Comedy of the Week

"No Script. No Prep. No Clue."Alasdair Beckett-King plays host to a panel of improv comedy all stars in this new spontaneous series, full of ridiculous challenges & completely made up games.Presented by Alasdair Beckett-King.Starring Cariad Lloyd, Steen Raskopoulos, Alexander Jeremy, and Emma Sidi.Devised by Shoot From The HipProducer: Sam Holmes Executive Producer: James Robinson Production Co-ordinator: Becky Carewe-Jeffries Sound Editor: Joe BayleyA BBC Studios Audio Production

Paul celebrates his 50th stand-up show for Radio 4 with questions about anniversaries, 2011 (the year of his first show on the network), and his home borough of Croydon. In return, his audience tests his knowledge of tax years, anagrams, and the Crystal Palace.Written and performed by Paul Sinha Additional material: Oliver Levy Additional questions: The AudienceOriginal music: Tim SuttonRecording engineer: David Thomas Mixed by: Rich Evans Producer: Ed MorrishA Lead Mojo production for BBC Radio 4

Joining Kiri Pritchard-McLean this week is comedian Daliso Chaponda who champions Denial as the best medicine (or does he?). Urology Consultant Mr Bob Yang explains how a pineapple-flavoured UTI vaccine is changing lives, Dr Dana Damian takes Kiri on a journey through the body with tiny swallowable Origami Surgical Robots, and paramedic Thomas Martin teaches Kiri how to stay alive with Defibrillators.And the panel hear from David, one of the few people in the world who can claim he was brought back from clinical death with a defibrillator - and has also watched the whole incident on video.Best Medicine is your weekly dose of laughter, hope and incredible medicine. Award-winning comedian Kiri Pritchard-McLean is joined by a funny and fascinating panel of comedians, doctors, scientists, and historians to celebrate medicine’s inspiring past, present and future.Each week Kiri challenges a panel of medical experts and a comedian to make a case for what they think is 'the best medicine', and each guest champions anything from world-changing science or an obscure invention, to an every-day treatment, an uplifting worldview, an unsung hero or a futuristic cure.Whether it’s origami surgical robots, life-changing pineapple UTI vaccines, Victorian scandal mags, denial, sleep, tiny beating organoid hearts, lifesaving stem cell transplants, gold poo donors or even crying - it’s always something worth celebrating.Hosted by Kiri Pritchard-McLeanFeaturing: Daliso Chaponda, Dr Dana Damian, Thomas Martin and Mr Bob YangWritten by Mel Owen, Pravanya Pillay, Kiri Pritchard-McLean and Ben RowseProducers: Tashi Radha and Ben WorsfieldTheme tune composed by Andrew JonesA Large Time production for BBC Radio 4

In this second omnibus episode, comedian Stuart Mitchell examines his own cost of living crisis with a move into the high flying world of banking - and just when he thinks he has it all, the world crashes around him. Stuart gives up everything he has worked so hard for in an attempt to be true to his self and is left wondering if his journey was really worth it, when he's scrambling to pay the bills?Each episode, Stuart looks at a chapter of his own unbelievable, but absolutely true, life story. A working class boy, with huge aspirations, Stuart achieved everything he dreamed of and more. However, he soon came to realise that the cost of having everything was more than he was willing to pay. A morality tale featuring his time working in Westminster, moving to a highly paid job in banking and willingly losing it all to find happiness; Stuart will make us all question the true cost of living.Written and performed by Stuart Mitchell Produced by Lauren MackayAn omnibus version of Episodes 3 and 4 of Stuart Mitchell's Cost of Living

Ever struggled to find the right word for a feeling or sensation? Unspeakable sees comedian Phil Wang and lexicographer Susie Dent invite celebrity guests to invent new linguistic creations, to solve those all too relatable moments when we're lost for words.This episode we hear Jack Dee’s new word for when you try to sound cool but end up sounding exactly your age, Miles Jupp’s new word for being fed up by a world in which there is an app for everything, and Ria Lina’s new word for something that is damp, limp, a bit pathetic.Hosts: Phil Wang and Susie Dent Guests: Jack Dee, Miles Jupp and Ria Lina Created by Joe Varley Writer: Matt Crosby Recorded by Jerry Peal Producer: Jon Harvey Executive Producers: Joe Varley and Akash LockmunA Brown Bred production for BBC Radio 4

Ivo Graham brings 2 more celebrity guests to Radio 4, to tell us about their obsessions.Comedian Fatiha-El Ghorri and Paul Gorton of the hit BBC show 'The Traitors' join Ivo this week. Fatiha El-Ghorri is obsessed with trainers, and judges the audience on theirs while Paul details the hours he spends in his gaming room. Ivo also delves into the audience to find out what their obsessions are, and finally Ivo is joined by a Very Obsessed Person, or 'VOP'. This week, Ailish Morrison comes on to tell us about her unexpected twin passions of cheerleading and Lord of the Rings.Hosted by Ivo Graham Featuring Fatiha El-Ghorri, Paul Gorton and Ailish MorrisonWritten by Ivo Graham and Zoe TomalinAdditional Material by Cody Dahler, Christina Riggs and Peter TelloucheRecorded at the Marylebone Theatre by Duncan Hannant Sound edited by Charlie Brandon-King Production Coordinators: Katie Baum and Jodie Charman Executive Producer: Pete StraussProduced by Gwyn Rhys Davies, a BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4An EcoAudio certified production Show image: Matt Stronge

In the first of two US election specials Pie (Tom Walker) is tackling the thorny issue of democracy and is quickly derailed. As he takes his usual balanced (not) approach to the US presidential candidates Jules (Lucy Pearman) dangles a juicy carrot. There’s a big gig in the offing; if only he can stop ranting about one of the candidates. Can you guess which one? Written and performed by Tom Walker. Additional material by Daniel Abelson and Will FrankenJules …. Lucy Pearman. Sam ….. Aqib Khan Roger ….. Nick Revell Callers ….. Rosie Holt, Ellile Dobing, Daniel Abelson, Will Franken and Ed Kear Original Music ....Jason Read Voiceover .... Bob Sinfield. Producer ….. Alison Vernon-Smith Executive Producer ….. Julian Mayers Production Co-Ordinator ….. Ellie Dobing A Yada-Yada Audio Production for BBC Radio 4

This show was first broadcast in June 2023, as Janey faced a terminal cancer diagnosis.Last week, Janey revealed she is now receiving end-of-life care.This is another chance to hear Janey's powerful personal story of strength and survival, all told in her brutally honest, brutally funny signature style.In this episode, Janey does what she’s always done: turning her own dark and difficult experiences into laugher, as she paints a vivid picture of life in the East End of Glasgow in the 60s, and recounts a childhood steeped in poverty and abuse. As she faces her own mortality, she and daughter Ashley Storrie talk, laugh and cry as they unpick some of the experiences she shares onstage.Relentlessly authentic, she's also had to face up to her own mistakes - taking responsibility and apologising both publicly and onstage, as well as sharing the shame of being ‘cancelled’ and the very dark place that took her to.Then, just months later…. the hand grenade of a cancer diagnosis forced her to start fighting for her life.Now, after finally admitting that after everything she’s been through in life, maybe she‘s not “fine”, and with a terminal diagnosis, she’s submitted to the ultimate ‘C bomb' for many men and women of her generation - counselling.And as a result of this insight, she’s more hilarious and compelling onstage than ever.Janey’s experienced a life of extremes but has come out the other side with rare insight, still able to make light of all its trials and tribulations in her signature dark and uncompromising style.Recorded live in front of an audience in her hometown, Glasgow.A Dabster production for BBC Radio 4