Ben Elton on the studio sitcom | The best of the week's comedy on TV and radio © BBC / Guy Levy

Ben Elton on the studio sitcom

The best of the week's comedy on TV and radio

The best of the week's comedy on TV and radio.

Monday August 21

IMPRACTICAL JOKERS: The tenth season of the prank show begins on Comedy Central UK with Joe, Murr, Q and Sal daring each other to take part in various ridiculous stunts Comedy Central, 10pm

Wednesday August 23

MAE MARTIN: US Comedy Central’s summer-tie in with the Soho Theatre continues with  the two-time Canadian Comedy Award  discussing  the 21st Century stereotypes of gender, sexuality and identity, as well as the time she had the sex talk with her mum. Comedy Central, 11pm

Thursday August 24

EAT YOUR HEART OUT WITH Nick Helm: A 16-part travelogue, described as ‘part food show, part sitcom, part reality’,  in which the food-loving comedian visits one city at a time – including London, Leeds, Berlin, Paris, Glasgow and Brighton – to share food with the ‘new acquaintances and old friends’ as he tries to mend a broken heart. The series will take him from the dinner tables of unsung home cooks to restaurants, hidden bars, street eats and food trucks. Dave, 8pm

Friday August 25

4 EXTRA STANDS UP AT THE FRINGE: A stand-up comedy show that features some of the best comedians at the Edinburgh Fringe. Simple as. Radio 4 Extra, 10.30pm

RONNIE BARKER LECTURE: In the first of what’s intended as an annual series of talks about comedy, Ben Elton talks about the state of the studio sitcom using clips from shows such as  Mrs Brown’s Boys and his own comedy  The Thin Blue Line. He talks about  how they can attract vitriolic criticism even when getting high viewing figures. BBC One, 10.35pm

Published: 20 Aug 2017

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