British Comedy Guide
British Comedy Guide or BCG (formerly the British Sitcom Guide or BSG) is a British website covering all forms of British comedy, across all media.[1][2] At the time of writing, BCG has published guides to more than 7,000 individual British comedies - primarily TV and radio situation comedy, sketch shows, comedy dramas, satire, variety and panel games. Other notable features on BCG include a news section, a message board, interviews with comedians and actors, a series of comment and opinion articles, a searchable merchandise database, and a section offering advice to aspiring comedy writers. The website also runs The Comedy.co.uk Awards and hosts several podcast series, some of which have won awards.
 | |
 Screenshot of the British Comedy Guide homepage on 15 January 2016. | |
Type of site | Online British comedy TV, radio and film guide. Host of British comedy podcasts. |
|---|---|
| Owner | Mark Boosey and Aaron Brown |
| URL | http://www.comedy.co.uk/ |
| Registration | Required to post (free) |
| Launched | August 2003 |
| Current status | Active |
Reportedly, British Comedy Guide attracts over 500,000 unique visitors a month, making it Britain's most-visited comedy-related reference website.[1][3]
Background
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The website was founded in August 2003 as the British Sitcom Guide (BSG), a website devoted to British sitcom TV programmes. The website was established by Mark Boosey, a freelance web developer, originally as a hobby.[1] However, in 2008, it was decided to expand the remit of the website to cover all forms of British comedy, and thus the BSG was re-launched as British Comedy Guide or BCG, and has continued to expand since this point.
Other features added since the site's re-launch in 2008 as British Comedy Guide include a series of podcasts, a section featuring interviews with people working in the British comedy industry and a Twitter-based news service.
The website went through another relaunch in 2016, where it underwent a re-design of the layout, a new logo, and increased coverage of online comedy and people working in British comedy.
In 2015, BCG's data specialist Ian Wolf was awarded the inaugural "Unsung Hero" at the first FringePig Ham Fist awards for his work collating reviews during that year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe.[4]
Key people
| Ref | Joined | Person | Job Title(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| [5] | 2003 | Mark Boosey | Site Editor |
| [6] | 2005 | Aaron Brown | Site Editor |
| [7] | 2006 | Ian Dunn (aka Ian Wolf) | Data Specialist |
| [8] | 2009 | Si Hawkins | Regular Columnist |
Podcasts
BCG hosts a range of podcasts, some of which have gone on to win awards. As It Occurs To Me was nominated for a Sony Radio Academy Award in 2010,[9] Do The Right Thing won the Bronze Sony Award for "Best Internet Programme" in 2012,[10] Pappy's Flatshare Slamdown won the 2012 Loaded Lafta award for "Best Podcast",[11] and Richard Herring's Leicester Square Theatre Podcast won the Bronze Sony Radio Award for comedy in 2013.[12]
In June 2013, an episode of Richard Herring's Leicester Square Theatre Podcast saw host Richard Herring interviewing Stephen Fry, in which Fry revealed that he had attempted to commit suicide. The story was also reported widely across the media, including the BBC and Sky News.[13][14]
The podcasts hosted by BCG are:[15]
| Name | Year |
|---|---|
| The Collings and Herrin Podcast | 2008-2011 |
| Richard Herring: As It Occurs To Me | 2009-2011 |
| What Are You Laughing At? | 2011–Present |
| Richard Herring's Edinburgh Fringe Podcast | 2011–Present |
| Me1 vs Me2 Snooker with Richard Herring | 2011–Present |
| Pappy's Flatshare Slamdown | 2011–Present |
| Do The Right Thing | 2011–Present |
| Talking Cock With Richard Herring | 2012–2013 |
| Live From Kirrin Island | 2012–Present |
| Mat Ricardo's London Varieties | 2012–Present |
| No Pressure To Be Funny | 2011–Present |
| Richard Herring's Leicester Square Theatre Podcast | 2012–Present |
| The John Dredge Nothing To Do With Anything Show | 2013–Present |
| The Comedian's Comedian with Stuart Goldsmith | 2013–Present |
| Richard Herring: We're All Going To Die | 2013–Present |
| Margaret Thatcher Queen of Podcasts | 2015–Present |
| Sitcom Geeks | 2015–Present |
| My Dad Wrote a Porno | 2015–Present |
| ManBuyCow | 2015–Present |
| Richard Herring: Happy Now? | 2016–Present |
