The best of the week's comedy on TV, radio and on demand

Our pick of the comedy on TV, radio and on demand this week:

Tuesday July 25

AMBASSADORS: This three-episode series from 2013 stars David Mitchell and Robert Webb as two hapless British diplomats in the fictional republic of Tazbekistan and is new to stream on UKTV Play from today.

Wednesday July 26

BEATING HITLER WITH HUMOUR: German writer Timur Vermes examines how the BBC used humour to counter Nazi propaganda throughout the Second World War in this documentary, first aired on Radio 4 in 2019 and now getting another airing on Radio 4 Extra. Closely supervised by British authorities, pioneering satires were written by German exiles as part of the propaganda drive. Programmes ranged from Frau Wernecke - a sketch show fronted by a fictional Berlin housewife, to Hitler on Hitler which sets out to describe the inconsistencies in the Fuhrer's rhetoric. Vermes wrote the satirical novel Er Ist Weider [Looks Who’s Back] has Hitler waking up in Berlin in 2011 and using TV comedy shows to re-enter politics - a story that was subsequently turned into a film. Radio 4 Extra, 8pm

Thursday July 27

DAMIEN SLASH: SELECT ALL: The sketch comic is back with a new series set on a fictional content platform – and now he's  been given half an hour, following the previous 14-minute Mixtape series. Radio 4, 11pm

Friday July 28

GOOD OMENS: David Tennant and Michael Sheen back as demon Crowley and angel Abziraphale respectively in Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's comedy fantasy. New and returning cast include Jon Hamm, Maggie Service, Nina Sosanya, Derek Jacobi, Liz Carr and Doon Mackichan. Dropping on Amazon's Prime Video today. 

FRIDAY NIGHT COMEDY SPECIAL: THE NEWSMAKERS: In the first in a series of new topical comedy pilots airing over the summer, Late Night Mash's Rachel Parris plunges back into the world of fake news, speaking with the people at the centre of the week’s stories. This one-off will feature Bilal Zafar, Emily Lloyd-Saini, Sam Pamphilon and social media stars Rosie Holt 'MP' and Michael Spicer. Radio 4, 6.30pm

THE LAST LEG: This time, the boys are joined by Ghosts actor Kiell Smith-Bynoe and Spice Girl Mel B. Channel 4. 10pm

Published: 23 Jul 2023