The best comedy on demand

The best comedy on demand.

Frisky And Mannish: Just Too Much

The poptastic parodists have just released their 2014 show, Just Too Much, online and for free. Here the musical comedy duo pull apart allegedly feminist anthems, imagine the sort of moral missives Sinead O’Connor might send and indulge in some off-the-wall set pieces. An online video cannot do their live spectacular justice, but it’s as good a place as any to start:

The Characters

Netflix asked eight up-and-coming comedians for their wildest sketch and improv routines, giving each one of them an episode to do with what they will; making for an unusually eclectic series. The participant best known to UK audiences is surreal clown Dr Brown, who’s joined by Henry Zebrowski, Lauren Lapkus, Natasha Rothwell,Paul W. Downs, John Early, Kate Berlant and Tim Robinson. Here’s a clip from Berlant’s:

Stewart Lee interviews Alexei Sayle

‘People betrayed the revolution… I’m looking at you Ben Elton.’ In this 45-minute interview with Stewart Lee, Alexei Sayle offers a fascinating insight into the unique conditions that led to the alternative comedy revolution of the late 1970s/early 1980s - from the political conditions that made it possible (if not essential) to the success of The Young Ones or The Comic Strip. The talk is designed to promote Sayle’s new memoirs, Thatcher Stole My Trousers, and available on Chortle’s YouTube channel, in six parts starting here. You’re welcome.

David Baddiel on the Silk Road

Baddiel has the distinction of being the subject of the UK Discovery Channel’s first podcast (or at least a one-off audio episode). To coincide with his new travel show, Baddiel is in conversation with Richard Herring and in a 50-minute conversation he talks about playing buzkashi – a traditional horseback game that includes a headless goat – a hair-raising camel ride over an enormous sand dune, and some of the fascinating characters that didn’t make it to the TV show. Listen here

Published: 12 Mar 2016