The week's best comedy on TV and radio

Here’s our pick of the week’s best comedy programmes on TV, radio and on-demand:

Sunday July 18

ALUN COCHRANE: CENTRIST DAD?: As comedians nail their political colours to the mast, Alun Cochran comes out as…. in the middle somewhere. In this stand-up show, recorded in front of a virtual audience from Salford, he asks why so few comics appear adept at sniping from the middle? Radio 4, 7.15pm

Tuesday July 20

SIMON EVANS GOES TO MARKET: The comic's series about economics returns for a sixth series, starting with a look at the super-rich – well-timed, given today is the day Amazon's Jeff Bezos blasts off into space. Evans is joined by Robert Watts, compiler of the Sunday Times Rich List. Radio 4 6.30pm

Wednesday July 21

LES DAWSON: THE LOST TAPES: Previously unseen family footage and clips aims to show how the comic was away from the spotlight, while fans including Brendan O Carroll, Jason Manford, Omid Djalili and John Thomson speak of his professional legacy. ITV, 9pm  

BAD ADVICE WITH Olga Koch: The Russian-born comic hosts a new eight-part chat show created for Facebook, interviewing comics including  Sophie Duker, Chloe Petts and Rosie Jones. A new episode drops every Wednesday at 12pm on the Facebook page of the Dave TV channel.

PAUL SINHA'S GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: The comic's back with a show combining his great loves - trivia and comedy - catching up with all the things that have happened in the world since the last series ended in 2020. Radio 4 6.30pm

Friday July 23

TED LASSO: After scooping 20 Emmy nominations last week, the comedy starring  Jason Sudeikis as an America football coach imported to lead a top-level UK soccer team, returns to Apple TV+ for its second series. The inspirational show co-stars Hannah Waddingham, Juno Temple, Brett Goldstein, Nick Mohammed, Jeremy Swift and Brendan Hunt - all of whom nabbed nominations in supporting roles, too.

THE LATEISH SHOW WITH Mo Gilligan: The comic returns for a second series of his comedy-chat show hybrid with a party feel. Guests in this episode are Jack Whitehall and Fast and Furious star Nathalie Emmanuel, while chart-topper Anne-Marie joins the house band The Compozers as guest vocalist. Channel 4, 10pm

PARTY'S OVER: Miles Jupp stars in this comedy as Henry Tobin - Britain's shortest serving and least popular postwar PM, forced into normal life after just a few months of holding the most powerful position in the land.  The cast also includes Ingrid Oliver, Emma Sidi, Kiell Smith-Bynoe, Justin Edwards, Rosie Cavaliero and Adam Riches, and the script is by Paul Doolan and Jon Hunter. Radio 4, 6.30pm   

Saturday July 24

SARA PASCOE: THE MODERN MONKEY: A rerun of this 2018 series in which the comic explores our modern social world through theories of evolutionary psychology. Radio 4 Extra, 11pm

Published: 18 Jul 2021