Catch up TV

Episode 08 September 2024

Acclaimed stand-up Katherine Ryan presents a celebration of one of the biggest comedy talents to ever appear on our small screens – the razor-sharp-tongued first lady of laughter that was Joan Rivers.\n\nShowcasing the very best of Joan's appearances on a selection of BBC shows, Katherine demonstrates how she was breaking new ground from the very start, with some of the most uncompromising and hysterically funny material ever broadcast in the UK. \n\nThe archive clips show how viewers of traditionally ‘safe’ BBC programmes like Pebble Mill, Wogan and even Breakfast Time found themselves unexpectedly exposed to comic lines that were shocking, but also left them laughing despite themselves and wanting more – lots more.\n\nAt the same time, Joan’s interviews reveal the tragedy in her life that went hand-in-hand with the devastating comic lines - her rare openness being another factor, alongside her refusal to censor herself, that won her legions of fans and firmly established her as one of comedy’s all-time greats.

Source: BBC 4