All British Comedy Explained

David Tennant Explains The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 11:00:28 GMT

All British Comedy Explained… to Abigoliah Schamaun, by Tom Salinsky

David Tennant Explains The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin. Released 9 April 2026.

We normally try and sit down for a chat with someone who was involved in the making of the show we're watching, but very nearly everyone who worked on this show is long dead, and so we've made do with popular actor and comedy fan David Tennant. Hope that's okay.

Next time we’ll go back to the source with Hancock’s Half Hour. We’ll watch series 5 episode 1, “The Economy Drive” and series 7 episode 5 “The Blood Donor”.

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://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/@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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2.4 The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin Explained

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 11:00:00 GMT

All British Comedy Explained… to Abigoliah Schamaun, by Tom Salinsky

2.4: The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin. Released 2 April 2026.

The dark flipside to the sunny optimism of The Good Life, this is definitely one of the weirder offerings to go out on the BBC in the mid-1970s, but the prevalence of easily-remembered catchphrases would have no doubt helped it catch on.

Next time we’ll go back to the source with Hancock’s Half Hour. We’ll watch series 5 episode 1, “The Economy Drive” and series 7 episode 5 “The Blood Donor”.

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://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/@tomsalinsky

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

James Lance Explains Absolutely Fabulous

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMT

All British Comedy Explained… to Abigoliah Schamaun, by Tom Salinsky

James 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-8y4s

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://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/@tomsalinsky

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SNL UK Explained (Patreon bonus extract)

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 13:00:00 GMT

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/BritishComedyPod

Thanks for listening and for supporting the show.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2.3 Absolutely Fabulous Explained

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMT

All British Comedy Explained… to Abigoliah Schamaun, by Tom Salinsky

2.3: Absolutely Fabulous. Released 19 March 2026.

Jennifer Saunders’s wild hedonistic comedy series hit television screens like a tidal wave and made instant stars of Jane Horrocks and Julia Sawalha while introducing legends Joanna Lumley and June Whitfield to whole new generations. We watched series 1 episode 4 “Iso Tank”, and series 5 episode 3 “Panickin’”.

Next time we’ll experience a rather different version of suburban angst than Tom and Barbara’s goats and cabbages with The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, series 1 episode 1, and series 2 episode 4.

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://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/@tomsalinsky

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2.2 The Good Life Explained

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMT

All British Comedy Explained… to Abigoliah Schamaun, by Tom Salinsky

2.2: 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 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://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/@tomsalinsky

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2.1 Fawlty Towers Explained

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 12:00:00 GMT

All British Comedy Explained… to Abigoliah Schamaun, by Tom Salinsky

2.1: 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 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://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/@tomsalinsky

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1.9 Season One Explained

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 12:00:00 GMT

All British Comedy Explained… to Abigoliah Schamaun, by Tom Salinsky

Episode 9: Season One Explained

For 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 podcast

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://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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pippa Evans Explains I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue

Thu, 29 Jan 2026 12:00:00 GMT

All British Comedy Explained… to Abigoliah Schamaun and Tom Salinsky

Pippa 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/allbritishcomedy

Abigoliah Schamaun

· https://abigoliah.com

· https://www.youtube.com/Abigoliah

· https://www.instagram.com/abigoliah

· https://www.tiktok.com/@abigoliah

Tom 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/@tomsalinsky

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1.8 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue Explained

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 12:00:00 GMT

All British Comedy Explained… to Abigoliah Schamaun, by Tom Salinsky

1.8: 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 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/allbritishcomedy

Abigoliah Schamaun

https://abigoliah.com
https://www.youtube.com/Abigoliah
https://www.instagram.com/abigoliah
https://www.tiktok.com/@abigoliah

Tom 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/@tomsalinsky

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andrew Gillman Explains The Day Today

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 12:00:00 GMT

All British Comedy Explained… to Abigoliah Schamaun and Tom Salinsky

Andrew 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 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/allbritishcomedy

Abigoliah Schamaun

https://abigoliah.com
https://www.youtube.com/Abigoliah
https://www.instagram.com/abigoliah
https://www.tiktok.com/@abigoliah

Tom 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/@tomsalinsky

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1.7 The Day Today Explained

Thu, 08 Jan 2026 12:00:00 GMT

All British Comedy Explained… to Abigoliah Schamaun, by Tom Salinsky

1.7: The Day Today. Released 8 January 2026.

