British Airways launches pet-centric in-flight entertainment to calm passengers down

Ever wish flying could be a bit more cuddly?

The in-flight entertainment team at British Airways is banking on the popularity of cute and fuzzy animals constantly trending with a new channel called “Paws and Relax.”

 Kittens? Check. Puppies? Definitely.

The adorable programming isn’t just about making passengers say “aw.” BA is hoping it will actually calm you down.

June Whitfield attacks BBC bosses for sneering at "middle class" comedy

In the classic sitcom Terry and June she portrayed one half of television’s quintessential middle class couple. Now June Whitfield has hit out at the BBC managers who declared that too much of the corporation’s comedy is “middle class”.

The comedy actress, 88, returns to the screen in Boomers, a new BBC1 sitcom about three retired couples, who live inescapably middle class lives in a Norfolk resort, and are rediscovering the joys of free time.

The series, which stars Alison Steadman and Russ Abbot, may incur the wrath of the BBC Trust, the corporation’s governing body, which recently warned that the BBC screened too many comedies which could feel “middle class in focus and target audience”, with Miranda cited as an example.

Robin Williams On Comedy: His Greatest Stand-Up Clips And Quotes

The entertainment world is paying tribute to Robin Williams, who has died at the age of 63.

As well as being one of the finest comedy actors of his generation, Williams was, of course, an incomparable stand-up comedian. After graduating from Julliard in 1976, he intended to be a serious actor - but as he said in 2006: "I left school and couldn't find acting work, so I started going to clubs where you could do stand-up. I've always improvised, and stand-up was this great release. All of a sudden, it was just me and the audience."

Edinburgh comedy awards 2014: five favourites for best newcomer

Winning best newcomer at the fringe can turn the heads of comedy's kingmakers. Here are five faces in the frame

The Edinburgh fringe still has the ability to make a career. Any comedian performing their debut show knows that getting a nod in the best newcomer award will turn the head of the industry kingmakers, and it is often a stepping stone to being nominated for the main award.

Last year's was a vintage, with John Kearns edging out charismatic Irish storyteller Aisling Bea and gloomy wordsmith Liam Williams; and you'll be hearing plenty more of them in the years to come.

Comedy Central Renews Chris Hardwick’s ‘@midnight’

“@midnght,” host Chris Hardwick’s popular weeknight panel show that famously mixes the best of what both social media and improv comedy have to offer, has been given a second season order at Comedy Central.

The show became a ratings hit — especially with younger viewers — by maintaining high social engagements through crowdsourcing campaigns like the Twitter-focused #HashtagWars and including edgier comedic guest panelists like Ron Funches and Natasha Leggero.