| Isy Suttie's The Things We Do For Love | 2016–Present |
| The Adventures of Grett Binchleaf | 2016–Present |
| Hayley & Ruth: Two Stars | 2016–Present |
The Comedy.co.uk Awards
In January 2007, the website launched The British Sitcom Guide Awards, which were later renamed The British Comedy Guide Awards and are now known as The Comedy.co.uk Awards.[16] The awards are notable for allowing the public to choose the winners via an online poll, but with no shortlist - all broadcast programmes are available to choose. This differs from the British Comedy Awards which relies on broadcasters to put their programmes forward for nomination, and only uses a small panel of judges to determine the results. Additionally, The Comedy.co.uk Awards seeks to name not just the winners, but the worst programme in each category too.[17]
In order to be considered for a Comedy.co.uk Award, a programme must be a British comedy which has had at least one new episode broadcast on British TV or radio between 1 January and 31 December of the previous year. The only exception is shows which span across the new year, in which case it is nominated only in the first of the years.[16]
Up until the 2015 awards the visitors taking part in the poll are asked to give three votes in each category: one to their favourite show, one to their second favourite show, and one to their least favourite show. The vote for "top favourite" scores two points for the selected programme, and a vote for a "second favourite" scores one. The comedy programme with the most points is declared the winner in that category. The show which receives the highest number of "worst" votes is declared the worst comedy in that category. The 2016 awards change format, removing the "worst" categories, and people voting for the top three programmes, with their favourite show scoring three points, their second favourite two points, and their third favourite one point. In the first week of voting all comedies from the year could be voted on, in the second week the six most popular shows in every category formed a shortlist.
All of the awards are voted for by the website's users except one, the British Comedy Guide Editors' Award, which is an award voted for just by the controllers of the guide, and is given "to the show, person, channel, or indeed anything else comedy related that deserves some recognition."[18]
2006
The first awards were presented in January 2007 and were known at the time as The British Sitcom Guide Awards 2006, but have since been renamed. Below are the awards.[18]
| Award | Best | Worst |
|---|---|---|
| New British TV Sitcom | The IT Crowd | Bo! in the USA |
| Returning British TV Sitcom | Green Wing (Series 2) | My Hero (Series 6) |
| British TV Sitcom Special | The Vicar of Dibley | The Green Green Grass |
| British TV Sketch Show | That Mitchell and Webb Look | Tittybangbang |
| British TV Panel Show / Satire | QI | Best of the Worst |
| Best and Worst of David Mitchell | That Mitchell and Webb Look | Blunder |
| Comedy Of The Year | Green Wing | N/A |
| Editors' Award | The Complete Guide to Parenting | N/A |
2007
The second awards were presented in January 2008, originally under the title The British Sitcom Guide Awards 2007. Below are the results.[19]
| Award | Best | Worst |
|---|---|---|
| New British TV Sitcom | Gavin & Stacey | The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle |
| Returning British TV Sitcom | Peep Show (Series 4) | Hyperdrive (Series 2) |
| British TV Sitcom Special | Extras | To the Manor Born |
| British TV Sketch Show | The Armstrong and Miller Show | The Catherine Tate Show |
| British TV Panel Show / Satire | QI | And Then You Die |
| Comedy Of The Year | The IT Crowd | Tittybangbang |
| Editors' Award | Outnumbered | N/A |
2008
The third awards were presented in January 2009 and were the first to include radio shows. The 2008 awards were known as the British Comedy Guide Awards 2008, but were renamed in 2009 to reflect the website's new URL. Below are the awards.[20]
| Award | Best | Worst |
|---|---|---|
| New British TV Sitcom | The Inbetweeners | Lab Rats |
| Returning British TV Sitcom | Outnumbered (Series 2) | Coming of Age (Series 2) |
| British Radio Sitcom | Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency | The Lost Weblog of Scrooby Trevithick[fn 1] |
| British TV Sketch Show | Harry and Paul | Little Miss Jocelyn |
