Double Dose of Paul

Paul Jackson has a very busy weekend planned.

27 November, 2020

If you're anything like us, then you're sorely missing the weekly Quarantine Commentaries every Sunday afternoon. Listening to Paul Jackson, Rob Grant and Ed Bye discuss episodes of Red Dwarf in minute detail really was treat and Sundays just haven't been the same since.

Well fortunately, this Sunday the 29th of November should reignite some of that joy, courtesy of Paul himself. First up, he will be joining Aled Jones on BBC Radio Wales at 1pm for an in-depth interview covering his career in comedy. Beginning with his childhood in Wales, and continuing through to his work on Benidorm, this promises by be a comprehensive look at one of the giants behind our favourite show, together with specially chosen musical accompaniment.

Paul's career as a producer is simply astonishing, so this is bound to be pretty special. As one of the key figures behind The Young Ones, Happy Families, Filthy Rich and Catflap, and Girls on Top, Paul was a true pioneer of alternative comedy and it's sometimes difficult to comprehend the fact that the credits are all attributable to one man; and that's before you even consider his career as ITV's director of comedy and entertainment, and controller of BBC entertainment.

We're not even sure an hour will be enough, but we're definitely looking forward to finding out. The show will also be available on BBC Sounds shortly after broadcast.

And don't forget that just a little later Paul will be joining Rob Grant for the latest instalment of Lockdown Theatre, which also takes place this Sunday. Starring Sir Kenneth Branagh, Dame Judi Dench, Sir Derek Jacobi, Dame Maggie Smith, and Sir Ian McKellen, this show is a departure from the usual Lockdown Theatre project; eschewing the play followed by a Q&A format, this particular performance skips the theatrics entirely and delves straight into the bonhomie for an entire evening that promises 'repartee and badinage, in the company of national treasures', and who doesn't enjoy that?

This latest Lockdown Theatre has been astonishingly successful, having twice sold out already. Since the very first show, Lockdown Theatre has raised over £112,000 for the arts, and even now, with three day's worth of tickets sales remaining, it's no stretch of the imagination to use words like 'doubled' and 'more than' and still be way off the mark. If you want to join our specially extended overspill audience, you can get tickets here.

Let us know your thoughts about both shows over on Twitter and stay up to date with Lockdown Theatre on the website.