In Stitches || December 2014

The last month of 2014, saw some lovely moments rise up in the world of comedy. Some which were expected like the Big Fat Quiz of the Year, which is always a treat, and then some not so expected like Noel Fielding's tour being postponed. But lets get straight into the round-up for December 2014, as we've got quite a lot to cover!

Toast of London Series 3 Confirmed

Last months round-up saw much discussion towards Matt Berry's Channel 4 hit, 'Toast of London'. Fans were up in arms celebrating, as it was announced that series three was on the horizon for 2015. Although it is argued that 'Toast' has rather low viewing figures, the whacky show has gained a cult following, only increasing its success. So make sure to be on the look out for series three, and while we're all waiting on updates for series three, why not catch up on the previous two on 4od here. 

©Channel 4

The British Comedy Awards 2014

A special treat towards the run up to Christmas, is the always brilliant 'The British Comedy Awards' presented by Jonathan Ross. This years awards, saw continuous jokes and references to its sponsor Lidl as well as Jack Whitehall winning King of Comedy for the fourth year running. A favourite up and coming comedian of mine, Nick Helm, won 'Best Comedy Breakthrough Artist' from his work on the BBC Three programme 'Uncle'. A few old favourite faces won including Katherine Parkinson for 'Best TV Comedy Actress' and everybody's favourite Monty Python came away with the 'Lifetime Achievement Award'.

©SickChirpse

An Evening with Noel Fielding Postponed

Fans of 'The Mighty Boosh' and 'Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy' know the great man behind it all Noel Fielding had been venturing around the UK with his brother Mike Fielding and Tom Meeten on his latest stand-up tour. I had the chance to go watch one of the brilliant shows in November in Manchester Apollo, and it wasn't a disappointed. Due to such a high demand and success, extra dates were put on that ran into 2015. Sadly however, the dates which were supposed to start in late January have now been postponed to December time. Its recently come to light that the change came about due to unforeseen filming commitments in 2015. A list of the new dates has been placed on TVO, for those who have booked tickets (like myself) as some tickets may no longer be valid please check here. 

©ArtsCentreMelbourne

Nevermind The Buzzcocks Christmas Special

Carrying on with more Noel Fielding based news, was the Christmas Special to 'Nevermind The Buzzcocks' alongside Phill Jupitus and host Rhod Gilbert. This years special showed no exception with the outfits, as we saw both panellists dressed as Wizard, X Factor judge Louis Walsh as Joko Ono, singer Melissa Steel as East 17, comedian Lloyd Langford as a choir boy alongside Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock. The show had its usual conventions going on with several Christmas themed questions, and an identity parade which featured The Snowman. You can watch it over on iplayer by clicking here. 

©BBC

Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2014

If one brilliant panel show wasn't enough, then after all the Christmas cheer was over you could sink your teeth into BFQOTY which you stuff your face with turkey leftovers. This year saw the return of the much loved, Richard Ayoade and the quiz's usual host Jimmy Carr. The other team members consisted of Mel B, Sarah Millican, David Mitchell, Kevin Bridges and Micky Flanagan. The teams this year, unlike others seemed more focused of actually gaining points and winning although that didn't stop unconventional bouts of the weird and wonderful from peering its head. You can relive the night simply by clicking here. 

©Talkback / Brian Ritchie

In Stitches || November 2014

    November has not been a disappointing month in the world of comedy, the month kicked off with a blast bringing us Toast of London series 2. The first series of Toast was aired last year on Channel 4 and received more than a warm welcome. With the brilliant Matt Berry playing the main character, Toast who is a struggling actor, we follow him through his adventurous lifestyle while meeting some quirky characters along the way. Toast is definitely tailored towards those who're previous fans of Berry's work such as Garth Marenghi's Darkplace, Snuff Box, The IT Crowd and The Mighty Boosh due to its surreal and satirical material. I for one am a huge fan of Berry, so I found the second series to be just as funny and entertaining as the first, definitely search this out if you've got half an hour to kill. 

