Dan Tetsell is to record a new pilot for BBC Radio 4 early next month.
Entitled A Time Traveller’s Guide To The 21st Century, the pilot is set in a future in which Personal Time Machines have become the must have gadget, and a team of travel experts, historians and Time Envoys (sponsored by Barclays Bank & Reclaimed Meat Silo) will be looking back at the often-overlooked descination of early 21st Century England.
They promise a particular focus on the former cities of London, Manchester and Glasgow, now better known as Underwater Rubble Wasteland, The Forbidden Zone and New New Edinburgh.
The show is written by Tetsell, and whilst no information on the cast has been revealed yet, this looks incredibly promising.
Tickets for the recording on June 1st at The BBC Radio Theatre are available on application basis at BBC Shows now. Dan is also set to appear at The Velvet Onion Live! the night before – and more info on that can be spied over yonder.
The Velvet Onion can confirm that the proposed dvd and blu-ray release of Mongrels Series 2 has been scrapped.
The cult puppet sitcom from the mind of Adam Miller, and featuring a bevy of TVO regulars, was given a big budget revamp for its return last Autumn, but the show was cancelled alongside almost every other show on the BBC3 roster by new controller Zai Bennett in January.
A dvd release was given a placeholder spot on Amazon during the run of Series 2, yet failed to materialise. Six months after the show finished airing, we asked the bods at @bbccomedy on Twitter what was happening, and they confirmed: “There’s currently no plans to bring Mongrels 2 out on DVD, but it is available on download – for example on iTunes.”
Ah yes, iTunes. The series has been available on there quietly for some time, bafflingly in standard definition only, despite broadcasting in hi-def and the first series being made available in the format.
At £1.89 per episode, and £15.99 for the entire run plus the behind-the-scenes mockumentary, it’s a costly alternative to a physical release, in a vastly inferior format, and in only one region – blocking out international viewers of which the show has legion – but alas it seems for Mongrels fans, it’s the best we’re going to get.
Of course, the situation may change – as long forgotten shows from yesteryear leak out onto disc on a regular basis. If BBC Worldwide realise the commercial value of a real release, we’re sure it will happen. The fan-campaign starts here… and we’re sure somewhere out there at least one of you is drafting your petition right now.
In the meantime, you can download Series Two here - and see a classic clip from the second series below.
Tomorrow, Thursday 17th May, the excellent Rachel Stubbings will be performing with Gareth Morinan as an Edinburgh Double Bill. Tickets are only £5 in advance and the show start at 8pm. To purchase tickets click here and follow the ‘Buy Tickets’ button in the box at the top of the web page. Clever eh?
Then, on Friday June 1st, you’ll be able to enjoy the considerable talents of Steve Oram and Tom Meeten, plus Arnab Chanda. They’ll be appearing alongside John Kearns, Ross Lee, Dan Cook and Pat Burtscher. The show starts at 8pm and tickets cost £8 in advance. To buy tickets click here. Based on Oram & Meeten’s recent form at Club Fantastico, this is one for the diary!
Don’t forget that you can also catch Rachel Stubbings and Oram & Meeten at The Velvet Onion Live on 31st May. For more information and to buy tickets take a look here.
Our favourite venue is playing host to a Brew-tastic evening next month!
On June 7th you will be able to find an array of special acts at the Vandella for the aptly named - The Automated Psychedelic Forgery Club Machine.
Hosted by Hot Brew the Forgery Club will also be serving up Wittank, Fun Bags and apparently “Eddie Lizzard the Stand-up Chameleon”.
With a line-up like this and the flourishing reputation the Forgery Club and the Vandella have built up in such a short amount of time, you can’t really go wrong!
Head to the Facebook event page right here for more information and tickets can be picked up here yonder.
This unique stand-up show about movies and comedy also features Nick Helm, Brett Goldstein, Nathaniel Metcalfe, Tom Webb and Steve Pretty. There will be movie trailers, games and recreations of comedians’ favourite film moments.
If you can’t make it don’t worry, there’s another show on 13th June. Or why not go to both?
For more details and tickets, priced at a very reasonable £8.00, click on the theatre website.
If you can’t wait to see Richard, there’s a brand new The Carvery available on YouTube now, to keep you entertained.
And remember, Richard is one of a host of stars appearing at TVO Live! at the end of this month. Don’t forget to book your tickets!
Londoners can see Kevin Eldon live at the Union Chapel next month!
The Nighty Night star will be joining headliner Tim Key, along with Nina Conti, Liam Williams and compere Jarred Christmas on June 2nd at the famous Islington hall.
The Union Chapel is a favourite amongst comics and spectators – seeing the likes of Noel Fielding, Ralfe Band and Circulus take to their stage – and with a line-up like this now, you can’t go wrong.
