Tony Hancock turns 90
Plus Whose Line Is It Anyway? returns, Jon Richardson records C4 pilot, and Ricky Gervais talks Derek.
A BLUE PLAQUE commemorating Tony Hancock has been unveiled at the comedy legend’s old flat in Kensington. The English Heritige plaque, placed at placed at 20 Queen’s Gate Place, was unveiled today by Half Hour writers Ray Galton and Alan Simpson on what would have been Hancock’s 90th birthday.
WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY? is to return as a live show at the Edinburgh Fringe. Original presenter Clive Anderson will team up with regulars Greg Proops and Stephen Frost to host an adaptation of the hit improvisational comedy, retitled Whose Live Show Is Is Anyway?, for a 14-night run at the Underbelly’s 1000-seater McEwan Hall.
JON RICHARDSON is to host a Channel 4 pilot based on questions asked on internet search engines. Jon Richardson’s Unpredictable will be recorded in front of a live studio audience later this month.
JACK DEE admits he’s still haunted by being labelled ‘thick’ by his headmaster at school. “I still fear that label,” he told Kirsty Young onDesert Island Discs yesterday. “So it’s not a word I use, not lightly anyway… a lot of teachers thought I was thick and went to great lengths to tell me I was thick.”
ROBIN WILLIAMS’ TV comedy The Crazy Ones has been cancelled after just one season.
RICKY GERVAIS has revealed that he gets a lot of his ideas for Derek through social media – and has even went as far as creating a Twitter account for the main character of his Channel 4 sitcom. He said: “People always ask me whether it’s actually me writing Derek’s Twitter and it is. I love it that people play along with it and chat as if they were talking to Derek.”
LARRY WILMORE will fill the Comedy Central slot soon to be vacated by Stephen Colbert. Wilmore has secured the high-profile 11.30pm ET position, following The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, for his new show The Minority Report. It airs in January.
Last but not least…
UNLIKELY COMEDY DUO Seth Rogen and Zac Efron have usurped The Amazing Spider-Man 2 at the box office. Rogen and Efron’s R-rated comedy Neighbors debuted with $51 million in ticket sales, pushing the web-slinger back to second place with $37 million.
