All British Comedy Explained

All British Comedy Explained… to Abigoliah Schamaun, by Tom SalinskyJames Lance Explains Absolutely Fabulous. Released 26 March 2026.James Lance is one of British television’s most recognisable faces, not least for his scene-stealing appearance as Trent Crimm in the global hit Ted Lasso. But did you also know that 18-year-old James Lance made one of his first television appearances in the first series of Absolutely Fabulous. James tells us how to fall in love with Joanna Lumley, how to learn lines for a Chekhov play, and of course, how to say “Trent Crimm, The Independent” in this fascinating interview.Next time we’ll experience a rather different version of suburban angst than we saw in The Good Life with The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, series 1 episode 1, and series 2 episode 4.And if you want to relive the mid-1980s, Tom’s play In the Print opens the same day as this podcast is released. https://kingsheadtheatre.com/whats-on/in-the-print-8y4sHere’s a long list of social media systems where you can find the podcast and us.The podcast·      JOIN OUR PATREON https://patreon.com/BritishComedyPod·      https://substack.com/@allbritishcomedy·      Mailing list: http://eepurl.com/jnPC56·      allbritishcomedy@gmail.com·      https://allbritishcomedy.com·      https://www.youtube.com/@AllBritishComedyExplained·      https://www.instagram.com/britishcomedypod·      https://www.tiktok.com/@britishcomedypod·      https://bsky.app/profile/allbritishcomedy.bsky.social·      https://www.threads.com/@britishcomedypod·      https://www.facebook.com/groups/allbritishcomedyAbigoliah Schamaun·      https://abigoliah.com·      https://www.youtube.com/Abigoliah·      https://www.instagram.com/abigoliah·      https://www.tiktok.com/@abigoliahTom Salinsky·      https://kingsheadtheatre.com/whats-on/in-the-print-8y4s·      https://tomsalinsky.co.uk·      https://www.facebook.com/tomsalinsky·      https://www.instagram.com/tomsalinsky·      https://www.tiktok.com/@tomsalinsky1972·      https://bsky.app/profile/tomsalinsky.bsky.social·      https://www.threads.com/@tomsalinskyAll British Comedy Explained is produced by The Spontaneity Shop. If you enjoy this podcast, why not check out The Guilty Feminist with Deborah Frances-White, Tom’s other podcast Best Pick all about movies, or Abigoliah’s other podcast Neurodivergent Moments.

We’ve just released a Patreon bonus episode on the launch of SNL UK and this is a short extract from the start of that conversation.In this opening section, we go back to 1975 and the origins of Saturday Night Live, looking at how the show actually evolved (rather than being designed), and why it’s proved so hard to replicate, especially in the UK.If you want the full episode including our breakdown of the first SNL UK show you can find it here:https://patreon.com/BritishComedyPodThanks for listening and for supporting the show.

All British Comedy Explained… to Abigoliah Schamaun, by Tom Salinsky2.2: The Good Life. Released 5 March 2026.In many ways the quintessential domestic BBC sitcom from the 1970s, but there’s a richness to the characters and a snap to the performances which elevates this one. There’s a reason it keeps being repeated. We watched “Say Little Hen” from the first series and the classic “The Wind-Break War” from the third series.Next time we will be watching Jennifer Saunders’s extraordinary Absolutely Fabulous, series 1 episode 4 “Iso Tank”, and series 5 episode 3 “Panickin’”.Here’s a long list of social media systems where you can find the podcast and us.The podcastJOIN OUR PATREON https://patreon.com/BritishComedyPodhttps://substack.com/@allbritishcomedyMailing list: http://eepurl.com/jnPC56allbritishcomedy@gmail.comhttps://allbritishcomedy.comhttps://www.youtube.com/@AllBritishComedyExplainedhttps://www.instagram.com/britishcomedypodhttps://www.tiktok.com/@britishcomedypodhttps://bsky.app/profile/allbritishcomedy.bsky.socialhttps://www.threads.com/@britishcomedypodhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/allbritishcomedyAbigoliah Schamaunhttps://abigoliah.comhttps://www.youtube.com/Abigoliahhttps://www.instagram.com/abigoliahhttps://www.tiktok.com/@abigoliahTom Salinskyhttps://kingsheadtheatre.com/whats-on/in-the-print-8y4shttps://tomsalinsky.co.ukhttps://www.facebook.com/tomsalinskyhttps://www.instagram.com/tomsalinskyhttps://www.tiktok.com/@tomsalinsky1972https://bsky.app/profile/tomsalinsky.bsky.socialhttps://www.threads.com/@tomsalinskyAll British Comedy Explained is produced by The Spontaneity Shop. If you enjoy this podcast, why not check out The Guilty Feminist with Deborah Frances-White, Tom’s other podcast Best Pick all about movies, or Abigoliah’s other podcast Neurodivergent Moments.

