Channel 4 at 25

C4's comedy bonanza
Autumn schedule boasts 14 one-off shows
Channel 4 has announced a raft of one-off comedies; including a new batch of Comedy Lab pilots plus six comedy showcases to celebrate its 25th birthday.

Doug Stanhope and Ricky Gervais sidekick Karl Pilkington are among those have been given their own Comedy Lab programmes.

The series has previously helped launch Peter Kay, Jimmy Carr, Dom Joly and Russell Brand by giving them experimental half-hour shows early in their careers.

Now in its tenth year, the new batch of programmes are due to start next month, and the line-up is:

Doug Stanhope, Go Home: Controversial American stand-up Doug Stanhope on immigration in Britain. Why, he asks, would anyone in their right mind want to move here?

**** Club: A comedy sketch show for adults, but based on rubbish children's TV with a mix of wonky puppetry, odd animation and fuzzy live action.

Karl Pilkington: Satisfied Fool: After disappointing exam results 19 years ago, Karl Pilkington looks to find out if more intelligence and knowledge will make him happy by meeting some well-known intellectuals.

The Smallest Game in Town: A 30-minute comedy drama that eavesdrops on six dysfunctional friends who have met up every Friday without fail for the past ten years to play poker. They are all self absorbed with a bleak outlook on a world they believe revolves around them. Stars Clare Grogan

Documental: What's billed as the world’s first 'documentary sketch show' in which the comedy characters are all real people.

Ain’t It Funny Being Coloured: A multi-cultural sketch show that looks at race, prejudice, stereotypes, and how everything isn’t quite as it seems on the surface. Written by new comedy writer Indy Selvarajah. Here's a clip:


Swizz Call: Four up-and-coming comedians, including Manchester-based Seymour Mace and Gary Morris, front a spoof quiz channel that offers contestants the chance to win bizarre prizes if they can answer their ridiculous questions.

Blowout:A sketch show from Glasgow, featuring Greg McHugh among others.

Meanwhile, the half-hour comedy specials that will air as part of the channel's 25th anniversary celebrations from next month will be:

Other People: A show following the social misadventures of 34-year-old Greg Wilson (as played by The Office's Martin Freeman) who, after performing magic tricks at the Royal Variety Show at the age of 14, now finds that he is living a life that failed to live up to his early expectations.

Ladies & Gentlemen: About a group of single friends who share a house in London in 1865, and starring Reece Sheersmith, Darren Boyd and Adam Buxton

The Kevin Bishop Show: A showcase for the Star Stories actor and impressionst.

Bitter and Twisted: A 'dark, poignant' [House! Over here!] comedy about an on-off romance starring Stephen Mangan and Sharon Horgan.

The Eejits: Patrick McDonnell and Paul McGlinch play struggling musicians who are forced to smuggle a van full of sheep across the border to a gig in Northern Ireland to pay off their debts in a comedy written by Father Ted co-creator Arthur Matthews.

Plus One: A comedy from Kudos Film And Television, the makers of Life on Mars, about one man’s mission to find the perfect woman to take to the wedding of his ex-girlfriend – who is marrying Duncan from Blue.

There is another promo running at the moment, which has a clearer version of Four Score playing at the beginning.

Is it me, or is the recreation in a lower quality (colour resolution wise) than the original?