Couch Potato
In my convalescence, I’m watching a lot of TV on my MacBook via BBC’s i-Player and YouTube. These shows include:
Men Behaving Badly starring a young Martin Clunes of Doc Martin fame.
Black Books, written by the same guy who wrote Father Ted and the IT Crowd
The IT Crowd. I love Chris O’Dowd in this show and Dylan Moran (another Irish comedian) in Black Books.
There are also all the shows where a panel of comedians answer questions that invite political satire or comedy:
Mock the Week (brilliant Irish comedian Dara O’Briain hosts)
8 out of 10 Cats (very cute and very smart comedian Jon Richardson is one of the team captains)
Have I Got News for You (guest hosts have included Martin Clunes, David Tennant)
QI, once hosted by Stephen Fry, now by Sandy Toksvig.
Would I Lie to You, where comedians on one panel read an implausible anecdote and the comedians on the other have to guess whether it is true or false.
There seems to be an endless supply of British and Irish comedians for these shows who are whip smart, quick witted, and politically astute. I think the BBC empire of four or five or six TV channels and the same of radio channels provides a feeder system for talent. The BBC also has regional substations, like Radio Ulster and Radio Foyle, which also provide a platform for regional talent.
All I know is convalescing is better when there’s something to laugh at.
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