All British Comedy Explained… to Abigoliah Schamaun, by Tom Salinsky2.1: Fawlty Towers. Released 19 February 2026.Still casting an enormously long shadow over the British sitcom landscape, John Cleese and Connie Booth’s even dozen of frenetic farces have been delighting audiences since their first transmission in the late 1970s. We watched “The Hotel Inspectors” from the first series and “The Kipper and the Corpse” from the second series. If you want to watch them, episodes pop up on iPlayer from time to time, as well as on YouTube.Next time we will be watching evergreen classic The Good Life. We’ve chosen the second episode of the first series, “Say Little Hen” and the fifth episode of the third series, “The Wind-Break War”.Here’s a long list of social media systems where you can find the podcast and us.The podcastJOIN OUR PATREON https://patreon.com/BritishComedyPodhttps://substack.com/@allbritishcomedyMailing list: http://eepurl.com/jnPC56allbritishcomedy@gmail.comhttps://allbritishcomedy.comhttps://www.youtube.com/@AllBritishComedyExplainedhttps://www.instagram.com/britishcomedypodhttps://www.tiktok.com/@britishcomedypodhttps://bsky.app/profile/allbritishcomedy.bsky.socialhttps://www.threads.com/@britishcomedypodhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/allbritishcomedyAbigoliah Schamaunhttps://abigoliah.comhttps://www.youtube.com/Abigoliahhttps://www.instagram.com/abigoliahhttps://www.tiktok.com/@abigoliahTom Salinskyhttps://kingsheadtheatre.com/whats-on/in-the-print-8y4shttps://tomsalinsky.co.ukhttps://www.facebook.com/tomsalinskyhttps://www.instagram.com/tomsalinskyhttps://www.tiktok.com/@tomsalinsky1972https://bsky.app/profile/tomsalinsky.bsky.socialhttps://www.threads.com/@tomsalinskyAll British Comedy Explained is produced by The Spontaneity Shop. If you enjoy this podcast, why not check out The Guilty Feminist with Deborah Frances-White, Tom’s other podcast Best Pick all about movies, or Abigoliah’s other podcast Neurodivergent Moments.

All British Comedy Explained… to Abigoliah Schamaun, by Tom SalinskyEpisode 9: Season One ExplainedFor our next set of shows, we’ll be looking at some classic SITCOMS all of which became firm favourites with the public.1.     Fawlty Towers. Still the yardstick by which other sitcoms are measured.2.     The Good Life. By far the best of the “French windows” genre.3.     Absolutely Fabulous. Ripped through the world of fashion and PR like a hurricane and gifted us indelible comedy characters.4.     The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin. The Good Life’s weirder, darker suburban cousin, anchored by the majestic Leonard Rossiter.5.     Hancock’s Half Hour. The root of the sitcom family tree, as vital to the form as The Goons was to surreal sketch comedy.6.     The Vicar of Dibley. What’s Saunders without French? And this shows that a sitcom all the family can enjoy doesn’t have to be toothless or timid.7.     Yes (Prime) Minister. Urbane and sharply satirical, but it never forgets to be breathtakingly funny.8.     Dad’s Army. Everybody’s favourite, and the start of the ensemble sitcom.That’s our plan for the next eight episodes. We do hope you can join us. We’ll start with Fawlty Towers from which we’ll watch the fourth episode of the first series “The Hotel Inspectors”, and the fourth episode of the second series “The Kipper and the Corpse”.Here’s a long list of social media systems where you can find the podcast and us.The podcastallbritishcomedy@gmail.comhttps://allbritishcomedy.comhttps://www.youtube.com/@AllBritishComedyExplainedhttps://www.instagram.com/britishcomedypodhttps://www.tiktok.com/@britishcomedypodhttps://bsky.app/profile/allbritishcomedy.bsky.socialhttps://www.threads.com/@britishcomedypodhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/allbritishcomedyAbigoliah Schamaunhttps://abigoliah.comhttps://www.youtube.com/Abigoliahhttps://www.instagram.com/abigoliahhttps://www.tiktok.com/@abigoliahTom Salinskyhttps://tomsalinsky.co.ukhttps://www.facebook.com/tomsalinskyhttps://www.instagram.com/tomsalinskyhttps://www.tiktok.com/@tomsalinsky1972https://bsky.app/profile/tomsalinsky.bsky.socialhttps://www.threads.com/@tomsalinskyAll British Comedy Explained is produced by The Spontaneity Shop. If you enjoy this podcast, why not check out The Guilty Feminist with Deborah Frances-White, Tom’s other podcast Best Pick all about movies, or Abigoliah’s other podcast Neurodivergent Moments.

