Sir Lenny Henry is to delve into the careers and inspirations of his comedy heroes in a new four-part series co-produced by Red Sauce (part of Zinc Media Group) and Douglas Road Productions (a Banijay UK company).

In Legends of Comedy with Lenny Henry, the award-winning comedian, actor and writer meets four of the country’s most iconic comedians to explore just how to make comedy gold. Each episode sees Lenny carve up the career and work of his funny guest, taking a deep dive to discover how they – and other comedy icons – made their mark.

With a mix of in-depth, illuminating chats, archive clips and loads of laughs, the series is an entertaining ride into the true genius of comedy.

The stars featured in Legends of Comedy with Lenny Henry are Paul Whitehouse, Sally Phillips, Romesh Ranganathan and Alexei Sayle.

Sir Lenny Henry said: “It was great fun spending time with my friends and hearing about what makes them laugh and what they take inspiration from. I hope the audience enjoys it as much as I did.”

Deborah Dunnett, commissioning editor for Channel 4, said: “It’s a true privilege to be bringing the legendary Sir Lenny Henry together with such a fantastic line-up of talented and brilliantly funny comedians to learn more their careers, their heroes and their craft. I can’t wait to see the chats between Lenny and his fabulous guests, which are guaranteed to be very very funny.”

Tom Edwards, Creative Director, Red Sauce, said: “It’s a joy to craft an entirely new comedy-ents format with a performer like Sir Lenny. It’s a really fresh way to carve up the comedy space, full of genuine insight and hearty laughs.”

Legends of Comedy with Lenny Henry is a 4x60’ series produced by Red Sauce (part of Zinc Media Group) and Douglas Road Productions (a Banijay UK company). It was commissioned for Channel 4 by Deborah Dunnett and Jayne Stanger, commissioning editors, Daytime and Features, with Jo Street, Head of Daytime and Features. The executive producers are Ben Smith for Red Sauce and Angela Ferreira for Douglas Road Productions.

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