You can pick up your tickets at the Chapels official website along with all other information needed.
At TVO Towers we’ve been getting very excited about the impending release of Sightseers, Ben Wheatley’s follow up to Kill List.
One of the reasons for our giddy excitement is that the film is written by its two stars – the splendid Alice Lowe and Steve Oram (playing the parts of caravaners, Tina and Chris). It will be premiering at Cannes soon, but in the meantime some new production photos and a short clip of the film have been made available online (with French subtitles – presumably for the folk at Cannes).
A word of warning though: one look at this will make you even more impatient to see the full movie. Let’s hope we don’t have to wait too long…
David McNeill will be taking his first solo show to Edinburgh Fringe this year!
As the build up to Edinburgh looms ever-near, we’re treated to low-key previews from every which way way in the upcoming months.
You’ll be able to see McNeill’s show with the abstract name, Canoe Ride 3000, at the Pleasance theatre in Islington on Monday 21st May!
If Zimbani was right up your street then we can’t think of a better reason to see one half of the duo take to the stage at the biggest comedy event of the year!
To Grab your tickets for the first of his previews and for more information, you can find all right here.
Remember, you can also catch David at our own TVO Night on May 31st!
Katherine Parkinson is set to star in a new sci-fi sitcom pilot for BBC Radio 2.
The show, called The Resistance, follows the story of Katrina Lyons (Parkinson), who inadvertently finds herself in the middle of an alien invasion in the small English village of Cresdon Green, while visiting her parents for the weekend.
The village is soon controlled by an alien race called The Geonin, who have decided to start their invasion with a single English village instead of the standard all-at-once approach to global domination. The pilot follows Katrina’s attempts to establish a resistance movement against the invasion.
The seminal Alison Steadman and Dr Who star Peter Davison will play Katrina’s parents in the show. As yet no airdate has been confirmed, but we’ll let you know as soon as we hear anything.
The pilot will be recorded in front of a live studio audience at the BBC Radio Theatre on Wednesday 13th June 2012. Unfortunately the recording is already fully-booked (boo!), but if you’ve managed to bag a ticket already, we’d love to hear all about it after the event!
Paul Foot is the special guest comedian in this weeks Russell Howard’s Good News Extra.
This extended version of ‘Good News’ is on BBC3 at 9.15pm tonight, repeated at 1.15am and is already available on BBC iPlayer.
Don’t miss finding out what Shire Horses think of modern life, and things you can get up to in a fire engine, as well as the usual mix of strange news stories and special achievements.
As all good peelers will know, Richard Ayoade‘s directorial follow-up to Submarinewill be an adaptation of Fyodor Dostoyevsky novel The Double.Well now some new information about the film has been released!
Submarine actors Yasmin Paige (Jordana Bevan) and Noah Taylor (Lloyd Tate) have been added to the cast, which stars Jesse Eisenberg and Mia Wasikowska in the lead roles, with James Fox and Wallace Shawn also set to appear.
The film focuses on Simon (Eisenberg), an insignificant man whose world is turned upside down by the sudden appearance of James, his exact doppelganger, who takes a job at Simon’s firm. While they may look the same the two men are very different, and it isn’t long before Simon begins to worry that James is taking over his life.
No release date has been confirmed for the movie yet, but filming begins on 20th May, so hopefully we won’t have to wait too long!
A favourite in the world of surreal at the moment, Joey Page, is putting together a ‘best of’ show at his usual monthly night on May 21st!
If you have been before, then come and see all you favourite moments put into one show, and if you haven’t had the chance to see Shattered Random Shards of Jokes just yet, then come down and fall off your seat with the rest of us!
Along with this special show, Joey is offering a special offer to his fans returning to the Etcetera Theatre this month – let him know via twitter that you’re coming down again and he’ll give you a ticket price that you deserve!
To get tickets to burst your Page-cherry, you can find them right here and we’ll see you there!
Also remember that you can see Joey Page at TVO Live on May 31st!
Matt Holness’s debut short film A Gun for George is being repeated on Monday 14th May at 1.35am on Film 4, as part of the revenge season, and can be seen an hour later on Film 4+1.
The dark, violent comedy from Warp Films follows the fortunes of Terry Finch, a frustrated pulp fiction author and loner who is looking for revenge on the mean streets of East Kent. It was first shown in November last year, and is well worth checking out.
Matt fans may recall us mentioning a few weeks ago that he’s written and directed The Snipist, a black drama starring Douglas Henshall. We can now confirm that The Snipist will be shown at 9pm on Thursday 24th May as part of the Playhouse Presents season on Sky Arts HD.
