A tight 5: August 6

POLICE and firefighters cordoned off the London Comedy Store today after smoke was seen pouring out of an electricity substation on Oxenden Street, just off Piccadilly Circus. The incident was dealt with in less than an hour with no reported injuries.

SEANN WALSH is to host another Late-Night Comedy Spectacular for BBC Three. The show is to be recorded at Just The Tonic at the Caves next Tuesday. Click here to apply for free tickets.

AL MURRAY is to reprise his 1996 Edinburgh debut, Late Night Lock-In, for a one-off gig next Tuesday. The show will take place in the room where his Pub Landlord character was born, the Pleasance Cabaret Bar, two years earlier as part of Harry Hill's Pub Internationale show. It's not the first time he's revived it at the Fringe: in 2009, he performed all three of his solo Perrier-nominated shows (and one Perrier-winning one) from the Nineties.

RADIO 4 has re-commissioned Marcus Brigstocke's chat show I've Never Seen Star Wars, in which the comedian challenges his guests to come out of their comfort zone try a common experience for the first time. The six-part series will be recorded this autumn. Audience ticket details.

NEW comedy writers are to showcase their work in front of top TV executives after succeeding in a Bafta talent hunt. Scripts from Karen Reed and writing pair Tommy Rowson & Nick Beasley will be performed live at the Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival later this month; while John Sheerman and writing pairs Nicole Paglia & Daniel Brierley and Neil Warhurst & Izzy Mant, will have their work performed at the New York Television Festival in October. The events are the result of the Bafta Rocliffe New Writing Forum.

Published: 6 Aug 2014