Hello and welcome back to The Comedy Bureau! On the podcast this week academic Oliver Double and stand-up comedian Laura Lexx have a look back at the development of comedy on television. We predominantly look at the UK comedy scene, with a brief hop across the pond to see what's going on in the United States of America.

Oliver reveals to Laura that the first broadcasted Variety shows was in the 1930s… featuring sketch acts, comedians, singers, jugglers and more. Comedy was one of the very first televised items, and at the time, they simply televised a variety bill as that was the popular form of the day. This would develop over time as TV stops for the war and then reappears in the 1940s with a massive spike in TV ownership during the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

Oliver gives some fantastic examples of key moments in the history of televised comedy. The creation of ITV is particularly fascinating - Sunday night at the London Palladium was a huge hit and a massive showcase of British Comedy. Laura and Oliver analyse how different comedians responded to the novel medium.

They round off the episode with a discussion on the development of broadcast comedy into specials and DVDS and streaming and reels. Laura gives insight into the pressure on comedians to meet the algorithm requirements and to produce the levels of content that the newest form of broadcasting requires.

In this episode Laura mentions a few really interesting things and people from the world of comedy that you may find interesting to explore.

The Lund Comedy Festival is a fantastic comedy festival in Sweden: https://lundcomedyfestival.com/

Troy Hawke, you have probably heard of but on the off chance you haven't his social media handle is @troyhawke

Tadiwe Mahlunge, who Laura mentions gigging with is on instagram under the handle @TadIsFunny

Naomi Cooper, who was at the same show as Tad and Laura is on instagram at @naysaying

Joe Foster, another Brighton comedian friend of Laura, is on instagram at @joe.foster.comedian

Case File 13: What Was The First Stand Up On TV?