The popular sitcom Give My Head Peace is returning to BBC One Northern Ireland for a one-off special this autumn to launch a new season of local comedy.
Ma, Da, Cal, Uncle Andy and the rest of the gang will kick off the new season of comedy on BBC Northern Ireland featuring some familiar favourites and upcoming new comedy talent. With everything from sitcoms, sketch shows and stand-up to programmes aimed at blaming and shaming, this new comedy season across TV and radio boasts a wide range of programmes but all with one thing in common – that unique Northern Ireland sense of humour.
Give My Head Peace returns to launch a new season of comedy from BBC Northern IrelandSet to be filmed in front of a studio audience next month, The Give My Head Peace special will see Tim McGarry, Olivia Nash Damon Quinn, Michael McDowell, Alexandra Ford and Marty Reid return to their roles as Northern Ireland’s funniest fictional family. Expect outsized personalities, outlandish storylines and plenty of home-grown humour as we catch up with the gang in modern-day Northern Ireland. The special will be accompanied by a Beginners’ Guide to Give My Head Peace, which looks at the sitcom’s history from its debut on BBC Radio Ulster in the 1980s, through to its first television appearance in1995 and on to the farewell special in 2007.
The Blame Game
And Give My Head Peace will be followed by some other firm favourites as The Blame Game returns for a new series on BBC One Northern Ireland and BBC Radio Ulster. Tim McGarry and his regular finger-pointing panel of Colin Murphy, Jake O’Kane and Neil Delamere are marking a milestone for the hit show as they celebrate The Blame Game’s 10th year on television. Starting with a special 10thanniversary recording at the Waterfront Hall, the new series will see the comedians -along with one of their comedy chums -continue to shamelessly blame just about everyone for just about everything.
Delete Delete Delete & Big Country
Patrick Kielty is also back on BBC Northern Ireland with two projects. Delete Delete Delete will return to BBC One NI for a second series and his new self-penned sitcom Big Country will make its debut on BBC Radio Ulster. In Delete Delete Delete Patrick will invite some new special guests on to humiliate them over their browser history. The new irreverent and satirical radio sitcom Big Country follows the fortunes of small time farmers the Quinn family as they attempt to hold onto their failing border farm. With a stellar cast including Patrick Kielty himself, Conleth Hill, Pauline McLynn, Ciaran McMenamin, Amy Huberman and Deirdre O’Kane, this close-to-the-bone comedy was piloted at the BBC Northern Ireland comedy showcase before being commissioned for BBC Radio Ulster.
Shane Todd & Late Licence
And young new comedy talent also get their chance to stand up and be counted on radio, television and online. After a successful run as presenter of the Live At The Sunflower comedy showcase series on BBC Radio Ulster, Shane Todd will start his own eponymous BBC Radio Ulster series this autumn. Fresh from his stint at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the Holywood funny man will bring listeners his own brand of wry, observational sketches and stand-up. And Late Licence, the sharp series of comedy shorts showcasing new and emerging local comedy writers and performers will return for a second series on BBC Two Northern Ireland in early 2017.
Susan Lovell, Head of TV Commissioning, BBC Northern Ireland, said: “BBC Northern Ireland has a strong commitment to nurturing great local comedy talent, be they writers or performers, and, in Northern Ireland, we’re gifted with some incredible talent. With this new season we’re excited to be welcoming back some familiar faces as well as showcasing some promising new talent. Comedy can, of course, be a difficult nut to crack and we’re always looking to develop a range of comedy formats that appeal to differing tastes. In this new season I think we’ve got everything from the edgy to entertaining, the sharp to silly and the fresh to the old favourites, so I hope viewers will join us in celebrating this rich talent over the coming weeks and months.”
Audiences can get in on the comedy action early by applying to be part of the studio audience for the recording of the new Give My Head Peace special. The programme will be recorded in BBC’s Blackstaff Studios in Belfast on Sunday 25 September. Tickets to this recording will be allocated following a random draw and ticket applications can be made from now until Tuesday 4 September 4 at 5pm. A maximum of two tickets will be allocated per applicant. No applications will be accepted after this closing date and duplicate applications will not be considered. To be in with a chance of watching the recording, which will last no more than three hours, apply for tickets online at www.bbc.co.uk/tickets
Tim McGarry, one of the writers and performers in Give My Head Peace and who also hosts The Blame Game on TV and radio, said: “I am delighted that Give My Head Peace is returning to our screens. BBC Northern Ireland has consistently been the only local broadcaster that has championed comedy in all its forms from sitcom and sketch formats to stand-up and panel shows. For many years across radio, TV and online BBC NI has encouraged and supported writers and performers. It’s been great fun being part of it.”
BBC
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