Comedy Controller

What do Adelaide, Melbourne and Edinburgh all have in common? Their Fringe and comedy festivals have all been host to popular and critically-lauded shows from this sunny Australian comic. A purveyor of self-confessed positive uplifting comedy, Adam has been a Perrier nominee on no less than three separate occasions, and a winner of the Best of the Fest. Not only a veteran of the British panel game circuit - via Mock the Week and Never Mind the Buzzcocks - he has presented Four at the Store for Radio 4.

A consistently popular comedian, in this programme, Adam shares his love of radio comedy and it's formative role in his comedy career. Go you big red fire engine!

Produced by Martin Dempsey.

Featuring The Goon Show, League of Gentlemen, Flight of the Conchords and Little Britain.

Alexei takes us back to his Liverpool childhood and Sunday lunchtime listening in Round the Horne (1965). There's more illicit childhood listening in I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (1966) starring Tim Brooke-Taylor, John Cleese, Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie. Alexi's admiration of rule breakers guides his next choices, the logic defying The Burkiss Way (1980) and the news shattering On the Hour (1992), the original radio home of Alan Partridge.

The idea of making something seem so real but twisting it deviously has always appealed to Alexei, and is at the core of the award-winning spoof radio phone in show, Down the Line (2007), starring Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson. Alexei's final choice finds him interrogating one of his best friends in comedy, the comedian Lenny Henry in Chain Reaction (2005). But did one of comedy's great talkers allow Lenny to get a word in edgeways?

Featuring Round the Horne, I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again and The Burkiss Way.

Expect the Prof to challenge some received wisdoms. Questions will be asked afterwards, so do pay close attention please.

Oddie's lavishly illustrated lecture includes these 'Goodies':

* Up the Pole:

Love-struck Jimmy is desperate to buy his girl a ring. Starring Jimmy Jewel, Ben Warriss and Jon Pertwee. From 01/11/1948

* ITMA - It's That Man Again:

The last episode, first aired just days before Tommy Handley's death. With Hattie Jacques and Jack Train. From 06/01/1949

* Archie's the Boy:

Chaos ensues as 'Mr Hill' loses his briefcase. Radio ventriloquism starring Archie Andrews and Peter Brough. With Mr Benny Hill. From 11/11/1954

* Beyond Our Ken

Series 3 (7/14):

Kenneth Horne's busy week - and check out the latest film releases in 'Picture Go Round'. With Kenneth Williams, Hugh Paddick and Betty Marsden. From 27/05/1960

* On the Hour

Series 2 (4/6):

Reports of a right royal shocker, plus Alan Partridge with all the sport. Chris Morris fronts the news satire. With Steve Coogan. From 14/05/1992

* On the Town with the League of Gentlemen

(2/6) Death by Mau Mau:

There's a bug going round Spent. Pre-TV dark-com with Steve Pemberton, Reece Shearsmith and Mark Gatiss. From 13/11/1997

Producer: Nick St George

Made for BBC Radio 7 and first broadcast in June 2006.

The one-time Goodie's choices include Up the Pole, ITMA, and Archie's the Boy.

He also has a long and treasured history with BBC Radio 4 Comedy - The Big Booth begat In No Particular order -as well as a notable collaboration with Omid Djalili for TV. Boothby's worked with Art Malik, Steve Frost, Jason Isaacs, Pauline McLynn, Glenn Tilbrook, Kevin Eldon, Dean Friedman and Robyn Hitchcock.

He's also a playwright with three productions to his name and has appeared in The Bill and Casualty.

Named after a Lincolnshire market town, the comedian makes his selection of BBC radio comedy: The Goon Show - The Evils of Bushey Spon (17/03/1958); Round the Horne Ser.1 ep11 (16/05/1965); Steptoe and Son - Two's Company (28/03/1971); The Burkiss Way (26/12/1979); The Big Booth (29/01/2000); Hancock's Half Hour - The Conjuror (22/02/1956).

The comedian's favourite shows include The Goon Show, Round the Horne and Steptoe and Son.

Colin's selection includes some of his comedy and radio heroes: Desert Island Discs with castaway Mel Brooks 01/07/1978; Alan Partridge in Knowing Me, Knowing You 05/01/1993; Mark Thomas The Manifesto 02/07/2009; grammar boffins in Many a Slip 05/05/1964; BBC Radio Ulster and Radio Foyle presenter Gerry Anderson and Stewart Lee in Chain Reaction 20/01/2005.

Colin Murray presents Knowing Me Knowing You, Many a Slip, and many more.