A big tradition in British comedy used to be that of shows getting an early experimental (and inexpensive) radio outing before being let loose on a bigger (more expensive) television stage. After twelve episodes of bizarre news spoof On The Hour had been transmitted on BBC Radio 4, a television version seemed inevitable. There were only six episodes of The Day Today but from them flowed award winning plays, more sketch comedy, defining modern political satire, questions in the House of Commons about made up drugs, and of course Alan Partridge.

Next time we’ll be listening to the incredibly long-running “antidote to panel games” I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue. Various episodes are floating around the Internet, sometimes even on BBC Sounds. We’re going to be listening to series six episode six, series 42 episode two and – if Abigoliah can stand it – series 83, episode 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/allbritishcomedy

Abigoliah Schamaun

https://abigoliah.com
https://www.youtube.com/Abigoliah
https://www.instagram.com/abigoliah
https://www.tiktok.com/@abigoliah

Tom 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/@tomsalinsky

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Emma Manton Explains The Office

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 12:00:00 GMT

All British Comedy Explained… to Abigoliah Schamaun and Tom Salinsky

1.6.5: Emma Manton explains The Office. Released 1 January 2026.

One of a number of people who filled out the world of Wernham Hogg, Emma Manton has used her earlier experience making an iconic television show as a springboard to an incredible career which has encompassed music, theatre, puppetry, circus and we can only assume firewalking and basejumping are just around the corner.

Emma’s recommendation for us to watch is The Royle Family.
Emma’s charity of choice is Phone Credit for Refugees. https://www.pc4r.org

Next time we’ll be watching The Day Today which is not currently streaming but many episodes and dozens of clips can be found on YouTube. There are only six episodes and we’re going to watch the third and the sixth.

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/allbritishcomedy

Abigoliah Schamaun

https://abigoliah.com
https://www.youtube.com/Abigoliah
https://www.instagram.com/abigoliah
https://www.tiktok.com/@abigoliah

Tom 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/@tomsalinsky

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show Explained

Thu, 25 Dec 2025 12:00:00 GMT

All British Comedy Explained… to Abigoliah Schamaun, by Tom Salinsky

Christmas Specials. Released 25 December 2025.

What is Christmas without Eric and Ernie? Of course we’re watching the 1971 Morecambe and Wise Christmas special which includes Shirley Bassey singing Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, Ernie’s Robin Hood play starring Glenda Jackson and most famously of all, Andre Previn conducting Grieg’s Piano Concerto.

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/allbritishcomedy

Abigoliah Schamaun

https://abigoliah.com
https://www.youtube.com/Abigoliah
https://www.instagram.com/abigoliah
https://www.tiktok.com/@abigoliah

Tom 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/@tomsalinsky

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1.6 The Office Explained

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 12:00:00 GMT

All British Comedy Explained… to Abigoliah Schamaun, by Tom Salinsky

1.6: The Office. Released 18 December 2025.

Despite having hardly any experience in television, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant created an indelible series which not only set the stage for a couple of decades of mockumentary and/or cringe comedy but which inspired versions in countries all over the world. We’re watching the first two episodes since this is an ongoing story. If you’d like to watch along, everything is available now on iPlayer.

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/allbritishcomedy

Abigoliah Schamaun

https://abigoliah.com
https://www.youtube.com/Abigoliah
https://www.instagram.com/abigoliah
https://www.tiktok.com/@abigoliah

Tom 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/@tomsalinsky

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Geoff Posner Explains Victoria Wood As Seen on TV

Thu, 11 Dec 2025 12:00:00 GMT

All British Comedy Explained… to Abigoliah Schamaun and Tom Salinsky

Geoff Posner Explains Victoria Wood As Seen On TV. Released 11 December 2025.

Geoff Posner has worked with some of the all-time greats of British comedy, from working alongside Paul Jackson on The Young Ones, to helping Steve Coogan give birth to Paul and Pauline Calf, he was there at the birth of Blackadder and he directed every episode of Victoria Wood As Seen on TV. We chatted to him about life, television, comedy and role models.

