Michael Cumming

Only shown at live events, Oxide Ghosts: The Brass Eye Tapes is made from unseen sketches and outtakes from seminal British TV series Brass Eye.

Recorded live at Hammersmith Apollo the hilarious new show, Life Is Pain, covers every aspect of the modern condition. While famous as an actor – the eponymous hero in the BBC hit Jonathan Creek – and a household star for his role as Stephen Fry’s foil on QI, Alan was sorely missed from live stand-up. His first show back is a glorious insight into Alan’s unique worldview – growing up in the ‘70s, losing his mother as a little boy, the vagaries of Facebook, sex toys and being a father are just some of the subjects he tackles.

How does a working class autodidact, with no visible means of support, maintain his role as the leader of a cult British underground band into its fifth decade? Comedian and writer Stewart Lee, director Michael Cumming and James Nicholls investigate the mysterious existence of Robert Lloyd, Britain’s ultimate post-punk survivor. Robert Lloyd’s Prefects played with The Clash on the White Riot tour in 1977, and their ongoing incarnation, as Birmingham’s Captain Beefheart suffused post-punk poets The Nightingales, recorded more John Peel sessions than any other band. Ever. But what were the social, cultural and economic circumstances that enabled and sustained such outsider artists in the punk and post-punk eras, and how has the world changed to the point where such figures are unlikely to flourish in the same way today? Lloyd’s own odyssey echoes how abstract notions of social mobility, of the value of culture and music, have changed in the last five decades.

How does a working class autodidact, with no visible means of support, maintain his role as the leader of a cult British underground band into its fifth decade? Comedian and writer Stewart Lee, director Michael Cumming and James Nicholls investigate the mysterious existence of Robert Lloyd, Britain’s ultimate post-punk survivor. Robert Lloyd’s Prefects played with The Clash on the White Riot tour in 1977, and their ongoing incarnation, as Birmingham’s Captain Beefheart suffused post-punk poets The Nightingales, recorded more John Peel sessions than any other band. Ever. But what were the social, cultural and economic circumstances that enabled and sustained such outsider artists in the punk and post-punk eras, and how has the world changed to the point where such figures are unlikely to flourish in the same way today? Lloyd’s own odyssey echoes how abstract notions of social mobility, of the value of culture and music, have changed in the last five decades.

Only shown at live events, Oxide Ghosts: The Brass Eye Tapes is made from unseen sketches and outtakes from seminal British TV series Brass Eye.

Only shown at live events, Oxide Ghosts: The Brass Eye Tapes is made from unseen sketches and outtakes from seminal British TV series Brass Eye.

In 2007, Stewart Lee was voted the 41st best stand-up of all time in an official Channel 4 poll, apparently better than Lenny Bruce but not as good as Jim Davidson. But what real difference does this accolade make? His TV pilot has been cancelled and his mother still thinks the 1970s game show host Tom O'Connor is funnier than him.

On a sweltering afternoon in the summer of 2003, to celebrate his fiftieth birthday, Martin Newell performed a career-spanning set of songs at Colchester Arts Centre. Aided and abetted by a band of musicians that includes his old partner Nelson, from the Brotherhood of Lizards, Martin performed a wonderful 100 minute show that took in both his earliest songs and brand new compositions given their first live outing. The footage lay forgotten for almost twenty years but has now been lovingly assembled & restored for your viewing pleasure by director Michael Cumming.

Comedy that really makes a difference! This is Mark's true story of cake icing as a political weapon, of demonstrations to Defend Surrealism and getting to like the police. Mark turns an 18 month battle over Parliament Square and the right to demonstrate into bizarrely brilliant stand up. This is how Mark fought the law ... with the law's permission! It is a laugh out loud funny world inhabited by anarchists, Goths, artists and the Westminster Constabulary, in which Mark becomes a Guinness World Record holder, organises 2,500 protests in one day and changes the law in the process.

Rory Bremner looks back on the first year of Tony Blair's premiership through a series of sketches.

Untitled Michael Cumming and Stewart Lee documentary in the style of their previous collaboration King Rocker.

Untitled Michael Cumming and Stewart Lee documentary in the style of their previous collaboration King Rocker.

In his first live stand-up DVD for over 10 years, Lenny Henry at his brilliant best!

A collaboration between Cumbrian Artist Kevin Carr and director Michael Cumming. Shot around the Sellafield nuclear re processing plant on the West Cumbrian Coast. Kevin fearlessly put his case about the detrimental effects of the nuclear industry whilst living amongst a community that largely relied on it for employment.

A collaboration between Cumbrian Artist Kevin Carr and director Michael Cumming. Shot around the Sellafield nuclear re processing plant on the West Cumbrian Coast. Kevin fearlessly put his case about the detrimental effects of the nuclear industry whilst living amongst a community that largely relied on it for employment.

Quad Split replicates a multi-screen version of Video In/Audio Out VT's: 001-004. Small digital video cameras are easily able to function at any angle and the resulting images reduced to composition and colour. This Quad Split version, combining four disparate images and soundtracks to produce a new audio visual collage, extends this idea further. These pieces deliberately interface new and old video & sound technology. Digital & analogue audio sources are combined on a computer, then mixed back to analogue ¼” tape. The resulting mix then sent back to digital for uploading to the internet as well as being copied to U-matic* videotape for screenings.