His archive choices include Hello Cheeky (02/06/1973), King Cutler (15/02/1990), I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again - Ser 9. 3/8 Star Trek (18/11/1973), Uncle Mort's North Country - Ser 2. 1/5 (13/04/1989), You'll Have Had Your Tea: Hamish & Dougal - Ser 2. 1/6 (25/02/2004)

Reality Is an Illusion Caused by Lack of NF Simpson' (05/04/2007) is a documentary David made about the surrealist and comic playwright. Plus enjoy three of Simpson's finest 'Snippets' covering the likes of Hereward the Wake's teeth to Leibniz's discovery of the infinitesimal calculus - seemingly found in a corner crouching behind a curtain!

His final choice is Steven Appleby's Normal Life - Ser 1. 1/6 (08/08/2001)

David's career began as a music journalist at NME where his reputation for witty writing soon led him to scripting comedy sketches for Spitting Image. His many radio credits include On the Hour, Bussman and Quantick Kingsize, The 99p Show and The Blaggers Guide. His impressive TV writing credentials include The Day Today, Brass Eye, The Fast Show, ScreenWatch and Harry Hill's TV Burp.

Selections include Hello Cheeky, King Cutler, and I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again.

* The Goon Show: 'Phantom Batter Pudding Hurler

Constable Neddie Seagoon sets out to apprehend Minnie and Henry's Sussex assailant. Stars Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers and Harry Secombe. From 12/10/1954.

* The Al Read Show

A look at the fire brigade and the morning after the night before - a collection of the Northern comic's 1950s monologues. From 06/02/1966

* Round the Horne: Series 4 (6/16)

Kenneth Horne's in for a shock from sneaky Kenneth Williams - and bona gifts galore from Julian and Sandy. From 31/03/1968

* The Ken Dodd Show

Nude photography and a Scottish monster are on Doddy's chuckles menu. With John Laurie and Patricia Hayes. From 19/07/1964

* Variety Bandbox

With Frankie Howerd, William Ternent, Jerry Allen, Barbara Leigh, Peter Sellers, Bill Kerr and Philip Slessor. From 22/01/1950

* Take It from Here

The fall and rise of a Punch & Judy show - and in 'The Glums' Ron and Eth are planning their honeymoon. Stars Jimmy Edwards, Dick Bentley and June Whitfield. From 19/02/1959.

Producer: Mik Wilkojc

Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra and first broadcast in 2005.

The comic picks his favourite radio comedies, including The Goon Show and Variety Bandbox.

Ray Galton & Alan Simpson, the comedy writing duo famous for such classic comedies as Hancock's Half Hour and Steptoe and Son, started writing together in 1948. They met in a Milford Sanatorium where they were being treated for TB when they were just seventeen and at the start of their career they earned just five shillings a joke. They went on to write over 600 scripts. They recall their early influences such as Frank Muir and Dennis Norden, as they introduce the comedy show 'Take It From Here'. They also talk fondly of post-war comic actor Ted Ray, as they introduce 'Ray's a Laugh'.

They remember the magic created by Kenneth Horne and his gang of comedians in the classic show 'Round The Horne'. Then it's time for a bit of self- indulgence as they look back at some of their best work, writing Hancock's Half Hour. They reminisce about how they met Tony, and what it was like to tap out those first scripts on an old typewriter in their little office in Shepherd's Bush. The episode they've chosen is from 1958, called Sunday Afternoon at Home, and provides a fine example of the Galton and Simpson humour as Tony Hancock's dry delivery captures just what it's like to be truly bored.

They recall the inspirations behind 'Steptoe and Son'. They admit that the idea came out of sheer desperation as they tried to write a show for the comedy playhouse. This first episode, The Desperate Hours (Galton and Simpson's personal favourite) was born in 1962 and over the next twelve years we were treated to five series on radio and a further eight television series.

Alan Simpson died in 2017 aged 87.

Ray Galton died in 2018 aged 88.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 7 in 2003.

Hancock and Steptoe writing duo Ray Galton and Alan Simpson's pick of radio comedies

An established journalist, Grace writes regularly for The Independent and London Evening Standard, as well as magazines like She, Tatler and Marie Claire. She's also written 11 novels for teenagers, including the successful Diary of a Chav and Diary of a Snob series. Grace also wrote a tome on Twitter (and how to leave it), and has fronted BBC Radio 4 documentaries about Nancy Mitford, among others. She's interviewed 'Game of Thrones' scribe George Martin and also presented Grace Dent's Guide to Growing Up a Girl, also on 4 Extra.

Novelist, TV critic and comedian Grace Dent takes command.