Channel 4 is celebrating success at the Rose D’Or festival today with 3 wins.
The channel won awards for Friday Night Dinner (Best Sitcom), Million Pound Drop Live (Best Gameshow) and Black Mirror (Best Comedy). The Booshniverse was well-represented as Matt Holness made an appearance in Friday Night Dinner, Black Mirror was written by Charlie Brooker and starred Julia Davis, and Chris O’Dowd recently appeared on Million Pound Drop!
The BBC also won an award for Horrible Histories(best Children’s show), which as we all know features Simon Farnaby and Alice Lowe in its cast.
Although we like to think that these artists’ participation in the programmes is what gives them their winning edge, we’d like to congratulate everyone involved in the shows!
Katy Brand is writing her first novel – and you can find out all about it first-hand next week!
Brand is working with the team at Unbound – the innovative company who put the power of publishing in the hands of authors and readers. They allow authors to pitch directly to readers, and ask for backing via pre-orders at different pricing tiers, in return for a prize ranging from your name printed in every copy to personal dinner dates! To play devil’s advocate somewhat, if any project fails to hit its funding target, it is cancelled and everyone is refunded.
This Tuesday (May 15th), Unbound Live returns to Le Baron, Embassy Mayfair, and Brand will be exclusively revealing her plans for the novel at the event.
Also on hand are Red Dwarf star Rober Llewellyn, broadcaster Hardeep Singh Kohli, and writers Steve Colgan, Adrian Teal, George Chopping and Graham Smith – plus music from Miss V.
Tickets are available now for just £20, and this includes a £10 voucher which can be pledged to the author of their choice. For more info and the chance to buy tickets, click here.
It usually takes a slow news day for the media to start digging up stories announced a long time ago, but sometimes, it’s because said story has stepped up a gear.
The planned live-action/cgi remake of Paddington Bear – which was attached to TVO’s very own Paul Kingback in April 2010 - has cropped up today on popular media website DigitalSpy, with quotes attributed to its producer, David Heyman.
The man behind the Harry Potter films is said to have described the film as “a modern take” on the character, stating: “Paddington Bear is a universally loved character, treasured for his optimism, his sense of fair play, and his perfect manners – and of course for his unintentional talent for comic chaos. Michael Bond’s books offer such wit and wonder, and I am so delighted at this chance to bring Paddington to the big screen.”
When the film was first attached to Paul, he told the Herald Sun: “It’s not like I’ll be going, ‘OK, he’s gonna be a hip hop bear, he’s gonna get into street fights, he’s gonna pack a knife’. There’s none of that business. He likes marmalade sandwiches and pottering in the garden and has a green front door. I’ll be a traditionalist.”
Those of who you have watched King’s stunning theatrical debut Bunny And The Bull will no doubt remember the Paddington vibe of some of its early scenes, so we remain incredibly hopeful that he is able to do this classic character justice. More news as it peels…
Paul Calf’s Video Diaries contains the first two instalments in the story of the titular character and his sister Pauline. Working class, beer drinking, fag smoking, Manchester City supporting Paul and his best mate Fat Bob (the brilliant John Thompson) make a video with Bob’s mate Roland (Patrick Marber).
The pair are later roped into filming the somewhat suspicious wedding of Pauline in the pitch-perfect follow up, Three Fights, Two Weddings & A Funeral. Both editions also feature John Hannah, Sally Rodgers, Henry Normal, Sandra Gough and the late Gary Olsen.
First airing in 1993 and 1994, the story of Paul & Pauline remains a firm favourite of Coogan’s fans and comedy lovers everywhere – and was later continued in 1995 series Coogan’s Run, also available on dvd. The characters continue to appear sporadically, most recently on Coogan’s 2008 tour, Steve Coogan As Alan Partridge And Other Less Successful Characters which featured TVO’s very own Alice Lowe, Steve Oram and Suzy Evelyn-Hall of DeadDogInBlackBag amongst its cast and crew!
The Tony Ferrino Phenomenonwas not so favourably received, yet still has its admirers despite never being repeated since its initial showing in 1997. Coogan’s first major project not to receive near unanimous critical praise, Ferrino was a Portugese lothario and singer who came to England to peddle his fortune and attempt to get off with as many women as possible.
His …Phenomenon was a pitch perfect pastiche of ego-trip tv specials, complete with special guest singers Kim Wilde, Gary Wilmot (remember him?) and Mick “Simply” Hucknall. As well as the duets, he aired his classic “hits” such as Papa Bendi and Stuttering Sadie From Stuttgart and provided a sneak preview of his musical adaptation of The Silence Of The Lambs – which has to be heard to be believed.
