Think of a recent BBC comedy. Little Britain? Started on radio. Mitchell and Webb? Started on radio. The Mighty Boosh? Started on radio. Saxondale? Ok, that didn’t start on radio, but you get my point. Even The Flight Of The Conchords had a BBC radio show, but, as blogger Dean has astutely pointed out, the Beeb are now having to pay HBO for a series heavily based on that original BBC radio show. Silly, huh?

My main point – I’m getting there – is that radio has provided TV with many of its comedy hits, and this documentary intends to highlight and celebrate that fact. It’s part of BBC Four‘s ‘Radio Week’, but to be honest, most other programmes are repeats, or examples of shows which started on radio (Little Britain, Absolute Power, The League of Gentlemen and Dead Ringers are all being shown after the doc). So this is the one to watch. It charts the history of radio comedies which made the transfer; from Hancock’s Half Hour, through the fabulous Hitchhiker’s Guide, on to Mitchell and Webb, who take us behind the scenes of the new series of their sketch show. Barry Cryer, Marcus Brigstocke and Jon Culshaw all get their two-penneth in.

Set The Video – Gagging For It: TV’s Hunger For Radio Comedy, Monday 1 October, 10pm