© Channel 4

 
  This month we've surprisingly got two lots of Toast related news, as fans of the show are now able to begin buying related merchandise to decorate their humble abodes. Smart Giant Design have released four prints starting from £20 each, featuring the main characters; Steven Toast, Jane Plough, Ray Purchase and Clem Fandango. You could equally purchase all four for £50 to show your dedication to the show. The prints themselves are really simplistic showing the key features of each character, and I personally wouldn't mind purchasing myself one for my flat. You can click here, to have a nosey at the prints, treat yourself!

© Smart Giant Designs

    
     After a good couple of years, I was able to go see Noel Fielding again, and this time it was on the third row for his latest stand up gig. Renowned for his work as Vince Noir in The Mighty Boosh with his partner in crime Julian Barratt, Noel went on his own and produced two series of Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy. The show, being more outlandish and surreal to the Boosh seemed to tighten his fans but still had huge success. A few months after the end of series two, Noel released tour dates around the UK, which are still currently running into 2015. I'm tempted to do a full review on the gig as it was so mental, but if I say anything its that Noel Fielding has not lost his comedy touch! With modern references to Tinder and other 2014 nonsense, Noel pulls it out the bag once again and proves his brilliance in the field. 

© Love Southend

    
   Questionably the most surreal and controversial man in comedy, the likes of Chris Morris the creator of The Day Today, Jam and Brass Eye graced our radios this month. BBC 4extra broadcasted a three hour long documentary called Raw Meat Radio in dedication to Morris, featuring interviews from those who've worked with him over the years including the man who suspended him from Radio 1. Alongside this is also clips and unheard scenes from his shows unfortunately there is no actual input from Morris himself, who tends to stay out of the media's limelight due to his shows. You can still listen on catch up here, its definitely something not to miss out on if you're a Morris fan. 

© Pix Good

    

In Stitches || December 2013

    As far as years go, 2013 has been absolutely outstanding for the comedy world, there have been suitable winners at this years Comedy Awards, the notorious BFQOTY (which I'll talk more about later in the post) and the sightings of new comedy tours. Hopefully I'll get back into the swing of filming my 'In Stitches' series, but for the next 6 months my priorities are going to be revising for my A-Level exams to get into university. The course I'll be doing (Journalism/Broadcast Journalism) will fit along side this hobby and passion, so I'll be able to put more time and effort into 'In Stitches' once that time arrives, but for now here's December's edition of 'In Stitches', enjoy!

© Wikipedia

    It has been confirmed that Matt Berry's latest comedy project 'Toast of London' will be returning for a second series and oh boy am I excited! When I've spoke about Toast in the past, I've explained how much I really love the off the wall and dry humour and with its 400,000 viewership its evident that its had an effect on the comedy sphere. I came across a lovely quote that TVO got from the head of comedy for Channel 4, Phil Clarke sharing his opinion on the show; "everything a Channel 4 comedy should be. Unapologetically original funny writing, driven by bold and hilarious performances from Matt Berry and the cast. It’s a unique comedy show, there’s nothing else like it." Series one is available at the moment to buy online absolutely anywhere but if you can't be bothered to search the net you can simply click here for a direct link!

© Sprout Pictures

    If your a fan of Moone Boy and have any siblings/children under the age of 10 then pay close attention to this piece of news. The rights have been bought for two novels to be made from the current series of Moone Boy, it has been said that the scenarios brought up in the series can be easily adapted to novel writing, and it presumed to bring in a six figure sum. The first novel is set to be released later on this year, following the second novel in 2015. And for those of you not interested in the novel at all, don't threat, series 2 of the show will soon be airing on Sky 1 along with series 3 already filmed. 

© List

    As with all Noel Fielding news (being the huge fan I am) I'm proud to announce if you've not already heard that the surrealist comedy show on E4 'Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy' now has its own online merch store. You can get your basic pieces such as t-shirts with notorious slogans "it's all bleedin' coming together" and "am I nothing?" or you can get some quite exclusive (in my eyes) pieces that were based around single episodes, such as the Bryan Ferry kite or Pele mug. Either way there is something for the fans and I think I might end up treating myself to some of these luxuries (see what I did there) myself in the future. If you want to have a nosey you can click here and it will direct you straight to their online store.

