The complete BBC Radio 4 comedy quiz series

The Personality Test

The comedy panel game where all the questions are about the guest host 
 
Welcome to The Personality Test, the panel show in which a brand new host takes the chair for every episode to present a quiz entirely themed around themselves. Each gets to run the show by their own rules, devising topics and queries based on their life, whims, fancies and past glories. Among the showbiz celebrities in the hot seat are Gyles Brandreth, Jennie Bond, Antony Worrall Thompson, Esther Rantzen, Janet Street-Porter and Edwina Currie, while the rounds include Love It Or Hate It, True or False, That Special Day and Life's a Pitch. 
 
Is John Sergeant a fan of Julia Roberts? Would Greg Dyke give Radio 4 just a minute, or leave it on a desert island? And does Claire Rayner have a penchant for jelly babies? Having spent a week swotting up on their host, the contestants must tackle these questions and more, as they do their best to amuse, entertain, charm, flatter - and occasionally, flirt outrageously - in a bid to chalk up the points and win the game. Battling it out are regular panellists and comedy heavyweights Alan Carr, Sue Perkins, Robert Ince, Lucy Porter, Will Smith and Carrie Quinlan. 
 
Intriguing and challenging, riotous and revealing, this unique panel show shines a fascinating spotlight on the interests and enthusiasms of your favourite personalities - and keeps you laughing along the way. 
 
Production credits 
Written by Richard Turner, Simon Littlefield and Kieron Quirke 
Devised and produced by Aled Evans 
 
Series 1 presented by: John Sergeant, Greg Dyke, Gyles Brandreth and Jennie Bond 
With Sue Perkins, Alan Carr, Lucy Porter, Will Smith, Robin Ince and Natalie Haynes 
 
Series 2 presented by: Roy Hattersley, Rick Wakeman, Adam Hart-Davis, Antony Worrall Thompson, Claire Rayner and Esther Rantzen 
With Sue Perkins, Lucy Porter, Robin Ince, Mark Dolan and Will Smith 
 
Series 3 presented by: Janet Street-Porter, Lorraine Kelly, Andrew Neill, Edwina Currie, Toyah Willcox and Eve Pollard 
With Sue Perkins, Will Smith, Nick Doody, Lucy Porter, Robin Ince, Carrie Quinlan and Dan Tetsell 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 12 July-2 August 2006 (Series 1), 7 December 2006-11 January 2007 (Series 2), 5 July-9 August 2007 (Series 3) 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

Lucy Porter

Luke Kempner

One of the most talented comics on the circuit

Four BBC Radio Stand Up Specials

Lucy Porter explores family life via songs, sketches and stand-up 
 
‘One of the most talented comics on the circuit’ Time Out 
 
Lucy Porter is well known for her cheery, feelgood comedy. She has toured both nationally and internationally with her one-woman shows, and her many TV and radio appearances include Live at the Apollo, QI, The Now Show and The News Quiz. In this quartet of stand-up specials, she examines domestic life from the dramatic to the dreary, aided by comedian and impressionist Luke Kempner. 
 
Lucy Porter in the Family Way sees her probing what family life means to her, as a mum and a middle-aged orphan. Beginning with her childhood in Croydon, she chats about leaving the nest, motherhood and her parenting style (benign neglect). She also offers helpful tips on swearing, sleepovers and the importance of always having a pound coin handy; addresses the pros and cons of siblings; and discusses what it’s like to parent your own parents. With a lot of laughs and a dollop of poignancy, this warm, witty show charts the life cycle of a typical nuclear family – from soft play centres to garden centres and Morrisons café. 
 
Lucy Porter In The Family Way… Again finds Lucy pondering the concept of legacy. Contemplating the bric-a-brac her parents left behind them, she muses on the other things they’ve passed on to her – weak ankles, terrible teeth and a small third nipple – and the weird quirks and foibles she’s inherited. But it’s her parents’ values, like kindness and charity, that she wants to pass on to her own kids. Funny and moving, In The Family Way… Again is a love letter from Lucy to her mum, and a tender reflection on the things our parents do that drive us mad – things we’ll inevitably end up doing ourselves. 
 
In Lucy Porter: Back in the Family Way, recorded at Lucy’s local village hall with a socially distanced audience of her family, friends and neighbours, she reflects on how the pandemic affected our relationships with our loved ones. She looks back on the months spent locked down with her husband, children and cats – and on the challenges of home schooling, Zoom meetings and online weddings and funerals. And, from ‘next slide please’ to sourdough bread and clapping for carers, she considers all the things that brought us together – even while we were kept apart. 
 
Finally, in Lucy Porter’s Lucky Dip Lucy is back with a delightful celebration of midlife madness. Ably assisted by her young apprentice Luke Kempner, Lucy tackles bank holiday bin collection schedules, video doorbell footage, and being a member of the ‘sandwich generation’. Apparently, human happiness peaks at 18, dips to its lowest point between the ages of 49 and 54, then picks up again - by the age of about 65 you’re as happy again as you were at 18. So this show will be a comfort to those in the dip, a warning to younger listeners, and will make the older generation feel incredibly smug. 
 
This collection also includes exclusive behind the scenes interviews with Lucy Porter and Luke Kempner. 
 
Production credits 
Written by Lucy Porter 
Starring Lucy Porter and Luke Kempner 
Additional material by Gabby Hutchinson Crouch and Mike Shepherd 
Production Manager: Sarah Tombling 
Studio Engineer and Editor: Jerry Peal 
Production Runners: Abbigayle Bircham, Sahara Dennis, Kareem Elshehawy and Sakshi Gupta 
Produced and directed by Marilyn Imrie and Gordon Kennedy 
Lucy Porter: Back in the Family Way would not have been possible without Marilyn Imrie 
An Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 29 April 2018 (Lucy Porter in the Family Way), 28 April 2019 (Lucy Porter In The Family Way… Again), 4 July 2021 (Lucy Porter: Back in the Family Way) and 15 March 2023 (Lucy Porter’s Lucky Dip) 
 
© 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd ? 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Lucy Porter

Praise for Lucy Porter in the Family Way

One of the most talented comics on the circuit

Books by Lucy Porter

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