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All British Comedy Explained
Tim Bentinck Explans The Thick of It
All British Comedy Explained… to Abigoliah Schamaun, by Tom Salinsky
Timothy Bentinck Explains The Thick of It. Released 29 October 2026.
National treasure Tim Bentinck is known by voice to millions as David Archer on Radio 4, but his enormously long CV extends to almost all modes of performance, including his extraordinary curtain-raiser as doomed minister Cliff Lawton. We talk to him about stage, screen, accents, improvisation and the Malcolm Tucker Death Stare.
- Help us say thank you to Tim by donating to The Brain Tumour Charity. https://www.thebraintumourcharity.org/get-involved/donate
- See The Archers live on stage. https://www.fane.co.uk/the-archers
Next time we’ll experience British politics of a rather different kind with The New Statesman. We’re going to watch season one episode six “Three Line Whipping” and season three episode five “Natural Selection”.
Here’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/allbritishcomedy
Abigoliah Schamaun
- https://abigoliah.com
- https://www.youtube.com/Abigoliah
- https://www.instagram.com/abigoliah
- https://www.tiktok.com/@abigoliah
Tom Salinsky
- https://thegangofthree.co.uk
- 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/@tomsalinsky
All 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.
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The Jeffersons - Bonus episode extract
14:17|Every month, our Patreon supporters at the £5 tier or above get a bonus episode and this month Abigoliah explains The Jeffersons to Tom. Enjoy the first 15 or so minutes and if you like what you hear, why not consider becoming a member?Join via Patreon https://patreon.com/BritishComedyPodJoin via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@AllBritishComedyExplained/join
4. 3.4 The Thick Of It Explained
53:28||Season 3, Ep. 4All British Comedy Explained… to Abigoliah Schamaun, by Tom Salinsky3.4: The Thick of It. Released 22 October 2026.Armando Iannucci and an amazing team of writers and actors, plot, swear, improvise and panic their way through government in this sweaty sitcom which updates Yes Minister for the Blair years. Essential viewing. We’ll be watching the first ever episode and then we’ll meet Nicola Murray in series three episode two.Next time we’ll focus on the House of Commons as the centre of power and meet Alan B’Stard aka The New Statesman. We’ll watch series one episode six “Three Line Whipping”, and then series three episode five “Natural Selection”.Here’s a long list of social media systems where you can find the podcast and us.The podcasthttps://patreon.com/BritishComedyPodhttps://www.youtube.com/@AllBritishComedyExplained/joinhttps://substack.com/@allbritishcomedyMailing list: http://eepurl.com/jnPC56allbritishcomedy@gmail.comhttps://allbritishcomedy.comhttps://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://thegangofthree.co.ukhttps://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.
3. 3.3 Not the Nine O'Clock News Explained
01:12:19||Season 3, Ep. 3All British Comedy Explained… to Abigoliah Schamaun, by Tom Salinsky3.3: Not the Nine O’Clock News. Released 8 October 2026.An even earlier example of alternative comedy than The Young Ones, this took the moribund sketch comedy form and infused radical new life into it as well as kickstarting at least half a dozen comedy careers. We’re going to watch series three episode three and the final episode, series four episode six.Next time we’ll be watching Armando Iannucci’s blackly gripping The Thick Of It. We’ll start with the very first episode and then we’ll swap Hugh Abbot for Nicola Murray and pick up with series three episode two.Here’s a long list of social media systems where you can find the podcast and us.The podcasthttps://patreon.com/BritishComedyPodhttps://www.youtube.com/@AllBritishComedyExplained/joinhttps://substack.com/@allbritishcomedyMailing list: http://eepurl.com/jnPC56allbritishcomedy@gmail.comhttps://allbritishcomedy.comhttps://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://thegangofthree.co.ukhttps://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.