All British Comedy Explained… to Abigoliah Schamaun and Tom SalinskyPippa Evans explains I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue. Released 29 January 2026.Pippa Evans is also known as country singer Loretta Maine, she’s a mainstay of Showstopper The Improvised Musical and a frequent guest of The Comedy Store Players. She’s also made 26 appearances on I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue, and is now one of the series regulars.Pippa’s recommendation for us to watch is Desmond’s.Her charity of choice is Holy Corner Community Playgroup https://holycorner.org/Next time we’ll be wrapping up our coverage of Season One and looking forward to Season Two.Here’s a long list of social media systems where you can find the podcast and us.The podcast·      https://substack.com/@allbritishcomedy·      Mailing list: http://eepurl.com/jnPC56·      allbritishcomedy@gmail.com·      https://allbritishcomedy.com·      https://www.youtube.com/@AllBritishComedyExplained·      https://www.instagram.com/britishcomedypod·      https://www.tiktok.com/@britishcomedypod·      https://bsky.app/profile/allbritishcomedy.bsky.social·      https://www.threads.com/@britishcomedypod·      https://www.facebook.com/groups/allbritishcomedyAbigoliah Schamaun·      https://abigoliah.com·      https://www.youtube.com/Abigoliah·      https://www.instagram.com/abigoliah·      https://www.tiktok.com/@abigoliahTom Salinsky·      https://tomsalinsky.co.uk·      https://www.facebook.com/tomsalinsky·      https://www.instagram.com/tomsalinsky·      https://www.tiktok.com/@tomsalinsky1972·      https://bsky.app/profile/tomsalinsky.bsky.social·      https://www.threads.com/@tomsalinskyAll British Comedy Explained is produced by The Spontaneity Shop. If you enjoy this podcast, why not check out The Guilty Feminist with Deborah Frances-White, Tom’s other podcast Best Pick all about movies, or Abigoliah’s other podcast Neurodivergent Moments.

All British Comedy Explained… to Abigoliah Schamaun, by Tom Salinsky1.8: I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue. Released 22 January 2026.After writing and rehearsing actual sketches started to look like too much work for too little pay (this is radio after all), Graeme Garden wondered if there was some way of keeping the I’m Sorry I’ll Read That Again team together but just having them be silly for half an hour. Luckily for him, and us, there was.Various episodes of I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue can be found all over the Internet, with recent editions usually up on BBC Sounds. We’re listening to one early episode before producer Jon Naismith shook it up (series 6, episode 6), one episode post Willy Rushton but now visiting big regional theatres (series 42, episode 2) and one from last year (series 83, episode 1).Next time we’ll be wrapping up our coverage of Landmarks and looking forward to Season Two.Here’s a long list of social media systems where you can find the podcast and us.The podcasthttps://substack.com/@allbritishcomedyMailing list: http://eepurl.com/jnPC56allbritishcomedy@gmail.comhttps://allbritishcomedy.comhttps://www.youtube.com/@AllBritishComedyExplainedhttps://www.instagram.com/britishcomedypodhttps://www.tiktok.com/@britishcomedypodhttps://bsky.app/profile/allbritishcomedy.bsky.socialhttps://www.threads.com/@britishcomedypodhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/allbritishcomedyAbigoliah Schamaunhttps://abigoliah.comhttps://www.youtube.com/Abigoliahhttps://www.instagram.com/abigoliahhttps://www.tiktok.com/@abigoliahTom Salinskyhttps://tomsalinsky.co.ukhttps://www.facebook.com/tomsalinskyhttps://www.instagram.com/tomsalinskyhttps://www.tiktok.com/@tomsalinsky1972https://bsky.app/profile/tomsalinsky.bsky.socialhttps://www.threads.com/@tomsalinskyAll British Comedy Explained is produced by The Spontaneity Shop. If you enjoy this podcast, why not check out The Guilty Feminist with Deborah Frances-White, Tom’s other podcast Best Pick all about movies, or Abigoliah’s other podcast Neurodivergent Moments. 

All British Comedy Explained… to Abigoliah Schamaun and Tom SalinskyAndrew Gillman explains The Day Today. Released 15 January 2026.Andrew Gillman’s comedy CV is hugely extensive, from early work with Ruby Wax to That Peter Kay Thing and countless others, but possibly the highlight is The Day Today which asked an awful lot of him, all of which he was able to deliver.Andrew’s recommendation for us to watch is Michael Palin and Terry Jones’s anthology series Ripping Yarns.Next time we’ll be listening to selected episodes from various eras of I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue. The most recent series and a few from the archives are on BBC Sounds.Here’s a long list of social media systems where you can find the podcast and us.The podcasthttps://substack.com/@allbritishcomedyMailing list: http://eepurl.com/jnPC56allbritishcomedy@gmail.comhttps://allbritishcomedy.comhttps://www.youtube.com/@AllBritishComedyExplainedhttps://www.instagram.com/britishcomedypodhttps://www.tiktok.com/@britishcomedypodhttps://bsky.app/profile/allbritishcomedy.bsky.socialhttps://www.threads.com/@britishcomedypodhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/allbritishcomedyAbigoliah Schamaunhttps://abigoliah.comhttps://www.youtube.com/Abigoliahhttps://www.instagram.com/abigoliahhttps://www.tiktok.com/@abigoliahTom Salinskyhttps://tomsalinsky.co.ukhttps://www.facebook.com/tomsalinskyhttps://www.instagram.com/tomsalinskyhttps://www.tiktok.com/@tomsalinsky1972https://bsky.app/profile/tomsalinsky.bsky.socialhttps://www.threads.com/@tomsalinskyAll British Comedy Explained is produced by The Spontaneity Shop. If you enjoy this podcast, why not check out The Guilty Feminist with Deborah Frances-White, Tom’s other podcast Best Pick all about movies, or Abigoliah’s other podcast Neurodivergent Moments.