A tight 5: January 7

THE INTERVIEW – the Seth Rogen and James Franco action comedy that triggered the North Korean-backed cyberattack on Sony Pictures – is to be released in UK cinemas from February 6. Its US release had previously been called off after hackers made threats against cinemas screening it, but subsequently had a limited release. Read our review here.

Count Arthur Strong’s audience rose by almost two-thirds in transferring to BBC One. A total of 1.6million viewers saw the opening episode of the second series last night, up from the 971,000 that saw the first episode of series one last year. However the show fell notably short of BBC One’s average audience of 2.5million for that 10.35pm slot.

LENA DUNHAM’s comedy Girls has been commissioned for a fifth series, days before the fourth begins on HBO in the States.

BENIDORM, Mrs Brown’s Boys, Outnumbered and The Big Bang Theory have all been nominated for best comedy at the National Television Awards on January 21. Notably, none of the shows even featured as nominees in the British Comedy Awards last month, save for Mrs Brown’s Boys creator Brendan O’Carroll receiving a Writer’s Guild accolade.

LONDON’S only floating comedy club, The Boat Show, is moving down the Thames from its venue at the Tattershall Castle to HMS President, a converted First World War anti-submarine warship moored near Blackfriars. The club, which previously featured in its own Radio 4 stand-up series, will be relocated until April, while its usual home is being refurbished.

Published: 7 Jan 2015