Featuring comedy from the sisters (Denise Coffey and Miriam Margolyes) living with their difficult father (Geoffrey Whitehead): Alison and Maud (03/01/2003); Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Jim Broadbent and Emma Thompson and special guest Phyllida Law in Saturday Night Fry (28/05/1988); Mark Thomas presents the story of the American double act Bob and Ray in We Interrupt This Programme (03/08/2004); the social worker and her colleagues celebrate Christmas in Clare In The Community (25/12/2006); there's a trip to the garden centre in The Shuttleworths (12/07/1995); Hovis Presley makes the most of John Shuttleworth's Open House (26/09/1996). Plus American shock jock Roy D Mercer makes a few disruptive phone calls.

The Sheffield singer's selections include Alison and Maud, and Saturday Night Fry.

He's written and starred in his own BBC Radio 4 sitcom - Everyone Quite Likes Justin - and has performed in plays at Manchester's Royal Exchange.

Justin has been on Celebrity Mastermind, where his chosen subject was Les Dawson. He's popped up on BBC Radio 5 Live's '7 Day Sunday' and 'Fighting Talk'. He's also been a regular presence on Manchester's Key 103.

Taking control of our comedy for 3 hours, Justin talks about his upbringing, comedy influences and the day Judith Chalmers didn't put him on Wish You Were Here.

His choices are: Knowing Me Knowing You (22.12.92), Ken Dodd's Palace of Laughter (3.9.87), On The Town With The League of Gentlemen (6.11.97), Ross Noble Goes Global - South Africa (18.4.02), Radio Shuttleworth (with Vanessa Feltz) (24.11.98) and Listen to Les (18.3.95).

Including Knowing Me Knowing You, Ken Dodd's Palace of Laughter, and Listen to Les.

Rebecca Front is known to comedy fans in a number of guises - Barbara Wintergreen in The Day Today, numerous and sundry guests of Alan Partridge in Knowing Me Knowing You, Nicola Murray MP in The Thick of It, Mrs. Bennett in Death Comes to Pemberly, and co-writer of Radio 4's Incredible Women. She's also read her book Curious on BBC Radio 4.

Rebecca has also graced the world of drama, appearing in Poirot, Jonathan Creek and Lewis amongst others.

With brother Jeremy she has also co-written Incredible Women for BBC Radio and appeared alongside Julia Davis, Sharon Horgan and a host of others in Psychobitches on Sky.

Produced by Martin Dempsey.

The Thick of It star selects some of her favourite shows.

For Stephen, radio comedy inhabits the very way 'I write and think'. He takes us back to his childhood, curled up and listening to programmes like Men From the Ministry (1972). He remembers his friend Douglas Adams, who Stephen recalls thought the whole world through...only backwards, no better displayed than in the very first Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (1978).

He relives the thrill of being offered the chance to write his very own radio show, and asking his friends Hugh Laurie and Emma Thompson to help out in Saturday Night Fry (1988). Stephen marvels at the brilliance of the team behind the ultimate news show On the Hour (1992) including Armando Iannucci, Chris Morris and Steve Coogan.

He explains what it's like to experience, from the comedy coal face, an absolute radio classic, the antidote to panel games: I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (2003). And chooses his own antidote to radio phone in shows, the award winning Down The Line (2007), starring Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson - who Stephen knew as comedy saplings.

For Stephen, TV is often a greedy, one dimensional medium. For him listening to radio 'is so much more'.

Producer: Peter McHugh.

The actor and radio fanatic chooses three hours of his comedy favourites.

* HANCOCK'S HALF HOUR

Series 2 (9/12) The Television Set

Living in the only house in Railway Cuttings without a telly, the Lad takes action. Stars Tony Hancock. From 1955.

* STEPTOE AND SON

Series 4 (1/8) Full House

Card sharks fleece Harold, so Albert steps in. Adapted from TV, with Wilfrid Brambell and Harry H Corbett. From 1972.

* ROUND THE HORNE

Series 1 (4/16)

Censors lambast the BBC - and a cursed tomb in 'The Clissold Saga'. Stars Kenneth Horne and Kenneth Williams. From 1965

* DEAD RINGERS

Series 1 (2/4)

Topical satire show, featuring a huge cast of characters drawn from the worlds of celebrity and politics. With Jon Culshaw. From 2000.

* CHAIN REACTION

Series 2 (6/6) Bill Bailey Interviews Simon Pegg

One feisty funny man grills another in the tag talk show, where the guest is the next interviewer. From 2005.

* THAT REMINDS ME

Series 1 (1/6) Barry Cryer

Veteran comedian and writer Barry Cryer reminisces, with tales of Willie Rushton and Roy Castle. From 1999.

Producer: Kerry Reece

Made for BBC Radio 7 and first broadcast in December 2011.

Comedian, writer and star of 'The Now Show', Steve Punt makes his comedy choices