Comedy news: Such Small Portions's news

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It's never easy being the last person to turn up at a party. Most of the time most people already know each other, there's at least one couple quietly thinking about the occupancy rates for the rooms upstairs, and the feeling of not-fitting-in can be almost overwhelming. However there are always those rare few who can make an entrance in style.

Last August the Five Pound Fringe (FPF), which has been setup by Lisa Keddie and Jon Briley from Best Medicine comedy, managed to waltz into the Edinburgh Fringe with enough panache to make even the most avid party-goers strain their necks to see who the new arrivals were.

With a simple, new approach designed to give customers decent shows for prices which they could afford, £5 (the clue is in the name), the FPF's Fringe debut breathed new life into a festival which was in danger of pricing itself out of popular appeal.

“We felt that ticket prices [for the Fringe] had got too high for the level of act we were promoting – people are more likely to take a risk and see someone they have never heard of before for a fiver than for £10-£12,” Keddie says.

The Five Pound Fringe (as well as the obvious economic impact of the recession) managed to make a significant dent in the ticket prices for the Fringe in 2009. During 2007, ticket prices at the Fringe stood at £9.38, in 2009 they were £7.76, a drop of over 17 per cent.

But the FPF didn't only help bring ticket prices down; it made the Fringe more accessible to both audience and artists alike. What was once a beacon for the arts industry has suffered under the weight of 'corporate responsibility'. Artists were losing money and frequently mortgaging their careers to fund their Edinburgh show.

According to Mark Watson, who performed his own show at the FPF, it provided valuable exposure to up-and-coming acts.

“The Five Pound Fringe was the perfect bridge between the prohibitive expense of the top-end venues and the worrying amateurism at the other extreme of the festival,” Watson says. “It was also run in one of the most genuinely Fringey venues to be found in Edinburgh. All in all, a genuine breath of fresh air in the sometimes stagnant Edinburgh atmosphere, and something to look forward to for next year and beyond.”

The Fringe – like any other arts festival – survives on its ability to convince artists from across the world to spend thousands of pounds to travel to Scotland to put on a show.

This appeal had began to stagnate in recent years as it's reputation became increasingly tarnished while at the same time the rise of the Camden Fringe and the London Fringe Festival – as well arts festivals such as Latitude – have given London-based artists cheaper options to showcase their new material.

Despite supporting the downward trend in ticket prices, according to Keddie most FPF shows managed to turn in a profit in 2009: “If shows hadn't made money, we wouldn't have either. But we had faith in our programming and tried to keep entrance fees for acts in the FPF to a minimum while also covering things like brochure costs.”

Yet although the FPF has gone a long way to changing that, it wasn’t a foregone conclusion that it would be a success.

“It was terrifying,” Lisa adds. ““I lost a lot of sleep over the FPF but I think you just have to keep going, keep on the ball and at the end of the day remember no-one is going to die if you are going to fuck it up.”

“We had never taken on such a large project before so there were things we didn't anticipate and that - combined with getting all our equipment robbed – taught us a lot about managing a project of this size. This time we are much better prepared."

The FPF is back in 2010, both at the Leicester Comedy Festival in February and at the Brighton Fringe this May but what are their hopes for the first year of a new decade?

“Better weather!” Jon says. “Last year we did ok and we learned lessons to make it [The FPF] even better, get more people in and raise the profile of FPF further."

The Five Pound Fringe will be at the Leicester Comedy Festival between 5th - 21st Feb, with over 50 shows at £5 For more information visit www.fivepoundfringe.com

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Aspiring comedy writers get you pens out, a new UK comedy writing competition has been launched to help unearth some of the UK’s brightest writing talent.

The competition, which has been setup by the UK Film Council, Working Title Films and the Cinema and Television Benevolent Fund, is set to work with an industry panel of experts and will allow writers to submit scripts until the end of February.

The winning script will be made into a short film that has been jointly funded by the Film Council and CTBF. Winners are also set to receive £1,000 for their efforts.

Norma Burke from N20 Entertainment, said: “The UK is an amazing hotbed of comedy talent and this award is a fantastic opportunity for new writers or writers from disciplines such as stand up or theatre to show their funny bones on celluloid whilst working with a team of people who will support and nurture them”.

