A tight 5: April 2

VETERAN comedy producer Beryl Vertue is to be honoured with the first lifetime achievement award at the Edinburgh TV festival. She started her career at as a secretary/agent for Spike Milligan, Eric Sykes and Galton & Simpson before taking on Tony Hancock and Frankie Howerd. In the 1980s Vertue formed Hartswood Films, which produced comedies including Men Behaving Badly, Is It Legal? and Coupling – and is now executive producer of Sherlock, written by her son-in-law Steven Moffat. She said: 'I am delighted to be honoured with such a prestigious award.'

THE documentary Misery Loves Comedy, in which 50 comics including Jimmy Fallon, Judd Apatow, Lisa Kudrow and Kevin Smith discuss whether there's a link between feeling down and being funny, is to get a UK release. Directed by Kevin Pollak, the film has been acquired by Kaleidoscope Film Distribution, although the release date has not yet been announced.

BILL BAILEY is to play the Larmer Tree Festival, it has been announced, headlining the main stage on July 19. Other acts at the festival on the Wiltshire/Dorset border include Tom Jones.

ENTRIES have opened for the Bafta Rocliffe New Comedy Showcase, which gives three winning writers, or writing partners, the chance to showcase their work in front of American TV executives at a New York festival. Applicants must submit a ten page extract from their sitcom or sketch show along with a £32 fee before April 25 or £42 before the final deadline of May 23. Details.

FORMER BBC comedy development editor Michael J Buchanan-Dunne won the £100 prize for the best Chortle Correspondents article in March, for his piece about canned laughter.

Published: 2 Apr 2015