A tight 5: March 25

THE nominees for the best comedy writer at this year’s Bafta Craft Awards have been announced. They are Mackenzie Crook for Detectorists; Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton for Inside No. 9; Arthur Matthews and Matt Berry for Toast Of London; and Mathew Baynton and James Corden for The Wrong Mans. Winners are revealed on April 26.

THIEVES have stolen $10,000 from the Los Angeles Comedy Store – after prizing the cashpoint machine away from the wall outside.

BILLY CONNOLLY is to be honoured with a ‘Great Scot’ award in the Sates. The accolade, to be handed out in New York by Alun Cumming, comes from the National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA for the 72-year-old comedian’s ‘outstanding service to promoting Scotland’s culture and heritage’.

JAMES CORDEN’s debut as host of CBS’s Late Late Show attracted 1.66million viewers – the largest audience for the show since November 2011, when it was hosted by Craig Fergusson, The figure is up about 13 per cent on the slot average, and an impressive 33 per cent on the crucial 18-49 age group. The opening show benefited from a big publicity push and A-list guests.

CHRIS TUCKER is to release his first ever stand-up special - courtesy of Netflix. The comic said: ‘Before people started seeing me in movies, I was doing stand-up. It’s always been a part of me, and now I’m excited to share it with my fans around the world.’ The special, simply called Chris Tucker Live, will be released on July 10.

Published: 25 Mar 2015