The Fringe, Fame and Me is the story of how a small Scottish arts festival that began 75 years ago this year became a national institution – a crucible where new stars are forged, careers made, and sometimes, dreams dashed. Told by the stars who first found fame at the Edinburgh Fringe, this is the inside story of what it takes to make a name here, from those who enjoyed overnight success to those who slogged for years to make it. Through their triumphs, favourite jokes, and sometimes painful failures, we’ll discover a hidden history of British comedy – revealing how the gags we find funny and the comedians we love reflect our changing culture.
Paul Merton and his wife Suki Webster hit the road as they embrace Britain's booming motorhoming scene, seeking out the UK's most famous sights and hidden gems, while there are tips from enthusiasts and volunteers test camping equipment. The couple begin their journey in Canterbury, where they pick up their cruiser and set off on their first-ever staycation on wheels touring Kent's coastline.
An immersive documentary reveals the story of a forgotten prince--Henry Frederick Stuart--who was a star of the first decade of the Stuart dynasty in the 1600s but never became king.
More than 150 of Britain’s railway stations are request stops. You have to put out your arm to get the train to stop at the platform. In this series, Paul Merton will travel around the country by train, only getting off at request stops. He’ll explore the history of the stations, and meet the people who live and work around them to learn more about at these unusual and often-overlooked stations.
The making of The Beatles' controversial 1967 film, featuring previously unseen archive footage.
Just a Minute is a BBC Radio 4 radio comedy and television panel game chaired by Nicholas Parsons. Its first transmission on Radio 4 was on 22 December 1967, three months after the station's launch. The Radio 4 programme won a Gold Sony Radio Academy Award in 2003. The object of the game is for panellists to talk for sixty seconds on a given subject, "without repetition, hesitation or deviation". The comedy comes from attempts to keep within these rules and the banter among the participants. In 2011 comedy writer David Quantick ascribed Just a Minute's success to its "insanely basic" format, stating, "It's so blank that it can be filled by people as diverse as Paul Merton and Graham Norton, who don't have to adapt their style of humour to the show at all."
British comedian Paul Merton keeps his comically-critical attitude while tasting some popular holiday types that never appealed to him, unlike millions of Britons. They range from cruises and 'extreme' holidays overseas (Ibiza, Florida) to English coastal resorts and adventurous Scotland.
Paul Merton's Birth of Hollywood is a 2011 BBC documentary series written, directed and presented by Paul Merton. The three-part series traces the rise of the American film-making industry in Hollywood through from the early years of film-making to the foundation of the major motion-picture studios and the new class of the film star.
Paul Merton goes in search of the origins of screen comedy in the forgotten world of silent cinema - not in Hollywood, but closer to home in pre-1914 Britain and France. Revealing the unknown stars and lost masterpieces, he brings to life the pioneering techniques and optical inventiveness of the virtuosos who mastered a new art form. With a playful eye and comic sense of timing, Merton combines the role of presenter and director to recreate the weird and wonderful world that is early European cinema in a series of cinematic experiments of his own.
Paul James Martin, known under the stage name Paul Merton, is an English writer, actor, comedian, radio and television presenter. Known for his improvisation skill, Merton's humour is rooted in deadpan, surreal and sometimes dark comedy.
By browsing this website, you accept our cookies policy.
