...and the rest of the week's best comedy on TV and radio

The week's comedy on TV and radio.

Sunday February 18

HOLD THE SUNSET: It's understandably been widely hyped as John Cleese's return to sitcom. But this new comedy is an ensemble affair also featuring Alison Steadman, Jason Watkins, Anne Reid, Joanna Scanlan and more. Episode one sets up the premise: Pensioners Edith and Phil intend to wed and start a new life abroad in the sunshine but their plans are poleaxed when her 50-year-old son Roger rocks up, announcing that he's left his wife, his kids and his good job at the bank, and come home to stay…. Indeterminately. BBC One, 7.30pm

Monday February 19

LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH John Oliver: The British comic's satirical takedown of all that's wrong with Western society returns for a fifth series of 30 - count 'em - episodes. Shows just how much is wrong with the world.  Sky Atlantic, 11.10pm

TO HULL AND BACK: Lucy Beaumont's semi-autobiographical sitcom is back for a third  series. The comedian will again star as Sophie, with Maureen Lipman as her mother Sheila. In the new series, Sophie has qualified as a professional hair stylist so she can finally leave Hull and make her fortune in London – to the horror of  Sheila who plots to keep her at home. So the opposite of Hold The Sunshine...  Radio 4, 11.30am

JUST A MINUTE:  The 80th series kicks off with Nicholas Parsons chairing Paul Merton,  Josie Lawrence, Jenny Eclair and Tony Hawks. Radio 4, 6.30pm

Tuesday February 20

SARA PASCOE: THE MODERN MONKEY: In her first Radio 4 stand-up series, the comedian explores our modern world through theories of evolutionary psychology, in a similar way to her book Animal. In this first episode she takes on the rather subject of murder.  Radio 4, 6.30pm

Friday February 23

ENTERTAINING MR SLOANE: Murder, homosexuality, nymphomania, and sadism are among the themes of Joe Orton's black comedy, written for the stage in 1964 and made into this film in 1970 with Beryl Reid and Harry Andrews. Talking Pictures TV, 9.55pm.

Published: 18 Feb 2018