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

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

Now

GARY DELANEY: CLUB CLASSICS 2000-2013:  The one-liner specialist's first tour show has been put online for free by Liverpool's Hot Water Comedy Club. Delaney his on the road with his new tour Gary in Punderland, while he will release his second special – Comedy Club Classics 2014-2017 – later this year. That, too, was recorded at the Hot Water.

Sunday August 22

WHEN RUBY MET:  Ruby Wax looks back at her 1990s interviews with the likes of Donald Trump, OJ Simpson  and, rather more wholesomely,  Tom Hanks. BBC Two, 9pm

Tuesday August 24

THE LAST LEG OF TOKYO 2020: The Last Leg returns to its roots with a prime-time show on Channel 4 on every night of the Paralympic Games. Adam Hills, Alex Brooker and Josh Widdicombe round up the day's stories from London while Rosie Jones - who started her TV career as a researcher on The Last Leg for Rio 2016 - is on the ground in Tokyo. The three main hosts will also be trying out 12 Paralympic sports at the London Olympic Stadium, including wheelchair tennis, kayaking and blind running (which explains the picture at the top) with the aid of guest comedians. Channel 4, 10pm 

LADYBABY: The BBC calls this tragi-comedy a 'romcom about a mother and daughter learning to act their age'. It revolves around a 36-year-old woman-child trapped in her unremarkable life and the 21-year-old she gave up for adoption when she was 15 and who is an old lady trapped in a young woman's body. Amy Manson and Mirren Mack lead a cast that also include Still Game's Ford Kiernan and Edinburgh comedy award winner Richard Gadd. It's on BBC Three's iPlayer channel from today and airs on BBC Scotland at 10.30pm on Friday.

ALAN DAVIES: AS YET UNTITLED: This week comedians  Babatunde Aléshé, Sara Barron, Grace Campbell and Lee Mack gather around Alan's round table.  Dave, 10pm

ARMANDO IANNUCCI: A repeat run for the writer, satirist and director's 1994 radio sketch show, which also features Rebecca Front, David Schneider and Richard Herring. Radio 4 Extra, 10.30pm

Thursday August 26

DR PHIL'S BEDSIDE MANNER: In this mix of comedy performance and documentary, Dr Phil Hammond travels the UK to look at the state of the NHS. Radio 4 promises 'an adventurous, hilarious, thought-provoking mix of humour and happiness, tragedy and reflection' as experienced by those who work for the health service. At each location, Dr Phil performs a free stand-up comedy show for the staff based on what he heard and the people he has met. Radio 4, 6.30pm  

Friday August 27

KEVIN CAN F*** HIMSELF: The innovative dark comedy, which flips between the glossy, laddish 1990s sitcom and the grim reality behind being married to a wisecracking sexist, comes to Amazon Prime. Annie Murphy stars as Allison McRoberts, the woman seeking to take the lead in her own life and Eric Petersen  as her obnoxious, rude, ignorant husband. 

Published: 22 Aug 2021