Sunday show hosted by Al Murray moves into BBC Radio 5 live’s Saturday schedule
It was announced today (22 May 2013) that AL MURRAY will return to host the freshly titled, 7 Day Saturday this June on BBC Radio 5 live for a twelve week run. The new commission sees the show moved from its original Sunday to Saturday mornings. Each week AL MURRAY will be joined by regular ANDY ZALTZMAN (who, alongside The Daily Show’s JOHN OLIVER, hosts the hit international satirical podcast The Bugle) and a weekly special guest to pull apart the big stories of the week in an attempt to understand what makes them tick.
Previous guests who have joined the show to take an entirely irreverent look at the week’s news include: REBECCA FRONT, SARAH MILLICAN, MICKY FLANAGAN, ARMANDO IANNUCCI, LAUREN LAVERNE, RICHARD HERRING, JENNY ECLAIR, RORY BREMNER, NICK HANCOCK, DAN SNOW, MARK STEEL, TOBY YOUNG and GRAHAM LINEHAN.
AL MURRAY, added: “It’s going to be great to get our hands on the news a whole day earlier than before.”
The show is also available as a hugely successful podcast, which has charted as high as number 1 in the iTunes Podcast Chart. As well as hosting 7 Day Sunday, AL MURRAY has regularly deputised on Kermode and Mayo’s Film Review show for Radio 5 live, as well as recently standing in for Dermot O’Leary and Steve Wright on Radio 2 and this year joined DAVID HOCKNEY and PROFESSOR STEPHEN HAWKING in being asked to guest edit Radio 4’s flagship news show, Today.
An Avalon Television production, 7 Day Saturday will be produced by MARK AUGUSTYN and executive produced by RICHARD ALLEN-TURNER and JON THODAY.
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7 Day Saturday begins on Saturday 8th June 2013 at 11am on BBC Radio 5 live
For further information please contact Charlotte Davidson or Dan Lloyd at Avalon on:
020 7598 7222 / charlotted@avalonuk.com or danl@avalonuk.com
Notes to editors:
AL MURRAY is the multi-award winning comedian and creator of the irrepressible innkeeper, The Pub Landlord.
What the press has said about AL MURRAY as a live performer:
“It’s wickedly witty stuff, and the knowledge that Murray is in fact a staunch, rather high-born Europhile with an MA in modern history makes this outwardly boorish satire on British provincialism more seductive still – right down, in fact, to the occasional guilt-ridden moment of doubt as to exactly what it is you’re laughing at.”
Mark Monahan, The Daily Telegraph
“. . .a bona fide British institution. . . his material packs a sharpness that makes you think his glass is still charged with a drop of the satirical brew that made the name of his ancestor William Makepeace Thackeray.”
Warren Howard, The Independent
AVALON TELEVISION
Currently Avalon Television have in production: series seven of Russell Howard’s Good News (BBC Three), brand new Saturday night comedy entertainment show I Love My Country (BBC ONE), brand new character comedy Lee Nelson’s Well Funny People and late night comedy show Live At The Electric (BBC THREE) hosted by RUSSELL KANE. Avalon Television also produces: Not Going Out (BBC ONE), currently the BBC’s longest running sitcom; critically-acclaimed topical comedy show Frank Skinner’s Opinionated (BBC TWO); That Sunday Night Show (ITV1), hosted by ADRIAN CHILES.
This year in the US, Avalon Television is producing season three of Workaholics, the most successful non-animated scripted comedy series in Comedy Central history, and John Oliver’s New York Stand-up Show (Comedy Central). As well as the second season of Rove: LA, with host ROVE MCMANUS for FOX8 and the first season of Bunk (IFC), a game show parody hosted by KURT BRAUNOHLER. Also an established provider of digital content, The Handlers, starring BRYAN CRANSTON, is currently represented on Atom.com.
Avalon Television also produces successful radio shows: 9 series of Heresy (BBC Radio 4); Russell Kane’s Whistle Stop Tour (BBC Radio 2); Dave Gorman’s Sunday Morning Show for Absolute Radio, the first commercial radio podcast to rise as high as number 1 in the iTunes Podcast chart; The Frank Skinner Show, Absolute Radio’s Saturday morning’s flagship show, whose spin-off podcasts received 10.1 million downloads in 2011 alone; and critically acclaimed comedy dramas, Living with Mother (BBC Radio 4) featuring ALISON STEADMAN, TIMOTHY SPALL, PENELOPE KEITH, Mr Blue Sky (BBC Radio 4) starring MARK BENTON and two series of Don’t Start (BBC Radio 4), written and starring FRANK SKINNER.
Avalon Television, founded in 1993, have supplied to all major UK channels and leading cable and satellite stations, in addition to content for radio broadcasters. Avalon Television has produced Fantasy Football League (BBC TWO, ITV1) with DAVID BADDIEL and FRANK SKINNER; three series of BAFTA award-winning The Harry Hill Show (Channel 4); the quadruple-BAFTA and triple British Comedy award-winning Harry Hill’s TV Burp (ITV1); the first ever UK arena comedy show Baddiel and Newman in Pieces at Wembley and Royal Television Society Award nominated The Frank Skinner Show (BBC ONE, ITV1), which is widely credited as setting the tone for the modern comedic chat show and ran for nine years, attracting 11 million viewers at its peak.
