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Janice Forsyth with all that's new in comedy on radio, TV, the movies, online and live.

Janice Forsyth taps into the funny business in Scotland and worldwide with all that's new in comedy on radio, TV, the movies, DVD, books, online and live performances

The Comedy Café: 15/07/2011

15/07/2011

BBC Radio Scotland - The Comedy Café, 15/07/2011

Janice Forsyth finds out whatever happened to the comic legacy of Benny Hill.

Janice Forsyth finds out whatever happened to Benny Hill in a new theatre production exploring the rise and fall of the once loved entertainer.

For three decades he was one of the country's best loved entertainers but his bawdy style didn't sit comfortably in an increasingly politically correct world. Instead he slipped from our screens and died alone in his tiny London flat. In theatre production 'Whatever Happened to Benny Hill', writer performer Grant Smeaton asks what made Hill such a comedy pariah, and explores the rise and fall of one of Britain's greatest comedy exports. 

"Don't you know there's a war on?", "Put that light out" and "Don't panic!" Although the last of these three phrases is peculiar only to Dad's Army, the first two were genuine expressions during the Second World War. In "Don't You Know There's A War On?" author and broadcaster Nigel Rees collects some of the best-known catchphrases from both sides of the Atlantic - including Germany - from both world wars. Nigel tells us why world wars have left such a legacy of comic catchphrases, including one that resonates in times of peace today - Keep Calm and Carry On. 

And ahead of his Fringe show, "Looking at the Stars" we talk to Paul Sinha about being the "only gay Bengali GP turned stand-up comedian" and the topical agendas which drive his comedy.

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15/07/2011

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