Including stand-up, panel shows and a late-night satire

BBC Scotland has unveiled a new season of comedy pilots called  Funny Firsts, kicking off from next week.

Stand-ups Fern Brady, Ashley Storrie, Larry Dean and Des Clarke and Burnistoun’s Robert Florence are among those taking part in the series.

It comprises four TV pilots, going out on BBC Two Scotland at 10pm on Friday nights, plus four shows made of iPlayer.

First of the TV shows, airing next week, is stand-up showcase The Comedy Undergroundm hosted by Ashley Storrie (pictured) and featuring Susan Riddell, Stuart McPherson, Christopher KC, Donald Alexander and Ray Bradshaw. 

On November 30 – St Andrew’s night – Radio Scotland’s  topical satire show Breaking The News makes its TV debut, fronted by Des Clarke. The same show will have aired on the radio earlier in the day

The following week, Robert Florence hosts satirical show The State Of It, mixing sketches, animation and topical contributions from a range of new Scottish comic talent, The show is produced and directed by the team at The Comedy Unit behind the hit police-based comedy Scot Squad.

Finally Larry Dean turns game show host for Whiplashed. Team captains Christopher MacArthur-Boyd and Fern Brady are joined by ow Clean Is Your House? presenter Aggie MacKenzie and Still Game’s Scott Reid in a panel show that takes place on the road.

The iPlayer shows will launch at 10.30pm next Friday, immediately after The Comedy Undergroud has aired.

Brady becomes an ‘anti-agony aunt’ in Don’t Ask Fern giving all-too-honest advice to the masses; Perthshire farmer Jim Smith offers his insight on life in mini-mockumentary The Farm which also stars Ann Louise Ross and Chris Forbes; Marjolein Robertson  presents a series of sketches from BBC Scotland’s emerging talent strand The Social presents…; and there are more skits in the second instalment of Short Stuff.

BBC Scotland  commissioning executive Gavin Smith said: ‘Our Funny Firsts is a chance for audiences to try an array of our comedy in new and exciting ways. Whether that’s the first Scottish satire show to be broadcast on radio and TV on the same day, or the first chance for the audience to see the best emerging stand-up comedians, or the release of BBC Scotland’s first digital shorts sitcom on iPlayer - there’s lots of new ideas, new faces and laughs across all our platforms for all audiences.’

Published: 15 Nov 2018