4 with The Brig Society. Each week, the comic finds he's in charge of a large institution… an inevitably finds it more complicated than he’d hoped. Today: The European Union. 6.30pm

Published: 27 Jul 2014