Showing titles in Entertainment & Performing Arts

This entertaining and sharply written guide - for both beginners breaking into comedy and professionals seeking to improve their sets and advance their careers - examines the work of great comedians such as Louis C. K., Jerry Seinfeld, Eddie Izzard, Moms Mabley, Hannibal Buress, Sarah Silverman, Richard Pryor, and more as a means of illustrating the most important techniques of performing and writing stand-up.   

Based on his Perrier-nominated Edinburgh hit show of 2004, Chris Addison's Civilization is a comedy lecture series for Radio 4. It neatly follows on from Chris' first Radio 4 series, The Ape that Got Lucky. Western civilisation, like many very old things, is pretty much on its last legs. And if western civilisation as we know it is dying sooner rather than later, we're going to have to build ourselves a new one. And how are we going to do that, then?

Standing on the shoulders of Canada's rich legacy of sketch comedy, Imminent Disaster brings laughter to these terrifying times.

Sean Lock Live is the magnificent finale to Sean's British tour, recorded in front ofover 3000 fans at the world famous Hammersmith Apollo. Sean is at the height of his powers as his unique mix of fantastic imagery and bizarre observation leaves the audience breathless

In three series of fast-paced comedy, packed with brilliant banter and quickfire improvisation, Jason Byrne shares his experiences of education, relationships, sport, food, money, ageing, work and much, much more. From going on a first date to the birth of his children, from poo in the school playground and 'When Mediums Have Sex' to getting in trouble with the police, Jason probes a new theme with each new episode. As first heard on BBC Radio 2, there's top-notch stand-up, madcap sketches, plus special guests.

David Mitchell and Robert Webb tackle various subject matters in a How to Cope with... guide, talking you through every day scenarios and situations. The subject matters discussed are How to Cope with... Being Normal; Pubs; Being Dumped, Parts 1 and 2; Coffee; Malmaison Hotels; Nudists; The Smoking Ban; Actors; Servants; and Getting Older.

In each episode of this BBC Radio 4 series, Mark Steel visits a UK town and researches its history, heritage and culture, after which he performs a bespoke evening of comedy for the local residents. Mark's destinations in series 3 & 4 are Berwick-upon-Tweed; Holyhead; Basingstoke; Douglas on the Isle of Man; Bungay; Wigan; Whitehaven; Tobermory; Corby; Handsworth; Ottery St. Mary and Chipping Norton. There's also a special episode recorded at the Edinburgh Festival.

Miranda is an unconventional woman. She’s six feet tall, self-conscious and posh. And is frequently mistaken for a man. She’s also invested her inheritance in a joke shop that she runs with her friend Stevie while trying to deal with her outrageously embarrassing mother. Though surrounded by chocolate willies, Miranda is determined to suss out what it takes to be a girly girl and to not look a complete idiot every time she meets the gorgeous Gary. 

In 2013, actress, television personality, and Sunday Times best-selling author Lynda Bellingham was diagnosed with cancer. Until now, Lynda hasn't spoken publicly about her illness - she has felt strongly that everyone's experience of cancer is so different, and she wanted to keep what she has been going through personal to her while she came to terms with her life now. But in this memoir, Lynda talks with beautiful poignancy about her life since her diagnosis, her family, and how together they came to terms with a future they hadn't planned.

Find out the truth about Jim Davidson - the bonking, the boozing and the break ups, as Britain's best-loved comic reveals all in an x-rated performance that must rank as one of his best. Jim gives frank and incredibly funny answers to personal questions about his private life, asked by a celebrity audience. So if you want to know if Jim has ever had a gay experience, how many models he has slept with or how he coped in Saudi with no alcohol.

Eric Edson has developed a new tool for bringing depth and passion to any screenplay or novel - the 23 Actions All Great Heroes Must Take. It's an easy-to-understand paradigm that provides writers and filmmakers the interconnecting, powerful storytelling elements they need. With true insight, this accomplished screenwriter and university professor pinpoints the story structure reasons most new spec scripts don't sell.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the show's debut, Sepinwall and Seitz have reunited to produce The Sopranos Sessions, a collection of recaps, conversations, and critical essays covering every episode. Featuring a series of new long-form interviews with series creator David Chase, as well as selections from the authors' archival writing on the series, The Sopranos Sessions explores the show's artistry, themes, and legacy, examining its portrayal of Italian Americans, its graphic depictions of violence, and its deep connections to cinematic and television classics.

Here are four more compilations of the funniest puns, songs and one-liners from the award-winning BBC Radio 4 series. And this will be the last Clue release to feature Humphrey Lyttelton as host as he presides over regulars Tim Brooke-Taylor, Barry Cryer, and Graeme Garden. Often imitated but never bettered, I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue is the only authentic antidote to panel games.

After almost sixty years as an actor, William Shatner has become one of the most beloved entertainers in the world. And it seems as if Shatner is everywhere. In Up Till Now, Shatner sits down with listeners and offers the remarkable, full story of his life and explains how he got to be, well, everywhere. In this touching and very funny autobiography, William Shatner's Up Till Now reveals the man behind these unforgettable moments, and how he's become the worldwide star and experienced actor he is today.

"Everything is free. That's the secret. The only thing that isn't free is you. You do as you're told; you sit in your seat till they say, 'Stand.' You stay put till they say, 'Go.' Maybe that's the way you like it. It's easy. It's all there. You don't have to think about it. You don't even have to feel it. I sometimes wonder how this planet keeps on sticking to my feet. They did everything they could to pin me down: my mum, my dad, school. They put me in homes with kind guys and they put me in homes with bastards."

The amazing story of TV presenter Louise Minchin's journey from the BBC Breakfast sofa to representing Great Britain at the World Triathlon Championships. This is a warmly written and wonderfully honest adventure through sport that will both entertain and inspire. It started out as a fun BBC Breakfast cycling stunt in 2012 and culminated in Louise Minchin wearing the colours of Team GB at the World Triathlon Championship in 2015.

Stanley Kubrick revolutionized Hollywood with movies like Dr. Strangelove, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and A Clockwork Orange, and electrified audiences with The Shining and Full Metal Jacket. David Mikics takes listeners on a deep dive into Kubrick's life and work, illustrating his intense commitment to each of his films.

The record-breaking Lee Evans XL Tour 2005 marks Lee's sensational return to stand-up with some of the strongest and most hilarious routines he's ever written.

One of Britain’s funniest comics performs in front of a rapturous London audience. Always superb at interacting with his fans, Ross can go off on hilarious tangents and then return faultlessly to his main theme. Much like a jazz musician! On this recording he touches on accents, meeting a drug dealer and Billy Elliot!

Idiosyncratic detective duo Max Matthews and Sean Armitage are back for three more series, in which they expertly extract confessions from their suspects during the course of one interview. Their relationship has evolved since they were first paired up, back when Armitage was a rookie constable, but their interrogation technique is as incisive as ever. These 11 compelling dramas all shine the spotlight on a different suspect, each with their own tale to tell - and their own selective version of events.