© Channel 4

    Towards the end of every year we get the delightful special of Big Fat Quiz of the Year, this year the teams consisted of Jack Whitehall and Jonathon Ross, Dara O Briain and Kristen Schaal and finally Richard Ayoade and Noel Fielding along with host Jimmy Carr. As always each episode goes down a hoot and this one didn't disappoint in the slightest. If you watched the show when it aired on Boxing Day I'm sure one of your favourite moments will be the champagne and turkey sandwiches break which Jonathan Ross initiated half way through the show, ending with an audience member getting a Jimmy Carr DVD filled with turkey and Noel Fielding going to sleep on the end of set with Dara O Briain next to him. The episode is on 4od so if you click here it'll direct you straight to that, definitely give it a watch!

    Hope you enjoyed this months 'In Stitches' as always the comments are open for any discussions connected to the comedy news of this month and if you have any questions you can also leave them in the comments section.

In Stitches || November 2013

    It's the middle of December, I'm extremely late on this but nevertheless here it is November's edition of 'In Stitches' hope you enjoy! I've also got some posts lined up for the week of Christmas so keep posted for them along with an update on what's been happening in my life recently!

©GusTheFox

    So something I'm quite excited to read the reviews for is the release of the Twitter sensation 'Gus The Fox's book. If you don't already follow the quite crude and witty tweets of Gus I strongly recommend you go and do it, especially considering its the winter season and I'm sure he'll have some good things to say about the upcoming holiday. Like quite a few people, I found Gus through his interactions with Noel Fielding on Twitter and they've sparked a loving friendship, that loving that in fact Noel has agreed to write to foreword for the book featuring some of his own drawings which will be exciting to see! There is an interview up on TVO with Gus which you can see if you click right here, it's only short but it is an entertaining 10 minute read.

©jackagency

    Talking about Noel Fielding, news has landed that some of his artwork will be featured in LA, as part of a new exhibition all about cats (internal squeal!) the location is still wrapped in mystery but it will start on the 23rd of January for 8 days with all the profits going towards the Stray Cat Alliance. As a fellow cat lover and art enthusiast I strongly encourage you to pop down (once we know the location) and have a nosey and definitely donate generously because it's going to a great cause and will be a wonderful day out! I will extremely jealous of you everybody there.

©BBC

    As a lot of people I'm a fan of Peep Show, secretly hoping for another series (although I don't think there will be) something else has fallen into our laps for Christmas and it's in the form of the radio. Six years ago, the Mitchell and Webb Sound graced the radio waves for 4 series but once again they've returned! In the new 4 part series you can listen to live on Tuesday's at 6.30pm on Radio 4, you can catch up any you've missed right here. Maybe we'll get news of a new series broadcast next year if all goes well with the reboot.

©people

    And finally this month, Chris O'Dowd and James Franco will be hitting broadway together next year in a rendition of John Steinbeck's 'Of Mice And Men', both will be playing the two main characters George and Lennie. For those of you who haven't heard or read the novel before it explores the lives of George and Lennie who is learning-impaired while they get work together on the fields but end up in huge trouble. It will be 47 years since the novel was put on broadway so there will be high expectations for success and to ultimately live up to the novel (which I studied for two years and its really entertaining). It's set to start production in April and will run through to the end of July, tickets are not yet on sale but keep a look out if your interested.

In Stitches || October 2013

    Over the past two to three months I've been doing special monthly videos on my Youtube account called 'In Stitches'. These consist of a comedy based kinda news round, revealing exciting new projects, tours etc by comedians as comedy is a strong passion of mine. Now October's edition of In Stitches, sadly wasn't filmed due to being extremely busy and some personal reasons and I feel absolutely terrible for it. So what I decided to do along side these monthly installments to also write a more detailed blog post about each news story, to give you that extra bit of knowledge and insight. I thought this would also be a great tool incase I'm unable to post one month's episode due to whatever reason, like this month. So sit back and enjoy October's 'In Stitches' blog post.  