| British Radio Sketch Show | Laura Solon: Talking and Not Talking | Tilt[fn 2] |
| British TV Panel Show / Satire | Harry Hill's TV Burp | The Wall |
| British Radio Panel Show / Satire | The Now Show | Act Your Age |
| Comedy Of The Year | Peep Show | Coming of Age |
| Editors' Award | Bleak Expectations | N/A |
2009
The fourth awards were presented in January 2010. Below are the results.[17][21]
| Award | Best | Worst |
|---|---|---|
| New British TV Sitcom | Psychoville | Big Top |
| Returning British TV Sitcom | Peep Show (Series 6) | Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps (Series 8) |
| British Radio Sitcom | Bleak Expectations | Count Arthur Strong's Radio Show! |
| British TV Sketch Show | That Mitchell and Webb Look | Horne & Corden |
| British Radio Sketch Show | That Mitchell and Webb Sound | Ayres on the Air |
| British TV Panel Show / Satire | QI | Celebrity Juice |
| British Radio Panel Show / Satire | I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue | The Christian O'Connell Solution |
| Comedy Of The Year | The Thick of It | Horne & Corden |
| Editors' Award | Horrible Histories / Sorry I've Got No Head | N/A |
2010
The fifth awards were presented in January 2011. Below are the results.[22]
| Award | Best | Worst |
|---|---|---|
| New British TV Sitcom | The Trip | Trinny & Susannah: From Boom To Bust |
| Returning British TV Sitcom | Peep Show (Series 7) | Coming of Age (Series 2) |
| British Radio Sitcom | Another Case of Milton Jones | N/A |
| British TV Sketch Show | That Mitchell and Webb Look | Frankie Boyle's Tramadol Nights |
| British Radio Sketch Show | Sarah Millican's Support Group | N/A |
| British TV Panel Show | QI | Celebrity Juice |
| British Radio Panel Show | I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue | N/A |
| British TV Entertainment Show | Newswipe with Charle Brooker | James Corden's World Cup Live |
| British Radio Entertainment Show | French and Saunders | N/A |
| British TV Comedy Drama | Misfits | Shameless |
| Comedy of The Year | Miranda | Mrs Brown's Boys |
| Editors' Award | Roy Clarke | N/A |
2011
The sixth awards were presented on 23 January 2012.[23] Below are the results.[24]
| Award | Best | Worst |
|---|---|---|
| New British TV Sitcom | Spy | Mrs. Brown's Boys |
| Returning British TV Sitcom | Absolutely Fabulous (2011 Special) | Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps (Series 9) |
| British Radio Sitcom | Cabin Pressure | N/A |
| British TV Sketch Show | Horrible Histories | Lee Nelson's Well Good Show |
| British Radio Sketch Show | John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme | N/A |
| British TV Panel Show | Would I Lie To You? | Celebrity Juice |
| British Radio Panel Show | The Unbelievable Truth | N/A |
| British TV Entertainment Show | The Graham Norton Show | The Ricky Gervais Show (animated series) |
| British Radio Entertainment Show | French and Saunders | N/A |
| British TV Comedy Drama | Fresh Meat | Shameless |
| Comedy of The Year | Horrible Histories | Mrs. Brown's Boys |
| Editors' Award | Sky Television | N/A |
2012
The seventh awards were presented on 21 January 2013.[25] Below are the results.[26]
| Award | Best | Worst |
|---|---|---|
| New British TV Sitcom | Hebburn | Lemon La Vida Loca |
| Returning British TV Sitcom | Miranda (Series 3) | Mrs. Brown's Boys (Series 3) |
| British Radio Sitcom | Bleak Expectations | N/A |
| British TV Sketch Show | Horrible Histories | Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy |
| British Radio Sketch Show | John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme | N/A |
| British TV Panel Show | QI | Chris Moyles' Quiz Night |
| British Radio Panel Show | I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue | N/A |
| British TV Entertainment Show | The Graham Norton Show | N/A |
| British Radio Entertainment Show | Mark Steel's in Town | N/A |
| British TV Comedy Drama | Fresh Meat | Shameless |
| Comedy of The Year | Miranda | N/A |
| Editors' Award | Threesome | N/A |
2013
The eighth awards were presented on 20 January 2014.[27] Below are the results.[28]
| Award | Best | Worst |
|---|---|---|
| New British TV Sitcom | The Wrong Mans | The Wright Way |
| Returning British TV Sitcom | The IT Crowd (Final special) | Mrs. Brown's Boys (Series 4) |
| British Radio Sitcom | Cabin Pressure | N/A |
| British TV Sketch Show | Horrible Histories | Lee Nelson's Well Funny People |
