Ian Hislop takes a hilarious look at some of Britain's oldest jokesThe British are rather proud of their sense of humour - but where has that pride come from and what makes it unique?With the help of contemporary comedians, scholars and an appetite for enduring humour, Ian Hislop tracks down the earliest examples of enduring British comedy tropes and jokes, and guides us through some of the vital elements that make up that most curious thing: the British sen...

A BBC Radio 4 season exploring the history and future of the United KingdomIn this remarkable collection exploring the state of the United Kingdom and the future of its union, five presenters examine the identities, history and struggles of the nations, and ask what keeps them together as a united country.In the first episode, Jonathan Freedland and a team of historians and BBC correspondents take The Long View of the Union of the United Ki...

An epic tale of power, love, passion and oil – from the minds of comedy greats Ian Hislop and Nick NewmanGush is the stunning saga of the bitter rivals Foxwell Cravate and Max Pomeroy whose destinies are tragically intertwined. Set in Durban at the Transworld Oil Conference and packed with the flair, fun and parody of the best TV mini-series of the 90s, this is comedy that will have you laughing out loud.The aristocratic Foxwell Cravate, played by radio lege...

Almost as breathtaking as the treasures from Sutton Hoo, 14 archive episodes of the long-running topical Radio 4 panel show, chaired by Barry Took, Bill Tidy, Simon Hoggart and Sandi Toksvig.Now on display for the first time, these valuable editions can be dated to between 1980 and 2012 and tell us much about the headline-grabbing issues, incidents and individuals of yesteryear.Joining regular panellists Alan Coren, Richard Ingrams,...

A bumper collection of vintage episodes of the award-winning panel gameJust a Minute is BBC Radio 4's longest-running panel show, and a national treasure. Since 1967, it has welcomed an array of stellar guest players to demonstrate their verbal dexterity, wicked wit and brilliant banter, as they attempt to speak for 60 seconds on a given subject without hesitation, repetition or deviation.This extensive, wide-ranging box set brings together 32 of t...

The tag-team interview show where the celebrity guest becomes the interviewerA complete collection of the talk show with a twist - the guest each week becomes the interviewer in the following episode. Focusing on the career and passions of a figure in the entertainment world whose work they admire, each interviewer gets to delve into the life of their hero as well as revealing hidden aspects of themselves.Featuring great British comedians, award-winning act...

Nick Hancock finds out what people, places and pop songs his celebrity guests would consign to oblivionRoom 101 is the anti-Desert Island Discs. Instead of picking the tracks, books and luxuries they love, guests are invited to banish their least favourite things to Orwell's eponymous chamber of horrors. Twenty-seven episodes of the show were broadcast on Radio 5 between 1992 and 1994, and it went on to run for 18 hit series on BBC TV before relau...

Did you know that foreigners who want to live in Britain have to pass a government test to get in? It's true, and some of the questions are harder than "Why does everyone hate Manchester United?"So the Have I Got News For You team have, in a moving and totally out of character display of public-spiritedness, compiled this Guide to Modern Britain to help guide you around, er, modern Britain. With reassuringly jaundiced reflections on everything from the global recession, re...