English Entertainment
CNN goes on a ‘Quest’ for comedy
MUMBAI: CNN’s Richard Quest lines up the biggest names in international comedy and satire to find out the secrets of their success. He swaps the television news anchor chair for an unforgiving live audience in a New York comedy club. In this hour-long special Quest, Richard goes in search of answers and advice from the brightest sparks in contemporary humour in their own environment, as he prepares to go ‘live’ at Caroline’s Comedy Club.
Dispensing with the usual sofa and Q&A format, Richard uses his unconventional and unique interviewing style to gain an insight into what makes political satirists and comedians tick. At the culmination of this hour-long special, Richard decides to take all the advice, knowledge and experience from his guests; Jon Stewart, Ricky Gervais and Billy Connolly and make his comedy club debut.
British comedian, actor and writer Ricky Gervais who created The Office tells Richard that sometimes charisma can be more important than the jokes you tell, “…..you’ve got to have something but I think you can probably get away with bad material if you’ve got charisma and a great delivery.”
Richard also tracks down renowned and larger than life Scottish comedian Billy Connolly on one of his legendary global stand up tours. Conolly tells Quest that he does not script his material for his stand up routine, like he does for TV, “I have a skeleton. I have stories and situations around which I work every night and I invent every night and the good stuff stays and the old stuff slides off the edge and disappears.”
To help him on his week-long comedy exploration, Richard attends the Manhattan Comedy School where great careers have been launched, and the next big star could be in training. He joins the cops, chefs and actors trying to break the tough world of stand up comedy.
Then finally, after hearing and learning from the great and the good of international comedy, Richard truly throws himself into the deep end by being thrust into the limelight of New York’s Caroline’s Comedy Club in front of a live and potentially unforgiving audience. But the question remains to be answered, will he sink or swim?
Quest airs on 30 April at 6:30 pm and on 1 May at 4:30 pm.
English Entertainment
ZEE5 UK partners Narrative Entertainment to add UK channels
Six FAST channels added as platform sharpens hybrid play in Britain
LONDON: ZEE5 UK struck a first-of-its-kind deal with Narrative Entertainment, bringing mainstream UK television channels onto an Indian streaming platform as it pushes to deepen its footprint in a crowded, mature market.
The partnership adds six of Narrative’s FAST channels to the service, including Great! Movies, Great! Romance, Great! Mystery and kids brands POP, Tiny Pop and POP UP, widening ZEE5 UK’s appeal across genres and age groups.
The move reflects a clear shift in strategy. ZEE5 UK is betting on a hybrid model that blends on-demand content with curated, always-on channels to drive discovery and increase time spent on the platform.
“This partnership represents a meaningful evolution in how we serve audiences in mature markets like the UK, where viewers are defined by habits, convenience and choice rather than geography or language alone,” said Parul Goel, territory head, Europe, Zee Entertainment. “By bringing trusted mainstream UK channels together with our premium originals, movies and kids’ content, we are building a more consumer-centric platform that simplifies viewing while increasing depth and relevance.”
Fateha Begum, commercial director, Narrative Entertainment, said the tie-up would fuel growth for both sides. “Our portfolio of quality programming, with such wide and enduring appeal, is a perfect complement to ZEE5 UK. This is a strong partnership that will support growth for both parties, and we share Zee Entertainment’s vision of an increasingly partnership-led future for the industry.”
ZEE5’s global library spans over 4,000 films and more than 500 originals, with over 130 new titles added annually. The addition of Narrative’s channels strengthens its kids offering and introduces genre-led linear experiences alongside its on-demand catalogue.
The deal also gives Narrative access to ZEE5 UK’s fast-growing user base, extending reach without diluting brand identity, while reinforcing ZEE5 UK’s network of more than 40 live channels.
As streaming wars intensify, ZEE5 UK is widening its playbook, blending content, convenience and partnerships in a bid to win screen time in one of the world’s toughest markets.
