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The Department
''The Department'' is a satirical comedy on BBC Radio 4 about a secret organisation with the power to influence every aspect of your life. Chris Addison, John Oliver and Andy Zaltzman star as Research Team 32, an eccentric three-man think-tank with the brief to brainstorm new ideas on solving society's problems. ''The Department'' is written and performed by Chris Addison, John Oliver and Andy Zaltzman (cancelled after the third series which was written only by Oliver and Zaltzman, after Addison concentrated on his first book), with Peter Dickson, Matthew Holness Matthew James Holness (born 1975) is an English comedian, writer, director, and actor. He is best known for creating and playing the fictional horror author Garth Marenghi. Early life and education Born in Whitstable, Kent, Holness became a f ... and Lucy Montgomery. Character List *Oscar Proud (Chris Addison) - Team 32's team leader and historian. Very patriotic and nostalgic for the time of the British Em ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasting House, London. The station controller is Mohit Bakaya. Broadcasting throughout the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands on FM, LW and DAB, and on BBC Sounds, it can be received in the eastern counties of Ireland, northern France and Northern Europe. It is available on Freeview, Sky, and Virgin Media. Radio 4 currently reaches over 10 million listeners, making it the UK's second most-popular radio station after Radio 2. BBC Radio 4 broadcasts news programmes such as ''Today'' and ''The World at One'', heralded on air by the Greenwich Time Signal pips or the chimes of Big Ben. The pips are only accurate on FM, LW, and MW; there is a delay on digital radio of three to five seconds and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chris Addison
Christopher David Addison (born 5 November 1971) is a British comedian, writer, actor, and director. He is perhaps best known for his role as a regular panellist on ''Mock the Week''. He is also known for his lecture-style comedy shows, two of which he later adapted for BBC Radio 4. In addition to stand-up, Addison played Ollie Reeder in the BBC Two satire series ''The Thick of It'' and Toby Wright in its spin-off film '' In the Loop'', starred in the Sky Living comedy-drama ''Trying Again'' and appeared in three episodes of series 8 of ''Doctor Who''. He also co-created and starred in the BBC Two sitcom ''Lab Rats''. On radio, he previously hosted the weekly comedy news satire show ''7 Day Sunday'' on BBC Radio 5 Live from 2009 to 2010. In 2020, he co-created the FX parental comedy series ''Breeders'' starring Martin Freeman. Early life Addison was born in Cardiff, Wales, to English parents and moved back with his parents to Worsley, Salford, England, when he was four. On ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Oliver
John William Oliver (born 23 April 1977) is a British-American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. Oliver started his career as a stand-up comedian in the United Kingdom. He came to wider attention for his work in the United States on ''The Daily Show with Jon Stewart'' as its senior British correspondent from 2006 to 2013. Oliver won three Primetime Emmy Awards for writing for ''The Daily Show'' and was the show's guest host for an eight-week period in 2013. In addition, Oliver co-hosted the satirical comedy podcast ''The Bugle'' (2007–2015) with Andy Zaltzman, with whom Oliver had previously co-hosted the radio series '' Political Animal'', and hosted ''John Oliver's New York Stand-Up Show'' on Comedy Central from 2010 to 2013. He has also acted on television, most notably in a recurring role as Professor Ian Duncan on the NBC sitcom ''Community'', and in films, notably voice-over work in ''The Smurfs'' (2011), ''The Smurfs 2'' ( ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Andy Zaltzman
Andrew Zaltzman (born 6 October 1974) is a British comedian and author who largely deals in political and sport-related material. He has worked with John Oliver, with their work together including '' Political Animal'', ''The Department'', and ''The Bugle''. Since 2016 he has been a statistician for BBC Radio's ''Test Match Special'' cricket commentaries, and since 2020 the presenter of Radio 4's ''The News Quiz. Early life Born in Hammersmith, west London, Zaltzman is of Lithuanian-Jewish ancestry. He is the son of South African sculptor Zack Zaltzman and is the older brother of Helen Zaltzman, of ''The Allusionist'' and ''Answer Me This!'' podcasts. From his prep school, Holmewood House School in Langton Green, Kent, he then attended the private Tonbridge School. He graduated in Classics at University College, Oxford. While at university, Zaltzman was sports editor for ''The Oxford Student''. Career Stand-up Edinburgh Festival Fringe Zaltzman first performed at the Edin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peter Dickson (presenter)
Peter Dickson is a Northern Irish voice-over artist. He is best known as the brand voice of ''The X Factor'' and ''Britain’s Got Talent'' and also as the voice of television channel E4. His other work includes ''Ireland's Got Talent'', ''The Price Is Right'', ''Family Fortunes'' and ''All Star Mr & Mrs''. Career Dickson was educated at the Belfast Royal Academy in his home city of Belfast, Northern Ireland. He later graduated with a BA Hons degree in psychology from Queens University. While there he was a member of the University Air Squadron, where he flew the Bulldog. He was a reporter and journalist at the BBC, later moving to the presentation department at Radio Ulster. From there he moved on to BBC Radio 2 as a newsreader and announcer, also presenting overnight shows and his own comedy-based Friday show ''Peter Dickson's Nightcap''. During the 1980s and early 1990s, Dickson worked alongside Steve Wright on his Radio 1 afternoon and morning shows. He created, wrote ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Matthew Holness
Matthew James Holness (born 1975) is an English comedian, writer, director, and actor. He is best known for creating and playing the fictional horror author Garth Marenghi. Early life and education Born in Whitstable, Kent, Holness became a fan of Hammer horror films at a young age, to the extent that when, at the age of six, he asked Hammer star and fellow Whitstable resident Peter Cushing for his autograph, Cushing expressed concern that the child knew so much about the films. Holness attended Chaucer Technology School in Canterbury and went on to read English at Trinity Hall, Cambridge. As a member of the Cambridge Footlights, he appeared in a number of shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in the mid-1990s. He also served as vice-president when David Mitchell was president. Other contemporaries included Robert Webb, Richard Ayoade and John Oliver. Holness received the Master of Arts from Cambridge, graduating ''in absentia'' due to his comedy work. Career In 2000, H ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lucy Montgomery (actor)
Lucy Montgomery (born 24 January 1975) is a British actress, comedian and writer. Career While at Jesus College, Cambridge, Montgomery was a member of the Footlights, its amateur theatrical club. Subsequently, she studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama. Montgomery built her career as one third of Comedy Theatre Company Population 3, along with James Bachman and Barunka O'Shaughnessy, and she appeared as a roving reporter for the comic television programme ''The Friday Night Project''. Other television work has included ''Bo' Selecta!'', ''The Mighty Boosh'', and ''The IT Crowd''. Montgomery has been heard in several Radio 4 programmes, including the radio phone-in spoof '' Down the Line'', '' Robin and Wendy's Wet Weekends'', ''The Way We Live Right Now'', ''The Museum of Everything'', ''The Department'', ''Another Case of Milton Jones'', '' The Party Line'', ''Harry Hill's Ghost of a Christmas Present'', ''The Pits'', the ''Torchwood'' story " Lost Souls" and ''Lu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