Want to enter or find out more? Visit the CTBF website.

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Skins has managed to win over it's biggest audience since its launch as over 1million viewers tuning into E4 last night to watch the show.

The show, which has just launched its fourth series, managed to beat ITV2's adaptation of Bell De Jour's novel Secret Diary of a Call Girl, which managed to gain 664,000 viewers.

It is the highest viewing figures for the show since its launch in 2007 when the first-ever episode pulled in 1.4million viewers - a record for E4.

Skins has previously starred comedians John Bishop, Josie Long and Sarah Millican.

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The script for the third series of the political satire The Thick Of It have been thrown into chaos due to the forthcoming general election.

According to The Sun, plans to pen a poll-night special have been thrown out in case the writers get the outcome of the election wrong.

Actor James Smith, who plays Glenn Cullen in the show, told The Sun that although plans had been drawn up to record separate endings they had been teemed unworkable.

"Armando wanted to do an election special but we thought that it would look foolish if we got the wrong part," Smith said. "We thought we could do different endings and end it on that night but that wouldn't work logistically."

The Thick Of It follows-on from the highly successful BBC FIlm 'In The Loop'. The show is based on a fictional government department DoSAC and the often bumbling behind-the-scenes jostling for power in the halls of Westminster.

Smith added that he believes that the improvisational nature of the show and its success paves the way for future British comedy: "It is like Outnumbered but with adults. There is a story but then there's just the actors and a couple of hand-held cameras and lights.

"We will try out a rough script then Armando will go, 'f*** it, let's just go for it and do a completely free version of it and say what we want'.

"Then the different takes will be edited together to make one perfect scene."

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Frank Skinner has said that he would like to launch a new World Cup anthem for South Africa 2010.

The comedian told BBC Radio Five Live that he 'suddenly got the urge' to pen a new version of Three Lions On A Shirt, which was originally composed for the Euro 96, and has toyed with the idea of bringing the original team of him, David Baddiel and the Lightning Seeds back together to bring his plans to fruition.

When asked about whether he would consider re-releasing 'Three Lions', skinner said: "We haven't got complete control [of the song], the record company could re-release it if they'd like to. I don't think we can get any more blood out of that stone.

"I was thinking I might write a completely new one - why not?"

Skinner made the comments at the Lafta Comedy Awards - awards voted for by readers of Loaded magazine and are handed out to those who have kept the country smiling over the last year.

Skinner picked up the prize for Comedy Legend, other winners on the night were Justin Lee Collins, who won the funniest man award for the second time, while Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer made an appearance to pick up their award for Funniest Double Act.

Michael McIntyre won best stand-up and Jimmy Carr picked up the prize for Best Comedy Panel Show.

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For cult comedy lovers everywhere, it may be the news that could make you wet your intergalactic pants.

Rumours abound that sci-fi comedy Red Dwarf may make a comeback on TV after a ten year hiatus.

The series, which was resurrected last year for a one-off three-episode mini-series may make a permanent comeback after Chris Barrie (who plays Rimmer on the show) told The Daily Record that he was keen for the show to continue after the success of the mini-series.

“There is talk of more Red Dwarf this year and while Back to Earth was a good one-off, from the rumours I hear, we may be doing a more standard sort of series," Barrie said. “But any new Red Dwarf is fine by me. I was surprised at just how quickly I slipped back into it. It took a couple of scenes to loosen up a bit but once you get the outfit on, you're there.

“I don't know what made the series work so well, I think the answer must be Doug Naylor. He's a genius. He is well-versed in the sci-fi world and he and Rob Grant were great comedy writers, so I think Red Dwarf is the dream marriage of those two things.”

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Billy Connolly has railed against what he says is a trend to censor comedy in the UK

The veteran comedian has said that anyone who swore onstage was unfairly branded ‘vulgarian and foul mouthed’.

The comments came on the same day that Michael McIntyre agreed a £500,000 ‘golden handcuffs’ deal with the BBC. It has been suggested that McIntyre was targeted as a replacement for Jonathan Ross who was considered too controversial for the corporation following the ‘Sachsgate’ scandal.

