Sisters in Satire: The Pioneering Women of Comedy

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BBC Radio 4 Extra

Sisters in Satire: The Pioneering Women of Comedy: 2. Meera and Linda

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2. Meera and Linda

BBC Radio 4 Extra - Sisters in Satire: The Pioneering Women of Comedy, 2. Meera and Linda

Samira Ahmed and guests Arabella Weir, Lissa Evans and Tiffany Stevenson  women in comedy.

Samira Ahmed and guests Arabella Weir, Lissa Evans and Tiffany Stevenson discuss women’s evolution in satire. From 2019.

From the dawn of broadcast comedy, women played a vital but largely overlooked role; more in the background rather than the forefront.   

What impact did the sisters of satire from the 60’s and 70’s have on the comedy we know today and what was their cultural influence?  

Just because they weren’t the stars of the show didn’t mean their influence wasn’t felt.  June Whitfield, Eleanor Bron and Miriam Margolyes were all quietly but firmly making their name in comedies such as The Glums, The Establishment Club and The Betty Witherspoon Show.  

These women paved the way for comedians and actors such as Jan Ravens, Meera Syal and Linda Smith.  

In the second of three programmes, Samira Ahmed is joined by actor/director Arabella Weir, former radio producer and novelist Lissa Evan and actress Tiffany Stevenson.

They discuss some of the best sitcoms from the BBC archives and listen again to the joys of:

WEEK ENDING
GOODNESS GRACIOUS ME 
A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME WASTING 

They assess the impact these funny women have had on contemporary comedy and the extent of their satirical legacy.  

Join them on a comic journey from the early 1970’s to the present day in a celebration of women in satire.

Producer: Belinda Naylor

Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra and first broadcast in November 2019.

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Discussion & Talk

Factual: Arts, Culture & the Media

Comedy: Satire

Sisters in Satire: a comedy journey exploring women in satire.

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