The Smothers Brothers - Bonus episode extract
13:21|Every month, our Patreon supporters at the £5 tier or above get a bonus episode and this month Abigoliah explains The Smothers Brothers to Tom. Enjoy the first 10 or so minutes and if you enjoy what you hear, why not consider becoming a member?Join via Patreon https://patreon.com/BritishComedyPodJoin via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@AllBritishComedyExplained/join
2. 3.2 That Was The Week That Was Explained
56:41||Season 3, Ep. 2All British Comedy Explained… to Abigoliah Schamaun, by Tom Salinsky3.2: That Was the Week That Was. Released 17 September 2026.The granddaddy of television satire, this landmark show only ran for two series, but it utterly changed the face of television comedy, on both sides of the Atlantic. Most episodes have similar virtues and issues, but we’ve gone for series 1, episode 9.Next time we’ll look at the show that started it all, by which I mean this podcast, Not the Nine O’Clock News. After much deliberation, we’ve settled on series 3 episode 3 and series 4 episode 6.Thanks to the Independent Podcast Awards for the nomination. https://independentpodcastawards.com/IPA26/en/page/our-2026-shortlistHere’s a long list of social media systems where you can find the podcast and us.The podcasthttps://patreon.com/BritishComedyPodhttps://www.youtube.com/@AllBritishComedyExplained/joinhttps://substack.com/@allbritishcomedyMailing list: http://eepurl.com/jnPC56allbritishcomedy@gmail.comhttps://allbritishcomedy.comhttps://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://thegangofthree.co.ukhttps://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.
Steve Nallon Explains Spitting Image
01:21:27||Season 3All British Comedy Explained… to Abigoliah Schamaun, by Tom SalinskySteve Nallon Explains Spitting Image. Released 17 September 2026.Finding someone who could do the voice of Margaret Thatcher was key to the success of Spitting Image. Did they recruit Faith Brown? Ask Jessica Martin? See if Jan Ravens could pull it off? No, Steve Nallon recommended himself and it was an inspired booking. He tells us about learning to be a puppeteer, his interest in time travel and much, much more.Next time we’ll go right back to the beginning at watch series 1, episode 9 of That Was the Week That Was.Here’s a long list of social media systems where you can find the podcast and us.The podcasthttps://patreon.com/BritishComedyPodhttps://www.youtube.com/@AllBritishComedyExplained/joinhttps://substack.com/@allbritishcomedyMailing list: http://eepurl.com/jnPC56allbritishcomedy@gmail.comhttps://allbritishcomedy.comhttps://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://thegangofthree.co.ukhttps://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.
1. 3.1 Spitting Image Explained
58:55||Season 3, Ep. 1All British Comedy Explained… to Abigoliah Schamaun, by Tom Salinsky3.1: Spitting Image. Released 10 September 2026.Our look at satire kicks off with the rubbery antics of Fluck and Law. We’ll look at a fairly early episode which includes one of its most memorable songs (series three, episode six) and then we’ll jump forward to series 12, episode one, transmitted days after the 1992 General Election.Next time we’ll go right back to the beginning and watch series 1, episode 9 of That Was the Week That Was.Here’s a long list of social media systems where you can find the podcast and us.The podcasthttps://patreon.com/BritishComedyPodhttps://www.youtube.com/@AllBritishComedyExplained/joinhttps://substack.com/@allbritishcomedyMailing list: http://eepurl.com/jnPC56allbritishcomedy@gmail.comhttps://allbritishcomedy.comhttps://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://thegangofthree.co.ukhttps://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.
Ask Us Anything
01:10:54|All British Comedy Explained… to Abigoliah Schamaun, by Tom SalinskyAMA. Released 13 August 2026.For the last of our summer break episodes, we take questions from you, our loyal listeners. We’ll be back soon with our episode on The Fast Show in preparation for our live show, with special guest Paul Whitehouse. We’ll be watching season 1 episode 1 and season 3 episode 1.· Shaun Micallef https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-ewKxGqy2gThen Season Three starts in earnest as we begin our look at satire with Spitting Image. We’ll be watching season 3 episode 6 and season 12 episode 1.Here’s a long list of social media systems where you can find the podcast and us.The podcastSEE US LIVE https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/podcast/all-british-comedy-explained/JOIN 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://thegangofthree.co.ukhttps://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.