Speaking at the South Bank Awards on Tuesday night Connolly, who is currently appearing at London’s Hammersmith Apollo said: "I don't offend, that's not my job. My job is to make people laugh.

"I think it was (US comedian) George Carlin who said, 'the job of a comedian is to know where the line is and to step over it'.

"There's a lot of deep and desperate unfairness been going on."

The Scottish comedian is no stranger to controversy himself however, in 2004 he was criticised for making a joke about British hostage Kenneth Bigley - prior to his murder in Iraq - on stage.

He has always maintained he was misquoted over the content of the joke.

"If you swear in a book, you're some kind of clever guy, if you swear in a poem, oh how dangerous he is, you swear in a song - oh my God, what a groundbreaker!” Connolly added. "You swear as a comedian, and you're a vulgarian and foul mouthed,

"When did this happen? Who's doing the judging?"

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Michael McIntyre has signed a deal with the BBC which is set to earn him up to half a million a year as the corporation lines up a replacement for Jonathan Ross.

In a deal which bars the comedian from working with any other channel, McIntyre is set to reap the rewards of increased exposure that the BBC can bring.

It is thought that the comedian will perform a show which is similar to his current Comedy Roadshow format.

A BBC source said: 'He will be doing a Comedy Roadshow and has said he is not going to do anything else.

'What the situation will be in a year's time I don't know. But he is not going anywhere.'

McIntyre has shot to fame last year when his DVD Live and Laughing became the fastest selling comedy DVD of all time.

Both McIntyre and Ross are represented by Off The Kerb.

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The Hackney Empire is calling time (at least temporarily) on its famous New Act of the Year with one last hurrah this Saturday.

The annual New Act of the Year award, which is designed to showcase the best in emerging comedy talent in the UK, has been one of the most highly sought after awards on the comedy circuit since it was set-up in 1986.

For over 29 years the competition has introduced many, if not most of the new comedy talent in the UK including Harry Hill, Gina Yashere and Alan Davies.

The future of the award is in doubt as the Empire is soon set to close for nine months of Arts Council inspired 'reflection' casting uncertainty on the theatre's future programme. The closure means that it could be the last time that the NATY Final is held at the theatre.

The Hackney Empire opened by in 1986 when Roland and Claire Muldoon took over an old Mecca Bingo and re-converted it back into a live theatre. Since then the pair have been committed to encouraging New Variety talent and opening the door of fame to many of our now household names.

This years final is set to be hosted by veteran comedian Arthur Smith and features a mixed bag of comedy talent, the full line-up is as follows:

• Abandoman (Double Act-Rapping)
• Luke Benson (Geordie Stand Up )
• Frisky & Mannish (Comedy Musical Double)
• Dave Gibson (S.U.from Preston)
• Luke Graves (S.U.)
• Sir Harold Hackney (The Alternative Mayor of London)
• Alan Hudson (Comedy Magic)
• Alyssia Kyrai (as Ariadne the Greek WAG)
• Val Lee (S.U. from Bexhill on Sea)
• Nathaniel Metcalf (S.U)
• Giacinto Palmieri (S.U. from Milan) 
• Andrew Ryan (S.U. from Dublin)
• Richard Rycroft (S.U. from Graves End)
• Jo Selby (as Tatiana character comedy)
• Inel Tomlinson (N.London S.U.)  

To buy tickets for the event click this link.

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Will Ferrell, star of Anchorman, Elf and Stranger Than Fiction is set to remake the French romantic comedy 'I Do: How to get married and stay single'.

The Hollywood star is set to play the role of a 40's bachelor who, despite being happy with the single life, is bullied by his mother and seven sisters into getting married.

The film follows Ferrell's plans to try and worm his way out of a real marriage by planning to get a friend's sister to marry him but jilt him at the altar.

The rom-com remake isn't the only film that Farrell, who has just finished filming police comedy film The Other Guy has been linked with.

Rumours of an Anchorman 2 have surfaced again in recent months as well as possible plans for Farrell to work on a Sherlock Holmes style comedy.