It’s arguable the pastiche, which also produced a highly collectable album (featuring a guest appearance from Björk!), was too accurate for people to see the funny side, and the character was dropped not long after he first appeared – a shame, as there’s a lot to love here.
Both dvds are available now in The Velvet Onion Amazon Store – as are a number of other Steve Coogan classics and works by most of our regular stars too.
The store helps keep TVO afloat, so if you buy anything from us you’re even more amazing than you already are. Browse our selection here.
Katy Brand and Sharon Horgan are part of the star-studded ensemble cast of a new one-off comedy for Sky Arts.
Hot on the heels of previous Playhouse Presents entry The Snipist from Matt Holness, the 30 minute show entitled Psychobitches features comic legend Rebecca Front (The Day Today, Knowing Me Knowing You) as a psychotherapist interviewing historical female figures.
Brand will feature as both Joan of Arc and George Eliot, whilst Horgan will portray the dual roles of Freida Kahlo and Jane Austin. Also set to appear on the couch are Catherine Tate as Eva Braun, Sam Spiro as Mary Whitehouse and Judy Garland, Selina Griffiths as Beatrix Potter, Sheila Reid as Mother Theresa and Andy Nyman cross-dressing as Sarah, wife of Abraham!
The comic lineage continues with the show’s director – one quarter of The League Of Gentlemen, Jeremy Dyson – who also co-wrote the show alongside Laurence Rickard, Simon Carlyle, Bert Tyler-Moore, George Jeffrie and Morwenna Banks.
Psychobitches airs on June 21st. We’ll keep you peeled if the current one-off is given a full series commission, or is granted a dvd release.
The beauty of Booshdom is that it reaches far and wide, though sometimes that reach is so wide that its easy to miss names staring you in the face.
Neil Cole is a new name to The Velvet Onion, but his name has been circling around Booshdom for many years and we thought it was about time you met him, ahead of his latest collaboration.
Neil will be appearing with Rich Fulcher in Rich Fulcher and His Fucked Up Friends, at The Vandella on Thursday 10th May, but this is not his first time on stage with members of The Mighty Boosh. They worked together in 1998 in Edinburgh when Noel, Julian and Rich were guests on Psycho Vertigo Disco.
Remaining a close friend of the Boosh boys, all these years later, his 2011 Edinburgh show Neil By Mouth was co-directed by none other than Dave Brown, who shot the promotional images for the tour like the one seen here.
Other comedy work includes being a founder member of The Pros From Dover, who he still occasionally performs with. As well as Richard Glover, he has previously collaborated with the likes of Tom Meeten, Steve Oram, James Bachman, Barunka O’Shaughnessy, Waen Shepherd and The Actor Kevin Eldon, has opened for Russell Brand on tour, and his former comedy partner Tom Hillenbrand appeared in AD/BC. Truly, a layer of onion worth peeling!
As well as stand up, Neil has wide experience of radio and tv work and has presented many extreme sports programmes, he has even met The Hairy Bikers! In 2009 he interviewed Noel, Dave and Mike at the NME Awards for NME Radio.
There is an interview with Neil at thehumourdor.co.uk where you can find out more about him and his work, and you can also catch up with him on Facebook, Twitter and on his YouTube channel. We’ll be speaking to Neil ourselves as soon as we can, so stay peeled – and if you’re off to see him perform with Fulcher this Thursday, tell him t’Onion sent you…
Twitter fans may have spotted Chris O’Dowd attempting – and failing – to sell his car online yesterday.
Chris has put his baby blue 1969 VW Karmann Ghia on the market for the bargain price of $5000. As you can see from the photo, the car looks great; unfortunately it doesn’t start and Chris no longer has the key! If you’re still interested, and you live near California (which is where the somewhat inert car can be found), drop him a line on twitter. Don’t mention the facial hair, however. As Chris pointed out mere minutes after putting the car up for sale: “There are 60% more moustache comments and 100% less offers for ‘Carmen’ than i’d like.”
While we’re on the hot topic of driving, don’t forget there’s still time to listen to Dave Brown‘s radio show about the Highway Code on BBC iPlayer.
@ellecaps We're spread out across London, Manchester, Gateshead, Sweden & America... so the tea may go cold before it gets around. ;-) peeled 12 hours ago
@ellecaps Work suggests we get paid to do things we find a chore. Neither of which are true. ;-) peeled 12 hours ago
Normal service shall be resumed this weekend. Stay peeled for all your latest news updates! xx peeled 1 day ago
@Alexbkirk Hello, sir! Good to meet you last night - you were fantastic! peeled 1 day ago
@LiisaD No need to move - just come on down next time! We had people come from all over the place - including abroad... :-) peeled 1 day ago
