A tight 5: September 1

RICHARD AYOADE is to front a new travel series for Channel 4. The IT Crowd star will be portrayed as an eternal pessimist in the show, in which he will be joined by a famous companion who will try to convince him holidays are not hell. The four-part series, yet to be titled, will visit some of the ‘most aspirational destinations in Europe, from otter hotels to ice palaces’.

SIMON EVANS is to record his first DVD. The comic, most recently heard on Radio 4’s Simon Evans Goes To Market, will be taping a greatest hits show in his home town of Brighton for release by Universal Pictures. The recording takes place at the Theatre Royal on September 15.

MICKY FLANAGAN’s stand-up show Back In The Game was the most-watched show on Channel 4 on Friday night, attracting 1.4million viewers at 9pm, sandwiched between The Million Pound Drop and The Last Leg.

THE OPEN UNIVERSITY has released a series of online videos about the language of comedy featuring the likes of Peep Isy Suttie, Henning Wehn, Charlie Higson and John Shuttleworth creator Graham Fellows. Here’s one of them:

ABIGOLIAH SHAMAUN won the £100 prize for the best Chortle Correspondents article in August, for her piece in praise of the British comedy scene over that in her native America. Read it here.

Published: 1 Sep 2014