...including a purple puppet and ex-Women's Hour producer Lorna Rose Treen parodying the format

Radio 4 has announced a raft of new comedy shows featuring the likes of Randy Feltface, Geoff Norcott and Lorna Rose Treen.

And after a successful pilot last summer, Catherine Bohart’s topical comedy TL;DR has been commissioned for a full series to run in the Friday night comedy slot otherwise occupied by the likes of The News Quiz and Dead Ringers

The show was one of six topical formats tested last summer, and offers an easily digestible lowdown on one of the biggest stories of the week, joined by guest experts and performers. 

Meanwhile, misanthropic purple puppet Randy Feltface, will star in a satirical stand-up series entitled Destruction Manual, about what we can do to speed up climate change and bring a swift end to life on Earth as we know it. 

Chortle best newcomer Lorna Rose Treen parodies women's current affairs and talk shows in Time Of The Week, alongside a wider cast of comedians and actors. It’s a topic she knows about – having been a former Woman’s Hour producer – and she writes it with Jonathan Oldfield,

The Many Wrongs of Lord Christian Brighty stars ‘TikTok’s answer to Mr Darcy’, Christian Brighty, in his first radio sitcom, in which the Regency rake tries to make amends for his past misdeeds. The show was created with co-writer Amy Greaves. 

Perthshire farmer and comedian Jim Smith gives an behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to be a modern farmer in Me and the Farmer, while Geoff Norcott will be hosting a stand-up series all about men, with the provisional title Working Men’s Club. 

Former banker and Treasury insider Stuart Mitchell will explore his relationship with money, from his working-class origins in Lanarkshire to his decision to quit banking in Stuart Mitchell’s Cost of Living. 

And Sunil Patel will give listeners a different take on the pursuit of wealth in Sunil Patel: an Idiot’s Guide to Bagging an Heiress.  

As Chortle previously reported, Frank Skinner will host new panel show, One Person Found This Helpful, celebrating ‘the good, the bad and the baffling’ from the world of online reviews.  

The broadcaster has also announced a second series of the revived  Room 101, presented by Paul Merton, as well as new series of Meet David Sedaris and Conversations from a Long Marriage, featuring Joanna Lumley and Roger Allam.  

Radio 4 is also piloting a series of new comedies including POV, which went out last night and featured Rachel Fairburn, Daniel Foxx, Matt Green, Rosie Holt, Emma Jones, Kelechi Okafor and Vinny Thomas performing sketches written by social media comedians working in new medium for them.

 The station’s comedy and entertainment commissioner Julia McKenzie said, "I’m delighted that this year, BBC Radio 4 will be playing host to so many fresh comic voices and new formats – as well as bringing back much-loved fan favourites. 

‘Radio 4 is the biggest commissioner of comedy and entertainment audio in the world, and it’s a pleasure to be able to invest in up-and-coming talent and bring listeners something they may not have heard before, alongside the programmes they already know and love.'

The forthcoming pilots are as follows, each going out at 7.15pm on Sunday:

January 21: Can You Hear Me Now?: A showcase of character comedy, hosted by Jim Smith and featuring posh boy rapper MC Hammersmith, Lorna Rose Treen, and viral character comedians Michael Fry and Eleanor Morton 

January 28: Wing It:  Mike Wozniak plays host to a panel of improv all stars in this new spontaneous game show, featuring Josie Lawrence, Steen Raskopoulos, Cariad Lloyd and Thomas Mayo. 

February 4: You’re Part of The Problem: A new sketch show starring Abi Clarke, Aurie Styla, Ed Jones, Lola-Rose Maxwell and Stephen Buchanan, showing us grotesque, everyday characters who are 'Part Of The Problem'. Examples include alonely exam invigilator, an incontinent king, strange allergies and a kid’s toy that isn't as cute as it once was. 

February 11: United Thingdom: A sketch show featuring comedy performers and writers drawn from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland: Diona Doherty, Paul G Raymond, Tudur Owen, Lana Pheutan and Karen Bartke. 

February 18: Unspeakable:  Phil Wang and Susie Dent challenge guests to help create the new ultimate dictionary  

Plus at 11pm on Tuesday March 5: Rum Punch:  Audience sitcom written by and starring stand-up Travis Jay as Marley, a conflict-averse aspiring boxer who works in his parents’ Caribbean restaurant, also starring Eddie Nestor and Kevin Garry

Published: 15 Jan 2024