Comedy news: Such Small Portions's news

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Ross Noble's twitter bombard campaign has claimed another victim after targeting Dragon's Den entrepreneur Duncam Bannatyne.

The Scottish millionaire 'twitter bombarded' by hundreds of outlandish business ideas by Noble's twitter followers some of which included £20million to genetically modify trees to make them easier to climb and a butter spreader shaped like a pritt stick.

Each week Noble asks his team of twitter followers to bombard a different person who has a certain amount of twitter followers, whether they are a politician businessman or celebrity.

Earlier this year the Geordie comic targeted MP Merry McCarthy - the government's Twitter Tsar  - who, once she worked out what was going on,  managed to turn tables on Noble by replying to hunsdreds of silly requests such as 'Would you wear a gorilla suit to the House of Commons?', to which she replied 'I don’t think it’s expressly forbidden, I could give it a try?'

Ross Noble has set rules for his game, namely 'be nice but ask really daft questions'. I think there are unwritten rules too, about the kind of person Noble can target. Would he pick on a fellow comedian, for example? Or an actor? At the moment we're not sure but one thing we do know is that Bannatyne wasn't amused.

Bannatyne's twitter account (fake tan pic included) is here: twitter.com/DuncanBannatyne

Ross Noble's twitter account can be found here: twitter.com/realrossnoble

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American ventriloquist Jeff Dunham's show, The Jeff Dunham Show, has been dropped by US TV Channel Comedy Central after just one series.

Comedy Central decided not to renew the sketch comedy series despite the fact that it was the most-watched debut series in the cable channel's history.

The ventriloquist's show was critically panned in the U.S. - which some have cited as the reasons for the show being axed - while his live shows recieved a luke-warm reception in the UK earlier last year.

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The figures speak for themselves, Mac users prefer comedy to any other genre according to the online viewing figures from the BBC.

On the eve of its second birthday the viewing figures for the BBC iPlayer, the corporation's web-based viewing platform, have shown that Mac users prefer comedy shows such as Mock The Week while PC users are more used to picking soap operas such as Eastenders.

The iPlayer has grown in popularity since its launch almost two years ago with over 80million requests for shows and 5million users per week handled by the service.

The BBC also revealed that most people use the service as a way of catching up on shows they have missed during the week, with the most popular viewing times being after 9pm during week days and also Sunday mornings.

Whether Mitchell and Webb will be happy about this is another matter entirely.

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Supermarket giant Tesco has announced that comedy dvd's are set to out-sell films in the crucial Christmas season for the first time.

The popularity of comedy gameshows Mock the Week and Nevermind the Buzzcocks as well as the astronomical rise of Michael McIntyre have helped comedy overhaul even Harry Potter and Megan Fox as the UK's favourite stocking filler.

McIntyre's new dvd 'Hello Wembley' has sold over a million copies since it went on sale only five weeks ago.

Sales of classic comedies also rose with the best selling titles including Fawlty Towers and Only Fool's and Horses seeing a revival.

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The BBC sitcom Outnumbered starring Hugh Dennis and Claire Skinner has cleaned up at this year's ITV comedy awards, taking a total of three gongs for best sitcom, best female newcomer and the main best comedy prize.

The award mark recognition of the daring format of Outnumbered - a show about the trials and tribulations of parenthood - which allowed its three child stars to adlib many of their lines during filming.

The best emerging female newcomer award was picked up by 8-year-old Ramona Marquez for her role as a satanistic child prodigy on the show.

Other winners on the night included the much vaulted Michael McIntyre who picked up the award for best stand-up, Harry Hill, who picked up the award for best personality and best programme for his show Harry Hill's TV Burp.

The full list of winners is as follows:

Best comedy entertainment personality: Harry Hill: Harry Hill's TV Burp (Avalon for ITV1)

Best comedy entertainment programme: Harry Hill's TV Burp (Avalon for ITV1).

