A tight 5: October 16

Tim Vine's Chat Show is the fifth pilot to be featured in Radio 2's Comedy Showcase season. The pun king's show, in which he interviews members of the public, joins the previously reported batch of Anke Tag, starring Elis James; Barbara Nice, starring Janice Connolly; The King's Men starring Robert Webb and Terry Minot and co-written by Arthur Mathews; and Simon Farnaby's The Peterford Golf Club. The Comedy Showcases will be broadcast on Radio 2 across the week starting Monday November 16 at 10pm.

DAVID MITCHELL and Robert Webb are developing a new show for Channel 4 with writer Simon Blackwell. However Radio Times reports that details of the project, provisional entitled Back, 'remain sketchy to the point of non-existence'.

MEANWHILE, the pair will take part in a Q&A about the last series of Peep Show at Bafta's London headquarters on November 4 alongside writers Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong. The first two episodes of the ninth season will also be screened, and tickets have gone on sale to the general public today here.

SKY Entertainment Channels chief Stuart Murphy, whose brief includes overseeing comedy commissioning, is stepping down after six and a half years at the company. He will become a producer, writing, directing and develop comedy and drama projects. Hs departure, after overseeing the likes of Moone Boy and Stella, follows that of head of comedy Lucy Lumsden, who is also stepping down to go into production.

THE finalists have been announced for the Brighton Comedy Festival's new act award, the Squawker, which will be be decided next Wednesday at the Komedia club. The finalists are Sean Cannon, Jon Long, Jamie Fraser, Zee Saydullaev, Rebecca Shortall, Tim Goodings, Jane Postlethwaite, Yuriko Kotani, Red Richardson and Peter Strong.

Published: 16 Oct 2015