The best comedy on demand

This week’s best comedy shows on demand.

Ronny Chieng: International Student

This semi-autobiographical show from Australia’s sternest comedian is being released on iPlayer, one episode at a time, courtesy of BBC Three.

It’s based on his experiences of being a Malaysian student in Melbourne, with his domineering mum always checking up on him by phone. Meanwhile, he is obnoxiously arrogant on campus - his blunt opinions putting him at odds with almost everyone from the binge drinking Australians, to the Mah-jong playing Asians to the rich students who, in Ronny’s words, dress like they’re captaining a yacht.

The seven episodes have already aired on ABC in Australia and Comedy Central in the US, to critical acclaim. Watch the first here.

Hold On with Eugene Mirman

Inquisitive host Eugene Mirman sits down with fellow comics to grill them on the finer details as they tell a story from their life. His interrogations are described by Audible, which released this series, as a ‘much funnier version of the Salem witch trials, but with more storytelling’.

This Way Up

This Oscar-nominated 2009 short film, directed by Alan Smith and Adam Foulkes, follows two dour undertakers as they battle a series of misadventures while trying to deliver a coffin to the graveyard. It was put up on iPlayer yesterday as part of a new series of film shorts being released on the platform.

Fright Shorts

As we reported yesterday, these six comedy-horror shorts have been released on BBC iPlayer as a showcase of new comedy writing from Northern Ireland. They feature stand-ups including Eleanor Tiernan, Ruairi Woods, Shane Todd – and Jason Byrne. View here.

Published: 14 Oct 2017