Plates To Feast Your Eyes On

2 Mar
© hooliganartdealer.com

Noel Fielding has created a brand new collection of his famous painted plates for purchase, featuring a vibrant selection of distinctive designs.

Each plate is unique and signed by Noel. Two sizes are available: Side Plates (21cm Diameter) and Large Plates (27cm Diameter).  To visit his art dealer’s website and view the full collection of Idiot Plates click here (prices available upon request).

If you prefer your art on canvas, check out the new additions to the range of handmade canvas prints also available at hooliganartdealer. It also includes new limited edition specials and signed prints.

With only one week more of Luxury Comedy to look forwards to, we reckon it’s time to save up and treat yourself!

Government Cook

2 Mar

The official video for the third single from James Cook is now online!

Government Kid is the third single from the début solo album Arts and Sciences. The video was shot on location in Flensburg and Berlin and you can now watch it on Youtube or here below.

Cook’s album can be purchased here both as a digital download and as a physical CD. If you wish to see the previous two videos for Face to Face and End of Summer just head on over to James Cook’s official Youtube channel.

You also have a chance to see the musician perform live in London and Ireland over the coming weeks. Catch him in London tomorrow, 3rd March, with Noblesse Oblige at Electowerkz, Islington London before he heads over to perform in  Slane, Ireland on 16th March and then 17th & 18th March at the Irish Craft Beer Festival, George’s Dock in Dublin! For more information and starting times for these shows, head over to this post.

Lucy Get’s Bleached

2 Mar

© Fosters

Another week goes by, and another great new The Fast Show webisode has been launched by Fosters.

This week sees TVO’s very own Lucy Montgomery as a recently dumped fiancée, receiving relationship advice from that champion of pub wisdom, Billy Bleach.  Meanwhile, the Suit You Tailors meet a premiership footballer, The Girl Who Boys Can’t Hear attends a meeting and there’s another visit to the legendary Jazz Club.

You can see the episode below, and check out previous episodes over on the Fosters YouTube Channel now!  New editions will be uploaded every Thursday at 1pm, with Lucy set to appear in next week’s edition too.  Steve Coogan fans would also do well to keep their eyes peeled to the the Fosters channel for the forthcoming return of one Alan Partridge too…

The I-Tee Crowd

1 Mar

© TeeFury

Last week’s limited edition IT Crowd t-shirt proved to be so popular…here’s another!

This time it’s Moss who gets the limited edition tee-treatment, in a vibrant black and orange design entitled “Late Night Moss”. It’s available for $10 on TeeFury - but you’ll need to get your skates on because it’s only available for another 5 hours 7 minutes (as at 23:52 GMT)! Click here to bag yourself one.

Thanks to RachelG for this information.

Success At The NMEs!

1 Mar

© NME

For the handful of people that have managed to miss the news about last night’s NME Awards which has been floating around online today, here’s the scoop:

Booshniverse-related artists were up for three awards: Best Book (Scribblings of a Madcap Shambleton), Best Film (Submarine) and Best TV Show (Never Mind the Buzzcocks). Success was seen in two of the three categories: Best Book and Best Film. Best TV Show was won by Fresh Meat. Thanks to all of you who voted.

Big, velvety congratulations to Noel Fielding and Dave Brown for the Best Book win and to Richard Ayoade for his award for Best Film. Sadly these awards weren’t given out on the night, so we didn’t get to see our boys up on stage collecting their gongs. Noel and Dave were at the event, however, and we had the joy of seeing Noel introduce Kasbian onstage, dressed as The Hitcher. This alone was worth the ticket price!

For the full list of winners and to more photos of the Awards visit NME.com. To watch the Awards in full, tune in to Channel 4 on Saturday (March 3) at 11.55pm (GMT). Half an hour of highlights will be shown on T4 at 9.25am (GMT) the same day.

And if you fancy a peek at Dave Brown’s snaps from the night take a look at his twitter photos.