| British Radio Sketch Show | That Mitchell and Webb Sound | N/A |
| British TV Panel Show | Would I Lie to You? | Celebrity Juice |
| British Radio Panel Show | I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue | N/A |
| British TV Entertainment Show | The Graham Norton Show | That Puppet Game Show |
| British Radio Entertainment Show | Susan Calman is Convicted | N/A |
| British TV Comedy Drama | Fresh Meat | Shameless |
| Comedy of The Year | Would I Lie to You? | The Wright Way |
| Editors' Award | ITV | N/A |
2014
The ninth awards were presented on 26 January 2015.[29] Below are the results.[30]
| Award | Best | Worst |
|---|---|---|
| New British TV Sitcom | Detectorists | Catherine Tate's Nan |
| Returning British TV Sitcom | Miranda (Final specials) | Mrs. Brown's Boys (2014-15 specials) |
| British Radio Sitcom | Cabin Pressure | N/A |
| British TV Sketch Show | Horrible Histories | Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy |
| British Radio Sketch Show | John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme | N/A |
| British TV Panel Show | Would I Lie to You? | Celebrity Juice |
| British Radio Panel Show | I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue | N/A |
| British TV Entertainment Show | The Graham Norton Show | Dapper Laughs: On the Pull |
| British Radio Entertainment Show | Susan Calman is Convicted | N/A |
| British TV Comedy Drama | Inside No. 9 | Jonathan Creek |
| Comedy of The Year | Cabin Pressure | Dapper Laughs: On The Pull |
| Editors' Award | Blandings | N/A |
2015
The tenth awards were presented on 1 February 2016. Below are the results.[31]
| Award | Best | Worst |
|---|---|---|
| New British TV Sitcom | Peter Kay's Car Share | Hoff the Record |
| Returning British TV Sitcom | Peep Show (Series 9) | Mrs. Brown's Boys (2015-16 specials) |
| British Radio Sitcom | John Finnemore's Double Acts | N/A |
| British TV Sketch Show | Horrible Histories | The Keith Lemon Sketch Show |
| British Radio Sketch Show | Dead Ringers | N/A |
| British TV Panel Show | Would I Lie to You? | Celebrity Juice |
| British Radio Panel Show | I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue | N/A |
| British TV Entertainment Show | The Graham Norton Show | Keith Lemon's Back T'Future Tribute |
| British Radio Entertainment Show | Mark Steel's in Town | N/A |
| British TV Comedy Drama | Inside No. 9 | A Gert Lush Christmas |
| Comedy of The Year | Peter Kay's Car Share | Mrs. Brown's Boys |
| Editors' Award | Ballot Monkeys | N/A |
2016
The 11th awards will be presented on 23 January 2016. Below are the nominations and winners.[32]
| Best New TV Sitcom | Best Returning TV Sitcom |
|---|---|
|
|
| Best Radio Sitcom | Best TV Sketch Show |
|
|
| Best Radio Sketch Show | Best TV Panel Show |
|
|
| Best Radio Panel Show | Best TV Entertainment Show |
| |
| Best Radio Entertainment Show | Best TV Comedy Drama |
|
|
| Comedy of the Year | Editors' Award |
| Red Dwarf | N/A |
2017
The 12th awards were presented on 29 January 2017. Below are the nominations and winners.[33]
| Best New TV Sitcom | Best Returning TV Sitcom |
|---|---|
|
|
| Best Radio Sitcom | Best TV Sketch Show |
|
|
| Best Radio Sketch Show | Best TV Panel Show |
|
|
| Best Radio Panel Show | Best TV Entertainment Show |
|
|
| Best Radio Entertainment Show | Best TV Comedy Drama |
|
|
| Comedy of the Year | N/A |
| Inside No. 9 | N/A |
2018
The 13th awards were presented on 4 February 2019. Below are the nominations and winners.[34]
| Best New TV Sitcom | Best Returning TV Sitcom |
|---|---|
| |
| Best Radio Sitcom | Best TV Sketch Show |
|
|
| Best Radio Sketch Show | Best TV Panel Show |
|
|
| Best Radio Panel Show | Best TV Entertainment Show |
|
|
| Best Radio Entertainment Show | Best TV Comedy Drama |
|
|
| Comedy of the Year | N/A |
| Inside No. 9 | N/A |
2019
The 14th awards were presented on 27 January 2020. Below are the nominations and winners.[35]
| Best New TV Sitcom | Best Returning TV Sitcom |
|---|---|
|
|
| Best Radio Sitcom | Best TV Sketch Show |
|
|
| Best Radio Sketch Show | Best TV Panel Show |
|
|
| Best Radio Panel Show | Best TV Entertainment Show |
|
|
| Best Radio Entertainment Show | Best TV Comedy Drama |
|
|
| Comedy of the Year | N/A |
| Good Omens | N/A |
Footnotes
- This show did collect the most votes, but too few were cast overall in order to provide a definitive "winner".[20]
