“Radio Times” Guide to TV Comedy
£4.70
Five years on from the widely acclaimed first edition, the guide has been fully revised and updated to 2003 and now includes more than 3000 shows – sitcom, stand-up, sketch, serial, satire, impressionism, monologue, animation and more.
Exceeding a million words over 960 pages, the book details every comedy programme shown by British TV channels from 1936 to the present day – all of those produced in Britain plus some 350 shows imported from America and elsewhere, everything from five-minute shorts in the 1930s to long-running series attracting headlines in the new millennium. Every show has its own entry, beginning with essential facts (cast list, key production credits, broadcast dates/days/times, etc) and concluding with an informative synopsis as well as an entertaining and often lively critique. There is also a raft of invaluable lists and appendices, multiple indexes, and – new to this edition – more than 80 rare comedy photographs from the Radio Times archive.
Paul Merton described the first edition as ‘thorough, opinionated and meticulously researched’ and Ronnie Barker said it was ‘wonderful and monumental’. Victoria Wood has contributed the foreword to the new edition.
Written with style, authority, wit and flair, the product of ten yearsÂ’ work, Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy (the only all-inclusive encyclopedia of any British television genre) makes the perfect gift and is an absorbing read for television viewers of all ages. It is also an indispensable tool for anyone working in TV and entertainment.
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Additional information
| Publisher | BBC Books, 2nd edition, revised (2 Oct. 2003) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 964 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 0563487550 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0563487555 |
by JP73
via World of Books Ltd,, described as “very good”, but the copy shipped in fact had copious interior written biro notes on many pages, and really weird notes at that, as if the previous owner was a nutter, like, writing the name of a show at the top of the page, if the desciption of the shop started on the previous facing page kind of nutter. Definitely not “very good” condition. You, sir, whoever you are, are an idiot.
by Simon
This book is a a treasure trove full of information about every comedy that has been shown on British television
by Amazon Customer
What can I say? The guy from the Radio Times updates his encyclopedia of all comedy programmes screened on British television (and throwing justified disdain on American teen shows such as Saved By The Bell) and the result is both comprehensive and fascinating to anyone with even the slightest interest in comedy whether you prefer happy family watching (The Good Life, Dad’s Army) or darker material (The League Of Gentlemen and, er… virtually anything Chris Morris has ever done).
Any downers? Not really… er, the book’s quite heavy? You can’t read all of the pages at once? It’s a top purchase.
by Karen D. Larry-Moyer
As a fairly bright American I have a great appreciation for British television and especially British comedy so when Santa put this book under the Christmas tree I found that I just couldn’t stop reading. It is full of great information and quite comprehensive, I recommend it to anyone that loves to read about comedy programming the great, not so great and ones best forgotten !Now if only there was one that covered British radio programming and British television drama in the same way, I would be soooo happy.
by clive whichelow
A very comprehensive and entertaining guide to TV comedy. This secondhand issue was actually in very good condition and better than I had expected.
by Michael Cunnington
Very concise all that I required is here brilliant
by Vincent Mackay
Received this very promptly, in very good condition, no qualms, very happy.
by dannysquid
If you’re into sitcoms this is the book