A tight 5: October 6

MRS BROWN'S BOYS, Scot Squad and Two Doors Down have all been nominated for the Scottish Bafta for best comedy. And Ashley Jensen is up for the best TV actress gong for her role as Fran in Channel 4 comedy Catastrophe, against   Caitriona Balfe  for Outlander and Annie Wallace for Hollyoaks. And Gary Tank: Commander, Election Special has been nominated n the features/factual entertainment category. Winners are announced on November 6.

LET’S Dance For Comic Relief is to return to BBC One next year – but this time with a singing element. The programme has featured a raft of comedians and other celebrities showing their talents, including Mel Giedroyc, Jo Brand, Rufus Hound and Robert Webb.

LOLLY ADEFOPE has won the broadcast award at the h100 Awards run by London private members’ hangout The Hospital Club, seeing off nominees including BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg and Rev star Tom Hollander.

THE German comedian who had been threatened for jail for insulting Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has spoken out. In a defiant statement after the criminal investigation into him was dropped, he said: ‘If a joke causes a constitutional crisis, it's not the joke that's the problem, it's the state.’ However, he still faces a civil lawsuit.

SITCOM writer Andy Riley, whose credits include Veep and Black Books, is offering free mentoring for one aspiring ethnic minority writer or partnership. The last person he helped, Christine Robertson, just won one of the £10,000 Betty Box and Peter Rogers prizes to help develop shows, Details of Riley’s offer are here.

Published: 6 Oct 2016