Legge it!
The week's comedy on demand.
Comedy Unleashed
The London comedy club that's somewhere between being the final bastion of free speech or a hotbed of dangerous reactionary rhetoric, depending on your point of view, has launched a podcast. Hosted by the night's co-creator Andrew Doyle, it features interviews with the acts going on stage at the Backyard Comedy as well as some of their set. The first guest is the right-wing, Brexit-voting comedian Geoff Norcott. Listen here
Jerk: Live in London 2017
Michael Legge has made this acclaimed stand-up show available as a free Bandcamp album to promote his future gigs. In a passionate venting of his spleen, he rages against the awful people in the world who have no embarrassment about their terrible behaviour – which he can't understand as he's in a constant state of shame. But while humans are shits, he does have a faithful dog to bring him joy. Listen here. And if you want to pay, a longer version is here for £3.
Alice Fraser: Ethos
The Australian comedian's philosophical stand-up special, questioning what it means to be human with the aid of her artificial intelligence sidekick, lands on the on-demand service NextUp this week, following the success of her previous show The Resistance on the platform. Subscribers can watch here (though the filming is a bit rough around the edges). Also out on NextUp this week is Sam Avery's Learner Parent, based on his popular blog of the same name.
Bell's Persia
A new audio sitcom from aspiring comedy writer Gerry Paton, this narrative comedy takes the form of rediscovered phonograph recordings from one Geoffrey Bell, exploring Persia in the 1860s. Three of the six episodes were released this week here
Wholly Moses
It's an oddity – and widely panned on its 1980 release - but you can at least watch it for free on Amazon Prime now. This broad biblical parody stars Dudley Moore, Madelaine Khan, Dom DeLuise and John Ritter – plus Richard Pryor making a cameo as the Pharaoh.
Mike Epps: Only One Mike
The US comic's second Netflix special landed this week. Taped in Washington DC, it covers 'the gift (and curse) of raising four daughters, overcoming childhood dyslexia, and the mysterious infinite wisdom of old people' – while wondering if his past womanising ways will come back to haunt him. Watch here.
Published: 29 Jun 2019