© NME

    This month has marked a huge milestone for the comedy 5 piece 'The Mighty Boosh' as they have performed quite a few gigs in London in preparation for their set at the Festival Supreme in Santa Monica. After watching quite a few fan videos of the boys performing, I can happily say that all their efforts led to a successful outcome with hundreds of fans being able to relieve some of their boosh memories. While down in London, the boys performed at the Soho Theatre, with supporting acts Holly Burns, Joey Page and Stuart Silver (who I hear were outstanding) bringing back to life the chemistry the boys all had together, especially Noel and Julian. A few days after this, they jetted off to do their set for Festival Supreme, fine tuning their songs and jokes the night was another success. You must credit all of the boys for giving such an exceptional show, considering they've not worked together for a number of years and yet that magic touch is still there. Hopefully this is the start of something wonderful, with possibly more gigs, or finally the release of their album which has been on stand by for a good 5 years now.

© The British Comedy Guide

    A really exciting opportunity happening this month (November) in London is the Big Comedy Conference, this day entails you to attend talks and workshops from some of the greats in the comedysphere on careers in comedy. Such people like; Al Murray, Jo Brand, Andrea Mann, Freddy Syborn and over 40+ more speakers will be sharing their stories and tips on how to get into the comedy business. Sadly only in London, tickets for the day will cost around £149 for that price you will be able to attend all of the talks, get lunch and have the opportunity to stay for the comedy gig at the end of the day, with a bar open till 11pm. This event is not one to miss, I definitely would be booking my ticket right now if only I lived closer down to London but if you do live close by and want to book a ticket, this click HERE and it'll take you straight through to the website, but hurry because tickets are going fast!

© Channel 4

    One of my favourite shows on Channel 4 has finally returned for a full series and it's Matt Berry's 'Toast Of London'. A one off episode for Channel 4's 'Funny Fortnight' was aired last year, and it was one of the best they shown and I'm over the moon that it's finally been commissioned for it's first full series. Matt Berry stars as struggling actor Stephen Toast, who during his life as a middle aged idiosyncratic finds himself dealing with very bizarre situations, while trying to get recognised in the acting world. Being a Channel 4 comedy, TOL has it's weird and wonderful aspects to it, so expect some very peculiar jokes and gags. The show airs on Sunday at 10:40pm on Channel 4 (it's on tonight woo) and there are already two episodes on 4od which you can find HERE to give you a taste of the show.

© The Guardian

    After the great cornetto trilogy has ended, the Q&A session for The World's End has been announced this November. As the trilogy is due to be released on the 25th of November, it's only right for the Q&A to be happening to coincide with the release (I'm super excited to own the trilogy on DVD). Director/Co-writer Edgar Wright and Co-writer/Starred Simon Pegg will be attending a special viewing of the film at Cineworld Haymarket (23rd) with a live Q&A and unseen footage from the film. Then the following day Wright and Pegg will be introducing the whole trilogy at Prince Charles Cinema at Leicester Square, back to back from 4pm till 10:30pm. Tickets are selling like hot cakes so you can head over to Cineworld HERE or Prince Charles Cinema HERE to purchase you tickets for quite an amazing event. 

The Mighty Beck (Boosh)

    Those of you who are The Mighty Boosh fans will instantly know what I'm talking about from the title, and if not shame on you. Last night The Mighty Boosh were on the list many bands/musicians performing for Beck: Song Reader Live, each group was given a song title then allowed free rein on the lyrics. Now of course giving Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt the title 'We All Wear Cloaks' was a very wise choice, not only was it Fielding and Barratt performing together but Oly Ralfe from the Ralfe Band came along too during their set. 

