Radio Comedy: The hidden world of comedy you're missing out on.

Comedy. Think you know all about it? Well, if you're not a regular listener of Radio Comedy, you're missing out on a huge and important portion. But fear not. Comedy Lounge is justly proud to present the bluffer's guide to radio comedy.

A while ago (in 1920), a man made a radio broadcast. A while after that (1922), the BBC was formed. Quite soon after that (1922), the first comedy character to be created for radio hit the airwaves. 'Our Lizzie', played by Helena Millais, presented what were termed "comedy fragments from life! [their exclamation mark]" and spawned the catch-phrase "'Ullo me old ducks! 'Ere I am again with me old string bag."

The main source of today's quality radio comedy - aka BBC Radio Four - began life in the olden days (1926) as the 'light programming' channel. The power of laughter brought about by humorous programmes helped the plucky British keep their upper lips stiff during the ghastly war and jollied them along as they fought the bally Gerrys. One particular success story of the time is 'It's That Man Again', starring Tommy Handley. This was a topical show, with scripts written two days before broadcast. At it's peak, this series reached a domestic audience of 20 million people, reaching 30 million people world wide - making it the most popular radio comedy series ever produced. It ran for 10 years, 12 series, 310 episodes, and only ended when Handley died of a stroke in 1949.

Meanwhile, even though the war was won, radio comedy continued. The nation's people dusted themselves down from the doodlebug dust, and a new generation bonded by gathering round the wireless and chuckling to themselves at programmes like 'Round The Horne', 'I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again' and 'The Navy Lark'. From the ranks of the army came a whole new gang of performers gagging to use their newfound cynicism and lack of faith in the nature of human kind to make people laugh. Among the new recruits were Tony Hancock, Frankie Howerd, Kenneth Williams, and The Goons. Radio was still the primary source of news and entertainment, in the days that television sets were only for the fortunate and most toilets were still in the garden where they belonged.

However, as you can imagine, once television came to unite the disembodied voices of actors with the moving images of their faces and bodies, the popularity of radio began to wane. Today, the four BBC radio stations are still suffering the effects of competition from their younger sibling, and with the added complications of other radio stations providing audiences with choice, they will never again reach the heights of popularity they once held.

Today, programmers are slowly realising that one way of pulling audiences in is to provide some wacky light relief from all that bang-bang-boom-boom rubbish that passes for music these days. Mad disc jockeys seem to still be the chosen trend, with groups of childish idiots, or "posses", sitting in the studio with them and laughing at their every childish quip and immature entendre. Modelled on the former success of a certain ginger egomaniac, the problem with this kind of mould is that DJs are sounding increasingly similar, and the patience of general public is being sorely tried. Thank God (or your relevant deity), therefore, for BBC Radio Four.

From the outset, Radio Four has been home to the most adventurous and innovative programming on British radio. Legendary programmes such as The Goon Show, The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy and Hancock's Half-Hour appeared on Radio Four. Have I Got News For You, Whose Line Is It Anyway, The Day Today, Knowing Me Knowing You and The League of Gentlemen all began on Radio Four. Performers such as Stewart Lee and Richard Herring, Stephen Fry, Chris Morris, Alan Davies, and The League of Gentlemen started their broadcasting lives on this station. Lee and Herring are especially pleased, as their career progresses, to be told that they were best on the radio.

More recently, Radio Four has been trying to spread it's appeal to a younger generation, firstly by including tapes with extracts from various programmes being included in student starter packs around the UK. This worked to a certain extent: students had now heard of Radio Four, but most unfortunately didn't have the imagination to reset their stereo systems from Radio Loud FM, preferring instead to spend their university years drinking and making short term relationships with people of the opposite sex.

However, as Caroline Quentin said on the scripted Radio Four promotional tape I received as a first-year many years ago (1996), if you want to know who the comedy stars of tomorrow are going to be, tune into Radio Four today. One of the highest profile successful transfers from stage to radio to telly in recent years is of course The League of Gentlemen. Following their Perrier win, they were immediately offered a Radio Four slot, which they filled with On The Town With The League of Gentlemen. If anything, this programme is a pointed example of the kind of thing you wouldn't usually expect to turn up in the schedules, but quite often do. On what other medium could you reasonably find a sit com set in hell, starring the devil? (Old Harry's Game) Or a sitcom where the two star characters, Sean and Anton, are gold fish? (The Gold Fish Bowl)

Programmes like On The Town and Old Harry's Game can of course be bought in the shops on BBC Cash In tapes, with the comedy features being the ones with the off-red colouring on the label. A lot of these tapes are well worth a listen, and although some prices seem mildly sarcastic, they are worth the investment. Do beware though: the BBC like sneak out television releases in audio format too, so the Blackadder tapes are merely soundtrack recordings, rather than a missing chapter on the dynasty. Along with classics like The Goon Show, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Hancock's Half Hour, newer BBC Radio releases include Why Bother? (with Peter Cook and Chris Morris), Dead Ringers, People Like Us and The Alan Davies Show.

This is not to say that Radio Four is the only source of radio comedy on our airwaves. Regular comedy programmes, and regular programmes hosted by comedians (not always the same thing) can be found on stations across the country, and are always worth tuning in to. The nature of the medium means that comedy is more accessible, more immediate and more experimental. Without the restrictions of studios and locations, radio comedy can travel the world in seconds. Outside of the constraints of costume and make up, radio comedy can be set anywhere in the Galaxy, at any point in time, starring anything. And quite often, it does.

Upcoming radio comedy highlights for radio include a new sketch show from Matt Lucas and David Walliams: 'Little Britain' promises to explore British life in Britain as it is lived by Britons today in Britain. Both Ross Noble and The Mighty Boosh have radio programmes very much in the pipeline, where their unique style and humour can perhaps be justly translated. New series of The Very World Of Milton Jones, The Mark Steel Lectures, The Now Show (with Punt and Dennis) and Old Harry's Game are being recorded as we speak, perhaps at the very moment you are reading this sentence. Y2K1 promises to be another exciting year for radio comedy. Are you man enough to join the ranks?

Radio Four comedy slots are:

Weekdays: 6.30pm - 7.00pm and 11.00pm - 11.30pm (occasionally 12.00am) Saturday: 12.30pm - 1.00pm and 6.15pm
Sunday: 12.00pm - 12.30pm

Radio Two comedy:

Saturday 1.00pm - 2.00pm (although that often involves the terribly unfunny Huddlines)

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