Neighborhood Watch With Richard

1 Mar

As we mentioned in September the multi-talented Richard Ayoade can be seen in the new comedy Neighborhood Watch, starring Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn and Jonah Hill. The screenplay was written by Seth Rogan, Evan Goldberg and Jared Stone and directed by Akiva Schaffer.

The film tells the story of  a bunch of suburban Dad’s who set up a neighborhood watch group to get time away from their families. There are also Aliens involved!

The film will be released in the USA on 27th July and in the UK on 22nd August. The first trailer is out now and you can see it below.

Radio Times For Matt

1 Mar

© bbc.co.uk

Peter Serafinowicz will be joined by Matt Berry, Terence Stamp and The Actor Kevin Eldon on his Saturday morning radio show on BBC 6 Music. The show is usually broadcast live, but this week it was recorded earlier today.

The show, starting at 10.00am, also features the fantastic Terry Wogan’s Secret Pirate Radio Slot and Brian Butterfield answers your questions.

If you missed last weeks show it is still available for another two days on BBC iPlayer.

Tony & Ridley Talk Film & Paint

29 Feb

There’s a new YouTube video of Tony and Ridley Scott as you’ve never seen them before!

The pair do bear a striking resemblance to Gareth Tunley and Alex Kirk, who you might remember from Milton Jones’ House of Rooms. Watch the video and judge for yourself as the lads describe how they got into the film business and the fine art of grouting.

Nominations For All

28 Feb
© CBBC

The Shortlists for nominations for two award ceremonies were announced today: the Rose d’Or Awards and the RTS Awards - and there are nominations for several TVO-connected shows!

In the Rose d’Or Sitcom Category Life’s Too Short is up against Friday Night Dinner; both shows included an appearance by Matthew Holness, and Colin Hoult appeared in Life’s Too Short. Robert Popper has also been nominated in the Writer-Comedy Category of the RTS Awards for Friday Night Dinner.

TVO’s favourite history programme Horrible Histories has been nominated in the Children’s Category of the Rose d’Or and the Children’s Programme Category for the RTS Awards!

Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror is nominated for the Comedy Award of the Rose d’Or.

BBC’s Rev. is nominated in Writer-Comedy, Scripted Comedy and Comedy Performance Categories at the RTS Awards. The reason we’re mentioning it here is because James Bachman had a small role in one of the episodes.

Also at the RTS Awards, The Crimson Petal & The White, starring Chris O’Dowd, is nominated in the Drama Serial Category.

Finally, Darren Boyd is also nominated for the RTS Comedy Performance for Spy, and as you know, the lovely Dolly Wells also stars in Spy.

We’ll be sure to let you know how they all get on when the gongs are handed out.

Rufus Jones Takes To The Air

28 Feb

© CBBC

Fans of CBBC’s Pixelface may have spotted another TVO artist on today’s show: Rufus Jones guested as “The Pilot”!

If you haven’t caught the show yet (and therefore have no idea what we’re talking about), Pixelface is a sitcom spin-off from the sketch show Sorry, I’ve Got No Head. Set in the imagined world inside a games console, it follows the on-and-off-screen lives of a group of computer game characters.

It also stars Gareth Tunley, and a previous episode has featured another TVO favourite, Colin Hoult.

To watch today’s episode with Rufus Jones, titled ‘Come Fly With Me’ (another cheeky Booshniverse reference?)  head on over to iPlayer.

Richard’s Perfect Movie Show

27 Feb

Comedian and film reviewer Richard Sandling presents a stand-up comedy show about films, so if you love comedy and love films this show is for you! The show features trailers, special guests and recreations of favourite film scenes.

You can see it at the Leicester Square Theatre on 11 April, 16 May and 13 June. Tickets and further information are available here.

The show was performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe last year, watch the trailer below and see if you can spot some familiar faces.