    Sadly, I only found out about the gig on the night so tickets were completely sold out, and the gig was also in London and considering I live in Manchester I really couldn't get there quick sticks. If you happen to have an account on Tumblr there have been a few pictures scattered around from a variety of fans who managed to grab tickets, along with a video of their song which I'll leave down below. The Mighty Boosh have been out of action for roughly 5/6 years, so this concert along with them performing for Jack Black's Festival Supreme this summer is a massive turning point for themselves and their fans. 

https://picasaweb.google.com/LysWant/BeckBarbicanJuly42013?authuser=0&feat=directlink#

   
    Like most of the Boosh fans, I'm anticipating this to be the full return of The Mighty Boosh whether that be displayed through small UK tours of The Boosh Band, through the album they've not released or the film that has been half written. Either way some reconnections of The Boosh is a wonderful thing to happen to comedy and were all excited to see what their next move is.

    If you've read this post and thought "Who are The Mighty Boosh?" well I recommend you hop on down to Youtube and simply type in The Mighty Boosh and you'll come up with results of their songs and clips from their comedy show. If you're into surrealist humor or just off the wall comedy then definitely sink your teeth into Fielding and Julian!

'We All Wear Cloaks' video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKfVjRB5l44

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COMEDY | Never Mind The Buzzcocks Series 26

    As some of you may already know, the hit comedy panel game show 'Never Mind The Buzzcocks' is back on our tv screens on the 24th (this Monday) at 10pm on BBC 2. You'll also be happy to know the panelist are staying the same this series with Phill Jupitus and Noel Fielding. As for those who will be accompanying them on the panels, this week Blink-182's singer Mark Hoppus, Olympian Greg Rutherford, N-Dubz Frazer  and Comedian Sarah Millican will be gracing both teams. As well this week's host will be the lovely Kathy Burke.

    If you're a fan like myself or enjoy some light hearted comedy on a Monday night then make sure you tune into NMTB on Monday at 10pm on BBC 2, you can also follow their official twitter page with sneak peeks and a live feed during each episode. Links below. 

    NMTB Twitter - @NMTB_TV

Fagan x

Noel Fielding on Nevermind The Buzzcocks

    A quick update regarding the viewing of "Sport Relief 2012" tonight on BBC 1, those of you who are fans of the panel show "Nevermind The Buzzcocks" will be pleased to know they have recorded a special episode for tonights viewing at 10pm. The guest host for the viewing is the wonderful underwear model Louise RedKnapp.

Tv personalities on tonight's episode

    Fagan x

Loose Tapestries Presents The Luxury Comedy Tapes

Loose Tapestries Artwork

    After the success of his new sitcom show (luxury comedy), Noel Fielding alongside bass player and lyrical writer of Kasabian, Serge Pizzorno have teamed up to create their own band project. Known and the 'Loose Tapestries' the band so far have been shown as a medieval throw back with the modern twists of technology. Whether this side project will create their own music that doesn't feature in Luxury Comedy in unknown as of now. But on that note the music that is used in Fielding's show is very odd ball.
    Using old synthesizers the create futuristic tones, with Fielding's voice manipulated both high and low reading out obscure lyrics it is something to get your head around. Snippets of certain characters scenes are also included among the variety of songs, some of these characters are Secret Pete, Fantasy Man, Ghost of a Flea and many others. 
    In a vary of interviews regarding the newly formed band, both men have discussed doing a tour in the near future suggesting them to be hosted in castles across the UK (which we take lightly). Prior to this Fielding was involved in another side band supporting his other show The Mighty Boosh, all of the main characters that featured in this BBC Three hit are now a part of the Luxury Comedy family, except Fielding's on screen partner Julian Barratt. Over some queries fans have brought up regarding the absence of his partner, Fielding has explained the outlandishness and complexity of the show is something that doesn't appeal to Barratt.
    But don't sit there in doubt, another reason for the choice of not including Barratt is to not tarnish what The Mighty Boosh created with its fans and the on screen relationship that grew between both of them.
    This wonderful album includes 22 songs which are all under 3 minutes below, with only two sliding over this barrier by 12 seconds. All the songs have had featured specially in individual episodes being able to bring another leap and spring into the already outrageous series. This by far is an enjoyable album for those who are a fan of Fielding's work and hopefully they will drop us another album as soon as possible.


You can buy or download their album here - Amazon


    Fagan x