Episodes - All British Comedy Explained

Andrew Gillman Explains The Day Today

Released 15 January 2026

Andrew Gillman’s comedy CV is hugely extensive, from early work with Ruby Wax to That Peter Kay Thing and countless others, but possibly the highlight is The Day Today which asked an awful lot of him, all of which he was able to deliver.

1.7 The Day Today Explained

Released 8 January 2026

A big tradition in British comedy used to be that of shows getting an early experimental (and inexpensive) radio outing before being let loose on a bigger (more expensive) television stage. After twelve episodes of bizarre news spoof On The Hour had been transmitted on BBC Radio 4, a television version seemed inevitable. There were only six episodes of The Day Today but from them flowed award winning plays, more sketch comedy, defining modern political satire, questions in the House of Commons about made up drugs, and of course Alan Partridge.

Emma Manton Explains The Office

Released 1 January 2026

One of a number of people who filled out the world of Wernham Hogg, Emma Manton has used her earlier experience making an iconic television show as a springboard to an incredible career which has encompassed music, theatre, puppetry, circus and we can only assume firewalking and basejumping are just around the corner.

The Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show Explained

Released 25 December 2025

What is Christmas without Eric and Ernie? Of course we’re watching the 1971 Morecambe and Wise Christmas special which includes Shirley Bassey singing Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, Ernie’s Robin Hood play starring Glenda Jackson and most famously of all, Andre Previn conducting Grieg’s Piano Concerto.

1.6 The Office Explained

Released 18 December 2025

Despite having hardly any experience in television, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant created an indelible series which not only set the stage for a couple of decades of mockumentary and/or cringe comedy but which inspired versions in countries all over the world. We’re watching the first two episodes since this is an ongoing story. If you’d like to watch along, everything is available now on iPlayer.

Geoff Posner Explains Victoria Wood As Seen on TV

Released 11 December 2025

Geoff Posner has worked with some of the all-time greats of British comedy, from working alongside Paul Jackson on The Young Ones, to helping Steve Coogan give birth to Paul and Pauline Calf, he was there at the birth of Blackadder and he directed every episode of Victoria Wood As Seen on TV. We chatted to him about life, television, comedy and role models.

1.5 Victoria Wood As Seen on TV

Released 4 December 2025

With no female role models at all, Victoria Wood just focused on what she found funny. Her second attempt at bringing her style of humour to television is still among her most successful and enduring, and she wrote every word of these 13 episodes herself – highly unusual for a sketch show. We had planned to watch the fifth episode of the first series and the first episode of the second series, but we ended up watching the sixth episode of the second series by mistake.

Ben Elton Explains The Young Ones

Released 27 November 2025

Ben Elton is one of the most significant voices in the British comedy landscape and has been for over forty years. We spoke to him largely because of The Young Ones but his list of TV writing credits is incredible and that’s before you get into his stand-up, novels, plays and other work besides.

1.4 The Goon Show Explained

Released 20 November 2025

The one British comedy show to which all roads ultimately lead. Spike Milligan’s lunatic flights of fancy changed the game and he found ideal comrades in Harry Secombe and Peter Sellers. The show ran for ten years and hundreds of episodes. We listened to The Lost Gold Mine from the fifth series and The Mysterious Punch Up the Conker from the seventh series.

1.3 Not Only But Also Explained

Released 6 November 2025

Following the success of Beyond the Fringe, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore came to television with three series in a more whimsical tone than the biting stage show which shot them to fame, but still infused with Cook’s astonishing wordplay and Moore’s immense charm. We watched a selection of favourite sketches.

1.2 The Young Ones Explained

Released 23 October 2025

The first full expression of the anarchic style of alternative comedy was BBC2’s The Young Ones. 12 episodes were broadcast between 1982 and 1984 and they’re all currently available on iPlayer. The show made stars of Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson and kickstarted Ben Elton’s career as a comedy writer.

1.1 Monty Python's Flying Circus Explained

Released 9 October 2025

The seminal comedy show which ran for 45 episodes between 1969 and 1974 on BBC1 (first three series) and BBC2 (final series). It made stars of writer-performers Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin and animator Terry Gilliam. We watched series two, episode two and series three, episode ten.