Do You Have An Eye For Luxury Comedy?

26 Feb

Calling all fans of Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy who possess something to draw or paint with and something to draw or paint on!

© E4

To say that Luxury Comedy is a visual feast is something of an understatement. It’s hardly surprising then that the show has inspired many fans to pick up their felt tips and get drawing.

We’ve been seeing all kinds of wonderful fan art based on and inspired by Luxury Comedy, and some of you have been kind enough to tweet us your pictures. We therefore thought it’d be a fitting tribute to the series to host a gallery of Luxury Comedy-related pictures, created by fans.

To coincide with the final show on 8th March we’ll be showing a selection of your art here on The Velvet Onion. So if you, or someone you know, has produced a sketch, painting, collage…in fact anything vaguely creative that’s connected to Luxury Comedy, please send it to us at submit@thevelvetonion.com by midday (GMT) on Wednesday 7th March. And we’ll share it with the world!

Please note that there’s no grand prize as such (beyond your creative output appearing on our hallowed home page, to be seen and admired by TVO acts and fans alike).  So come on then, what are you waiting for – it’s time to dig out the tin of Caran D’Ache!

If you’re in need of some midweek inspiration, then look no further that E4′s Luxury Comedy site, which features tons of (constantly updated) clips and pictures from the show. They’ve recently put up a selection of behind-the-scenes photos, which are well worth a look (like the one below!):

© E4

Cook Over Here

26 Feb

© James Cook

Following a recent spate of successful shows in South America, James Cook is heading back over to this side of the Atlantic for some performances in London and Ireland.

He’ll be playing as part of the bill on 3rd March with Noblesse Oblige at Electowerkz, Islington London. The show starts at 7pm and tickets cost £10. Other acts include Neurotic Mass Movement and Scant Regard. The promotional blurb for the show promises “dark, exotic electronica”, so if that’s your kind of thing head over here for more information and to buy tickets.

Next, you can catch Cook in a solo gig at Boyles Pub in Slane, Ireland on 16th March. The show starts at 9pm, and for information updates see the event Facebook page (but there’s not a lot on it at the moment).

And finally, he’ll be performing on Saturday and Sunday 17th & 18th March at the Irish Craft Beer Festival, George’s Dock in Dublin. For start times and more information visit the event Facebook page.

And if you’re a James Cook fan in South America who’s been getting used to his presence, rest assured he’ll be back. As he’s said on twitter: “Feel a little sad as i leave South America. I feel i have a lot of friends there. But i will return sooner than you might imagine…”  We’ll let you know as soon as we hear what he’s got up his sleeve!

Berry In The Zone

25 Feb
Matt Berry

© Matt Berry/Myspace

There are six days left to listen to Matt Berry on Stuart Marconie’s Freakier Zone from Friday night on BBC Radio 6 Music.

Matt talks about his latest musical project, Music for Insomniacs, which is coming out soon and sounds very intriguing! He also gives us the exciting news that his new album is due out in October, so it sounds like it’ll be a great year for Berry music fans!

Matt also shares some of his favourite tracks on the show and talks about his musical influences.

You can listen to the show here, where you can also find out more about the show and the music played.

Touch Of Brooker

25 Feb

© Channel 4

Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror is out on DVD on Monday (27th). The three-part series, mostly written by Brooker, and starring Julia Davis in the second episode, was shown before Christmas and was very popular.

To mark the occasion Mr Brooker has been interviewed by Den of Geek. He talks about Black Mirror and his new one-off spoof detective series Touch of Cloth, which airs soon on Sky.

It’s an exciting time for Charlie fans, as he has also been nominated for the TV Award at this years Chortle Awards.

You can pre-order your copy of Black Mirror now at The Velvet Onion Store.

The Lim-IT-ed Crowd

24 Feb

© Qwertee / TomTragor

A limited edition t-shirt homage to The IT Crowd can now be yours to own via Qwertee.