Geoff’s recommendation for us to watch is Steptoe and Son.
Geoff’s charity of choice is Children in Need. Donate here: https://donate.bbcchildreninneed.co.uk

Next time we’ll be watching The Office – the original UK version – which is all freely available on iPlayer. As it’s a continuous story we’re going to watch the first two episodes.

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/allbritishcomedy

Abigoliah Schamaun

https://abigoliah.com
https://www.youtube.com/Abigoliah
https://www.instagram.com/abigoliah
https://www.tiktok.com/@abigoliah

Tom 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/@tomsalinsky

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1.5 Victoria Wood As Seen on TV

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 12:00:00 GMT

All British Comedy Explained… to Abigoliah Schamaun, by Tom Salinsky

1.5: Victoria Wood As Seen on TV. Released 4 December 2025.

With no female role models at all, Victoria Wood just focused on what she found funny. Her second attempt at bringing her style of humour to television is still among her most successful and enduring, and she wrote every word of these 13 episodes herself – highly unusual for a sketch show. We had planned to watch the fifth episode of the first series and the first episode of the second series, but we ended up watching the sixth episode of the second series by mistake.

If you want to watch more Victoria Wood then all 13 episodes of As Seen on TV are on NOW, along with her follow-up series of single comedy-dramas Victoria Wood and all 16 episodes of dinnerladies.

Next time we’ll be watching The Office – the original UK version – which is all freely available on iPlayer. As it’s a continuous story we’re going to watch the first two episodes.

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/allbritishcomedy

Abigoliah Schamaun

https://abigoliah.com
https://www.youtube.com/Abigoliah
https://www.instagram.com/abigoliah
https://www.tiktok.com/@abigoliah

Tom 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/@tomsalinsky

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ben Elton Explains The Young Ones

Thu, 27 Nov 2025 12:00:00 GMT

All British Comedy Explained… to Abigoliah Schamaun and Tom Salinsky

Ben Elton explains The Young Ones. Released 27 November 2025.

Ben Elton is one of the most significant voices in the British comedy landscape and has been for over forty years. We spoke to him largely because of The Young Ones but his list of TV writing credits is incredible and that’s before you get into his stand-up, novels, plays and other work besides.

Ben’s recommendation for us to watch is The Liver Birds.
Ben’s charity of choice is Scope. Donate here: https://donate.scope.org.uk
Buy What Have I Done by Ben Elton from Amazon: https://amzn.to/3LHFzZd

Next time we’ll be watching Victoria Wood As Seen On TV, season one episode five and season two episode one.

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/allbritishcomedy

Abigoliah Schamaun

https://abigoliah.com
https://www.youtube.com/Abigoliah
https://www.instagram.com/abigoliah
https://www.tiktok.com/@abigoliah

Tom 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/@tomsalinsky

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1.4 The Goon Show Explained

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 12:00:00 GMT

All British Comedy Explained… to Abigoliah Schamaun, by Tom Salinsky

1.4: The Goon Show. Released 20 November 2025.

The one British comedy show to which all roads ultimately lead. Spike Milligan’s lunatic flights of fancy changed the game and he found ideal comrades in Harry Secombe and Peter Sellers. The show ran for ten years and hundreds of episodes. We listened to The Lost Gold Mine from the fifth series and The Mysterious Punch Up the Conker from the seventh series.

If you want to listen to more episodes of The Goon Show, copies of many episodes in various qualities are floating around YouTube and other parts of the internet. But for the best listening experience we recommend getting the compilations on Audible, which are free with an Audible subscription.

Next time we’ll be watching Victoria Wood As Seen On TV, season one episode five and season two episode one.

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/allbritishcomedy

Abigoliah Schamaun

https://abigoliah.com
https://www.youtube.com/Abigoliah
https://www.instagram.com/abigoliah
https://www.tiktok.com/@abigoliah

Tom 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/@tomsalinsky

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1.3 Not Only But Also Explained

Thu, 06 Nov 2025 12:00:00 GMT

All British Comedy Explained… to Abigoliah Schamaun, by Tom Salinsky

1.3: Not Only But Also. Released 6 November 2025.

