Comedy of the Week

In this Stand-up Special Finlay Christie makes his Radio 4 debut in front of a live audience at The Brunswick in Brighton.
He provides insight into how he and his generation have grown into the adults they’re now expected to be. Using new and existing material from his critically acclaimed Edinburgh shows he’ll cover topics like; the expectations of different generations; “pensioners complaining they can’t heat their house. That sounds like a boast – You’ve got a house?!’ ...”
- the differences between the generations; “People say young people are more sensitive, but every generation is sensitive, we’re just sensitive about different stuff. We’re sensitive about pronouns, old people are sensitive about Princess Diana.”
- how his generation feel about the world; "Gen Z are very nihilistic. World’s gonna end in our lifetimes and we don’t care. One girl in Sweden cared and that made the news.”
“TikTok has made me see people who watch films as intellectuals. Ooh, you have a penchant for cinéma?? Ohohoho.”
And how it now feels to be a man; “ the difference between Man and Boy - "Landlord bad…. rent boy..nice….” " “It’s a boy” - “congratulations”. “It’s a man” - “allegations.”
At 19, Finlay became one of the youngest ever winners of the prestigious So You Think You’re Funny competition, following in the footsteps of Peter Kay, Lee Mack and Sarah Millican. 3 years later, his debut Edinburgh show “OK Zoomer” was nominated for NextUp’s “Best Show” award and was released as a special in October 2023. His material, based around his experience as a Gen Z, led Chortle to describe him as “the voice of his generation.”
Producer: Julian Mayers

Despite a complex childhood, and with her teenage years spent guiding the career of her controversial comedian mother Janey Godley whilst caring for her depressed autistic father, Ashley has just had the most surreal, dramatic, tragic… and successful year of her life.
Her dream job was always in the magical world of TV with all its escapism, justice and happy endings. But the universe has a twisted sense of humour, and just as Ashley finally gets her big break, Janey is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Yay.
In this episode, we jump inside the brilliant and unhinged autistic brain of our “adult perma-child” protagonist and attempt to unspool this tragicomedy with some hilarious digressions en route.
Produced by Julia Sutherland
Sound Design by Sean Kerwin
A Dabster production for BBC Radio 4

Chris McCausland asks Amy Gledhill and Luke McQueen to take on Angela Barnes and Kiell Smith-Bynoe. The teams must figure out what on earth is being advertised on TV, guess what famous objects or locations children are trying to describe, and guess what soundscapes their teammates are trying to convey using their mouths alone.
This is the first episode from the third season of You Heard It Here First, titled The Live Disintegration of a Man's Being. To hear more episodes, search "You Heard It Here First" on BBC Sounds.
Producer: Sasha Bobak
Assistant Producer: Eve Delaney
Executive Producer: Pete Strauss
Production Coordinator: Jodie Charman
A BBC Studios Production.

Unarguably tall comedian Pierre Novellie uses his unique style of erudite bafflement to focus on the deep and the shallow in a comedic answer to In Our Time. In this episode, all about why we can’t stop eating, Pierre discusses the misuse of soap, weaponised crisps, Saint Aetholwold, and George Orwell vs the pizza.
As Pierre says, “I’m delighted to be given the chance to perform my own comedy on the BBC, the original source of my obsession with comedy as a child. It’s a chance to bring my stand up to a hypothetically grateful nation.”
Written and performed by Pierre Novellie and produced & directed by David Tyler (Cabin Pressure, One Person Found This Helpful, Armando Iannucci’s Charm Offensive)
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4

Rapid-fire sketch show featuring original comedy sketches from breakout online stars The Squid.
Taking listeners from Michaelangelo repainting his spare bedroom, to the Scooby Doo gang buying Velma contact lenses for her birthday, each sketch is a fun and unpredictable concept rooted in The Squid’s trademark dry humour.
The Squid are a Manchester-based comedy trio made up of writers/performers Liam Shaw, Zoe Freeman and Jack Holding. They have been creating one-minute-long comedy sketches for the last two years, which have gained them 151,000 followers on TikTok, 205,000 on Instagram, and 12 on Facebook.
A Hat Trick production for BBC Radio 4