Best television comedy actor: Simon Bird: The Inbetweeners (Bwark for E4)

Best television comedy actress: Katherine Parkinson: The IT Crowd (Talkback Thames for Channel 4).

Best new British television comedy: Psychoville (BBC Productions for BBC2).

Best television comedy drama: Pulling: special (Silver River for BBC3).

Best live stand-up performer: Michael McIntyre Live at the Apollo

Best male comedy newcomer: Charlie Brooker: You Have Been Watching (Zeppotron for E4).

Best female comedy newcomer: Ramona Marquez: Outnumbered: series 2 (BBC1)

Best comedy panel show: Have I Got News For You (BBC1)

Best sitcom: Outnumbered: series 2 (BBC1).

Best sketch show: Harry & Paul: series 2 (BBC1).

Best comedy film: In the Loop

Lifetime achievement: Sir Terry Wogan

Outstanding contribution to comedy: Peter Kay

Best British comedy 2009: Outnumbered (BBC1)

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Flight of the Conchords, the acclaimed New Zealand sitcom will not be returning to the airwaves for a third series.

The HBO series has been mothballed after months of speculation over whether the series co-creaters, Brett McKenzie, Jermain Clements and James Bodin.

McKenzie and Clements announced the news on their blog earlier today: "We've noticed the less we say about the future of the show, the more people want to talk about it," they wrote. "So in an effort to reverse this trend we are today announcing that we won't be returning for a third season.

'We're very proud of the two seasons we made, and we like the way the show ended." But we don't like that it's ending at all!

The series is considered one of the most innovative comedy sitcoms of the last decade and has won fans across the world. The 22 episodes followed the life of two Kiwi musicians, played by McKenzie and Clement, who try to achieve success with their band in New York.

The show helped boost the emergence of musical comedy as a sub-genre of comedy itself.Of course all good series come to an end, however there is still talk of a Flight of the Conchords movie.

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It can happen over something as trivial as a garden wall but it seems that The Fix editor Harry Deansway has found himself in court.

The magazine, which claims to be the UK and even possibly the world’s only dedicated comedy magazine, is being sued for an unknown amount by a former financial backer who pulled funding at short notice.

In true Fix spirit, Deansway has managed to cobble together at short notice a bunch of the world’s finest comedians to help him save the struggling but much-loved magazine

The night, which is being billed as the Un-royal variety performance, is set to see Mark Watson, Tim Key, Kevin Eldon, and Angelos Epithemious and Pappy’s Fun Club star in a show billed as the last great comedy gig of the decade.

All profits from the gig are set to help pay for The Fix’s legal fees and continue the battle against the unknown litigant

Fix editor Deansway said: ‘As I found myself back to square one, back at the birthplace of the magazine Chez family Deansway I needed to come up with a plan to raise the money to pay back the loan with immediate effect and avoid going to debtors prison so there could be further issues of the magazine.

‘When my Dad refused to put it on his credit card due to already having put £15,000 of previous debt on it I decided to assemble a bill of the ten finest comedians working in the UK today -  many of whom have featured in the magazine over the last few years.

The response has been overwhelming with comedians rallying round, many offering to perform for no fee in order to save the magazine.’

The only worry about the show is that the un-royal variety performance may actually be a tad less controversial than the one attended by Her Majesty. Unpredictable rock chic Lady GaGa is set to headline that event, which is held at Blackpool’s Opera House Theatre.

The un-royal variety performance is appearing at the Bloomsbury Theatre on Monday 21st December.

Tickets £18.50 - £22.50,

For more information visit: www.thebloomsbury.com

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Hollywood star Nicole Richie is set to swap the big screen for TV and head back to her sitcom roots after agreeing to star in a new comedy for ABC.

The mother of two from Berkeley, California, is set to create half the script for a project which according to Richie ‘revolves around a young, modern and professional woman who must balance her business and family relationships’.

Richie is also working on a second novel after giving virth to her second child Sparrow in September.