The best comedy on demand

The best comedy on demand.

Friday Night Live Vol 1

Available on Spotify, this album contains sets from some of the acts who appeared on this groundbreaking 1980s Channel 4 show: Harry Enfield as Loadasamoney, Jo Brand when she was still known as The Sea Monster; sketches with Hugh Laurie and Ben Elton together and early stand-up from Lee Evans. A very entertaining slice of comedy history… Listen

Slacktivist Action Group

This is what Andy Parsons gave up Mock The Week For, a political discussion panel which this week features Mark Steel, Labour MP David Hanson, and Helen Lewis, deputy editor of the New Statesman. With Syria on the agenda it's not exactly laugh a minute, although Steel's eye for the absurd in politics brings a mordant wit to the debate. The aim is also to drum up some support for good causes, but his first event, a trip to a climate change debate, suffered from the apathy acknowledged in the title. Listen here.

Together

Last chance! There's just nine days left to watch Jonny Sweet's delightfully quirky romcom. In a world where BBC Three stayed on telly, this would surely be the next Gavin & Stacey as it tells of a well-matched couple struggling to get to know each other, despite the interference of nutty parents, a psychotic flatmate, their own insecurities and life itself. And despite the title, Sweet and co-star Cara Theobold are almost never seen on screen together, but it's the peripheral relationships that provide the comedy.. Well worth a binge watch, here

Comedian's Comedian Podcast

If you're interested in the nuts and bolts of comedy, we assume you are already familiar with Stuart Goldsmith's fascinating in-depth interviews about the craft. However after 150 episodes it doesn't always go smoothly – and the chat with Stewart Francis is different from the rest. Despite being fully aware of the premise of the podcast, the Mock The Week regular is singularly unwilling to talk about his work, thinking it luvvie and self-indulgent to analyse what he does – to the obvious frustration of the host. Francis claims being on stage is just a job, and he doesn't NEED to entertain like more desperate-for-attention comedians. Yet he can't switch off his comic in this most atypical episodes, which is still revealing in its own way. Listen to any of the episodes

Published: 5 Dec 2015