Following the success of Beyond the Fringe, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore came to television with three series in a more whimsical tone than the biting stage show which shot them to fame, but still infused with Cook’s astonishing wordplay and Moore’s immense charm. We watched a selection of favourite sketches.

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/allbritishcomedy

Abigoliah Schamaun

https://abigoliah.com
https://www.youtube.com/Abigoliah
https://www.instagram.com/abigoliah
https://www.tiktok.com/@abigoliah

Tom 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/@tomsalinsky

Join us next time for The Goon Show. We’ll be listening to series 5 episode 2, The Lost Goldmine and series 7, episode 19, The Mysterious Punch Up The Conker. Both are readily available on Audible, on CD or floating around the internet.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1.2 The Young Ones Explained

Thu, 23 Oct 2025 11:00:00 GMT

All British Comedy Explained… to Abigoliah Schamaun, by Tom Salinsky

1.2: The Young Ones. Released 23 October 2025.

The first full expression of the anarchic style of alternative comedy was BBC2’s The Young Ones. 12 episodes were broadcast between 1982 and 1984 and they’re all currently available on iPlayer. The show made stars of Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson and kickstarted Ben Elton’s career as a comedy writer.

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/allbritishcomedy

Abigoliah Schamaun

https://abigoliah.com
https://www.youtube.com/Abigoliah
https://www.instagram.com/abigoliah
https://www.tiktok.com/@abigoliah

Tom 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/@tomsalinsky

Join us next time for Not Only But Also. We’ll be watching a compilation of famous sketches, many of which you can find on YouTube. Our list comprises One Leg Too Few. Pete and Dud Famous Ladies. Bargo. Masterpiece. Alan A’Dale. A Bit of a Chat. Teaching Ravens to Fly Underwater. North Circular. Pete and Dud at the Art Gallery.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1.1 Monty Python's Flying Circus Explained

Thu, 09 Oct 2025 11:00:00 GMT

All British Comedy Explained… to Abigoliah Schamaun, by Tom Salinsky

1.1: Monty Python’s Flying Circus. Released 9 October 2025

The seminal comedy show which ran for 45 episodes between 1969 and 1974 on BBC1 (first three series) and BBC2 (final series). It made stars of writer-performers Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin and animator Terry Gilliam. We watched series two, episode two and series three, episode ten.

Here’s a long list of social media systems where you can find the podcast and us.

The podcast

https://substack.com/@allbritishcomedy
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://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

Join us next time for The Young Ones. We’ll be watching series one, episode two Oil, and series two, episode one, Bambi.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

0. All British Comedy Explained

Thu, 02 Oct 2025 11:00:00 GMT

All British Comedy Explained… to Abigoliah Schamaun, by Tom Salinsky

Episode 0: In the Beginning.

To kick off our journey through British comedy, we surveyed our first set of eight shows, all LANDMARKS of the genre.

1. Monty Python’s Flying Circus (which influenced all the comedy after it)

2. The Young Ones (which brought anarchic alternative comedy to the BBC)

3. Not Only But Also (early TV incarnation of Britain’s foremost satirists)

4. The Goon Show (who inspired all of the foregoing)

5. Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV (incredible stand-up and sketch from someone with no role models to look up to)

6. The Office (created a whole new genre of sitcom)

7. The Day Today (birthplace of so many modern comedy legends)

8. I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue (ridiculously long-running masterpiece of silliness)

That’s our plan for the next eight episodes. We do hope you can join us. 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/allbritishcomedy

Abigoliah Schamaun

https://abigoliah.com
https://www.youtube.com/Abigoliah
https://www.instagram.com/abigoliah
https://www.tiktok.com/@abigoliah

Tom 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/@tomsalinsky

Join us next time for our first proper episode on Monty Python’s Flying Circus. We’ll be watching series two, episode two and series three, episode ten.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All British Comedy Explained - trailer

Wed, 10 Sep 2025 18:00:00 GMT

Abigoliah Schamaun is a professional stand-up comedian, originally from America and now living in London. Despite that, her knowledge of British television comedy is nothing short of shameful. Luckily, she has British writer Tom Salinsky to help her out, one show at a time.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Coming soon....

Fri, 29 Aug 2025 16:33:06 GMT

New podcast coming soon

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.