The design, entitled Crowded by TomTragor, is available for just £8 (plus postage) until late on Saturday evening – whereupon it will be discontinued, and entered into the site’s voting system for a possible return.

Featuring a string of classic quotes from the show, and pixel versions of stars Chris O’Dowd, Richard Ayoade, Katherine Parkinson, Chris Morris & Noel Fielding (sadly no Matt Berry!), the shirt is surely a must for any real-life Roy’s out there…

For your chance to own this tee, which has been given the IT Crowd’s official Twitter seal of approval, visit www.quertee.com now!

The Milky Boosh

23 Feb

Two key members of the Booshniverse have just re-united for a new TV outing. Before you jump to the wrong conclusion, we’re talking about Boosh director Paul King and Julian Barratt – in an advert for milk.

King has directed the 30-second spot for Lactofree lactose-free milk, which features hedgehogs in a supermarket (apparently all hedgehogs are lactose-intolerant so they represent perfect brand spokespeople). The voice-over on the ad comes courtesy of Mr Barratt.

What’s more, you can watch it here. As Julian says, “Say yes to hot buttery crumpets!”

Fright Night With The Forgery Club!

23 Feb

© The Forgery Club

A sprinkling of TVO favourites are set to take over the Udderbelly on London’s Southbank as part of a special Forgery Club event.

Hosted by Pros From Dover, who of course feature TVO regular Richard Glover, the event on Friday 13th April will see the likes of Hot Brew, Steve Oram and Rachel Stubbings on the bill alongside Luke McQueen, Jamie Glassman, Spencer Jones, Moonfish Rhumba, The Real MacGuffins, McNeil & Pamphilon and Nathaniel Tapley.

This bumper Forgery Club begins at 10:45pm, and tickets start at £15 (£14 cons).  They can be bought via the Southbank Centre website – and more details on all forthcoming Forgery Club events can be found on their swanky new website!

Digital Treasure

23 Feb

© 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

Sky’s recent adaptation of Treasure Island is now available for pre-order on blu-ray and dvd.

The two part mini-series which aired over the new year period featured an all-star cast including Elijah Wood, Eddie Izzard and Donald Sutherland – and TVO’s very own Julian Barratt was on board as gamekeeper Thomas Redruth.

There are currently no details on any extra features for the release, which is pencilled in for June 11th, but both standard and hi-def versions are up for pre-order now in our TVO Amazon Store for just £17.99 (blu-ray) and £11.99 (dvd).

Saunders Is The Boss

23 Feb

© Linda Nylind/The Guardian

An exciting casting development for Sharon Horgan‘s forthcoming BBC3 show Dead Boss has been announced: comic legend Jennifer Saunders!

The Comic Strip and Ab Fab legend will be playing a prison governor, described as a “sexual Margaret Thatcher”.  Horgan’s character is that of an inmate falsely imprisoned for the murder of her boss – and Saunders is set to be a psychotic yet elegant enemy.

Formerly known as Life Stories and briefly known as Bitches, the show is one of two Horgan projects in development – with her collaboration with Julia Davis, Bad Sugar, also expected on screens shortly.

The links to Booshdom continue, as the show is being directed by none other than Steve Bendelack, who shot The Boosh pilot episode all those years ago.  Bendelack is perhaps best known for his work on The League Of Gentlemen, and one of The League, Jeremy Dyson, is on board as script editor too.

© French & Saunders

Dead Boss is not Saunder’s first foray into the realm of Booshdom, either.  Her last project with former partner Dawn French was Jam & Jerusalem, which featured Simon Farnaby in a prominent role, and the recent Absolutely Fabulous revival featured our very own Lucy Montgomery too!  Not only that, but her make-up artist of choice is none other than Christine Cant of Mighty Boosh and Luxury Comedy fame.  The ties of Booshdom run deep indeed…

The series is expected on our screens in April.  Stay peeled for more info.

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