- This show did collect the most votes, but too few were cast overall in order to provide a definitive "winner". Suspicion was also raised that a significant number of the negative votes may have been cast by users who had unsuccessfully submitted material for the series, and were voting against it as an act of revenge rather than as a fair reflection of its quality.[20]
References
- "About the British Comedy Guide". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 3 January 2011.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 18 September 2010. Retrieved 3 February 2010.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Mark Boosey". Such Small Portions. Archived from the original on 14 August 2016.
- "Inaugural FringePig Ham Fist Prize Winners Announced". British Comedy Guide. 1 September 2015. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
- "Mark". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
- Brown, Aaron. "Aaron Brown". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
- Wolf, Ian. "Ian Wolf". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
- Hawkins, Si. "Circuit Training". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
- "Sony Radio Award nominees announced". British Comedy Guide. 6 April 2010. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
- "Sony Radio Academy Award 2012: Best Internet Programme". Sony Radio Academy Awards. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
- Mann, Andrea (9 February 2012). "The Laftas 2012: Who Won What At Loaded Magazine's Comedy Awards". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
- "Sony Radio Academy Award 2013: Best Comedy". Sony Radio Academy Awards. Archived from the original on 8 June 2013. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
- "Stephen Fry reveals he attempted suicide in 2012". BBC News. 6 June 2013. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
- "Stephen Fry Reveals 2012 Suicide Attempt". Sky News. 6 June 2013. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
- "Podcasts". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
- "The Comedy.co.uk Awards". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 9 May 2009.
- Solutions, Powder Blue Internet Business. "Horne & Corden win awards : News 2010 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide".
- "The Comedy.co.uk Awards 2006". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 9 May 2009.
- "The Comedy.co.uk Awards 2007". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 9 May 2009.
- "The Comedy.co.uk Awards 2008". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 9 May 2009.
- "The Comedy.co.uk Awards 2009". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 20 January 2010.
- "The Comedy.co.uk Awards 2010". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 14 January 2011.
- "Winners of The Comedy.co.uk Awards 2011 announced". British Comedy Guide. 23 January 2012. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
- "The Comedy.co.uk Awards 2011". British Comedy Guide. 23 January 2012. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
- Brown, Aaron (23 January 2013). "Miranda picks up top Comedy.co.uk Awards titles". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
- "The Comedy.co.uk Awards 2012". British Comedy Guide. 21 January 2013. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
- "Comedy fans name 'Would I Lie To You?' best show of 2013". British Comedy Guide. 20 January 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
- "The Comedy.co.uk Awards 2013". British Comedy Guide. 20 January 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
- "Comedy.co.uk Awards 2014 results announced". British Comedy Guide. 26 January 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
- "The Comedy.co.uk Awards 2014". British Comedy Guide. 26 January 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
- "The Comedy.co.uk Awards 2015". British Comedy Guide. 1 February 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
- "The Comedy.co.uk Awards 2016". British Comedy Guide. 23 January 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
- "The Comedy.co.uk Awards 2017". British Comedy Guide. 29 January 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
- "The Comedy.co.uk Awards 2018". British Comedy Guide. 4 February 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
- "Comedy.co.uk Awards 2019 winners revealed". British Comedy Guide. 27 January 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2020.