Today's pick: Heroes of Comedy
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Your support makes all the difference.Heroes of Comedy (9pm C4) At one point in his film about Arthur Askey, John Fisher floats the theory that Askey was the first alternative comedian. What comes through all the plaudits from the likes of Roy Hudd, Bob Monkhouse and Ken Dodd, however, is that Askey belonged to a long-gone age and tradition of comedy. The footage of him at work in the 1930s, 40s and 50s, first with Bandwagon, and then with "Stinker" Murdoch, is hilarious in the surreal way of those Harry Enfield/ Paul Whitehouse spoofs of musical hall comedians. You end up kind of liking the man, but whether you think he's funny or not might well depend on your age.
Looking after Jo Jo (9pm BBC2) Frank Deasy's drama documenting the arrival of the drugs trade in 1980s Scotland continues with the needle-sharing victims of Jo Jo's lucrative trade starting to go down with hepatitis. Something far worse beckons.
Face to Face (11.15pm BBC2) Joan Baez, a serene-looking advert for the joys of therapy, seems slightly amused by the arid format of this Reithian cross-examination. The protest singer tells Sir Jeremy Isaacs about her inner demons.
The film
Airheads (9pm C5) OK, so it's not as good as Spinal Tap or Wayne's World - a tall order, anyway - or even Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. But then it's a quiet night movie-wise. Brendan Fraser, Steve Buscemi and Adam Sandler play three metalheads who bumble into a hostage situation when they raid a radio station with toy guns, hoping to get airtime for their demo tape. On the plus side: Joe Mantegna's in it (as a DJ), the direction is pretty vigorous (unlike the script) and it only lasts 90 minutes.
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