The Larks Ascending
A complete guide to comedy, humour and downright oddness on BBC Radio 3, from Kenneth WilliamsÕ archival documentaries about strolling players who never existed, through Rowan AtkinsonÕs academic profiles of public figures who never existed, right up to Armando IannucciÕs interval talks about composers who did exist, but theyÕre fitting around him and his using his ears whether they like it or not.
ThereÕs Chris Morris interviewing Peter Cook (and getting in trouble), BBC Radiophonic Workshop hi-jinks, the first ever proper staging of Joe OrtonÕs unused film script for The Beatles, some sitcoms that definitely wouldnÕt appeal to viewers waiting for Coronation Street, satire, silliness, and a couple of plays about cricket. And if thatÕs just not highbrow enough for you, then you could always enrol at The Half-Open UniversityÉ
Tim Worthington is the author of Fun At One Ð The Story Of Comedy At BBC Radio 1, and holder of a First Class Third Degree course in Comedic Appreciation.