Television series
The Lenny Henry Show
A sketch comedy series starring Lenny Henry as the charismatic Delbert Wilkins, a south London pirate radio DJ trying to make it big. It's absurdist, character-driven British comedy of the late 80s—broad and silly one moment, genuinely clever the next. For anyone who loves sketch shows with heart and comedians who fully inhabit their creations.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you enjoy a character-led comedy built around a hustler's relentless self-belief, and you like the bright, scrappy energy of 1980s London pirate radio.
Skip it if you need a tightly plotted story or a modern pace, since this runs on character and its humour may feel dated to newer viewers.
What it asks of you: Twelve half-hour episodes over two series, so it's a light, undemanding commitment; you'll need to tune into the chatter and talk more than the storyline.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
French and Saunders1987
Sharp sketch comedy with feminist edge, built on character work as strong as Henry's. Runs for years and finds its rhythm fast. Same era, same spirit of fearless British comedy finding itself on mainstream TV.
But Some sketches outstay their welcome. Sketch comedy's always uneven—the hits are brilliant, but you sit through a few duds to get there.
Blackadder1983
Character-driven comedy with brilliant ensemble work and increasingly sharp writing across four seasons. Benedict Cumberbatch's father does wonderful comic timing. Proves sketch-style character comedy could sustain a narrative.
But First season is rough around the edges. Takes time to become the machine it's famous for being.
Happy Valley2014
Sarah Lancashire delivers a career-best performance in a Yorkshire crime drama that earned its status. Gripping, character-obsessed, and made by someone who understands how to build tension that actually sustains across episodes.
But It's bleak and heavy. Not comfort viewing, and the violence isn't stylised or distant—it hits close.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Lenny Henry Show
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
The Power of Nightmares: The Rise of the Politics of Fear2004
It's what happened next to Henry himself: the pirate radio DJ from sketches actually trying to remake broadcasting from within, only to find the system much more complex than satire suggested.
A documentary series that followed Lenny Henry as he moved into drama and serious television. Watches a comedian navigate the very machinery of TV and influence he was satirising in The Lenny Henry Show. Haunting in hindsight about ambition and industry.
But It's a documentary about television, not a scripted show. If you want narrative and character, this is about real people in institutional spaces—slower, sometimes mundane.
More like this (6)
Brass Eye1997
Charlie Brooker and Armando Iannucci's prank-based satire. Fearless, weird, constructed with genuine craft. Proves British comedy could be experimental and popular at the same time.
But Some of the humour lands as cruelty. It's designed to provoke, and that sometimes means you feel uncomfortable watching it—not always in productive ways.
The Fast Show1994
Quick-fire sketch series with characters that became national catchphrases. Rowley Birkin and Brilliant sketches sit alongside dud ones, but when it lands it's joyful. Sketches short enough that bad ones vanish quickly.
But Very 90s in its cultural references. Some of the catchphrase comedy feels thin if you're not already invested in the recurring bits.
Knowing Me, Knowing You with Alan Partridge1994
Armando Iannucci's character work is meticulous. Watching Alan Partridge form across these chat-show sketches is like watching a great actor build a role live. Comedy as performance, not just jokes.
But It's painfully awkward by design—not everyone finds secondhand embarrassment entertaining, and if you don't, this will feel like work.
Monty Python's Flying Circus1969
Sketch comedy that genuinely rewired British television. Anarchic, weird, literary. The blueprint for everything that came after, including Henry's generation of comedians.
But Dated in obvious ways, and some of the sketch structure is slack—they could hold a bit longer, tighten the exit. Also very Oxbridge in its sensibility.
A Bit of Fry and Laurie1987
Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie's sketch show from the same year. Musical, clever wordplay, strong character work. Proves sketch comedy could be both mainstream and genuinely intelligent.
But Leans heavily on verbal dexterity—if language-based jokes aren't your thing, you'll feel left behind. Some sketches are pure showboating.
The Singing Detective1986
Like The Lenny Henry Show, it's built on the idea of character as prism—but where Henry uses comedy to refract reality, Potter uses genre and music. Both are artists refusing the boundaries of their supposed form.
Dennis Potter's six-part drama about a hospitalised crime writer whose mind fractures between noir fantasy, childhood memory, and present agony. Musical, experimental, heartbreaking. British television at its most ambitious and unashamed about mixing genres.
But Dense and demanding. It's not comedy, though it has funny moments. Requires attention and emotional availability. Some found Potter's sexual politics troubling even at the time.
