Funny Business

Funny Business

1992 · 1 season · 6 eps · ★ 7.3 · Comedy

Ended

Funny Business is a documentary style television series about the craft of comedy consisting of six 50-minute episodes. The first episode aired in the UK 22 November 1992. The show was also shown in Germany and released on video. It was directed by David Hinton. The writers were Rowan Atkinson, Robin Driscoll, and David Hinton. It was produced by Tiger Television Productions. The show featured appearances by many comedians, including Rowan Atkinson who made an appearance both as the presenter/narrator, and as an aspiring comedy actor named Kevin. Atkinson demonstrated many of the principles of comedy in a manner which was instantly identifiable to anyone familiar with his Mr. Bean character.

Directed by David Hinton

Your Rating

Episodes

Cast

Rowan Atkinson Presenter / Performer
Buster Keaton (archive footage)
Peter Sellers (archive footage)
John Cleese
Jacques Tati (archive footage)
Steve Martin (archive footage)

Trailers & Videos

More from David HintonSee all →

Strange Fish

Strange Fish · 1992

Strange Fish looks at our quest for someone to love and something, or someone, to believe in. The tyranny of couples and groups, the pain of not belonging and the fear of being alone are all laid bare in a series of powerful images. Strange Fish mixes humour, religious iconography and physicality, taking it beyond the boundaries of traditional dance.

Two by Dove

Two by Dove · 1995

MovieTV MovieMusic

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and the Royal Swedish Ballet perform two works by choreographer Ulysses Dove, "Vespers" and "Dancing on the Front Porch of Heaven."

The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind

The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind · 1988

The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind

MovieDocumentary

This documentary revisits the making of Gone with the Wind via archival footage, screen tests, insightful interviews and rare film footage.

The Modern World: Ten Great Writers

The Modern World: Ten Great Writers · 1988

The Modern World: Ten Great Writers

SeriesDocumentary

This documentary series uses drama and commentary to shed light on the lives and works of Joseph Conrad, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, T. S. Eliot, Henrik Ibsen, James Joyce, Franz Kafka, Thomas Mann, Luigi Pirandello, Marcel Proust and Virginia Woolf.

Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger

Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger · 2024

Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger

MovieDocumentary

Martin Scorsese presents this very personal and insightful new feature-length documentary about British filmmakers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

Laughing Matters

Laughing Matters · 1992

Laughing Matters

MovieDocumentaryComedy

A documentary on the mechanics of visual humour.

Francis Bacon

Francis Bacon · 1985

MovieDocumentary

Francis Bacon revolutionised figurative painting in the 20th century. The English painter unmasked his subjects in a provocative and ruthless manner. Deformed bodies, grimacing faces and the materiality of colour make us aware of brutality and sexuality, existential abysses and the fears of existence. Author Melvyn Bragg accompanies the painter throughout his day. This begins in his London atelier, leads us on to his favourite pub and ends up in gambling club in Soho.

Nora

"Nora" is based on true stories of the dancer Nora Chipaumire, who was born in Zimbabwe in 1965. In the film, Nora returns to the landscape of her childhood and takes a journey through some vivid memories of her youth. Using performance and dance, she brings her history to life in a swiftly-moving poem of sound and image. A girl who is constantly embattled - struggling against all kinds of intimidation and violence - but who slowly gathers strength, pride and independence.

Bernardo Bertolucci and the Making of 'The Last Emperor'

Bernardo Bertolucci and the Making of 'The Last Emperor' · 1988

Bernardo Bertolucci and the Making of 'The Last Emperor'

MovieDocumentary

Documentary about the making of the film first presented on the British television series "The South Bank Show".

Late-Flowering Lust

Late-Flowering Lust · 1994

Late-Flowering Lust

This movie is a combination of mime and dance that accompanies the "voiced-over" lyrics of a selection of poems by John Betjeman. Altogether, this movie portrays the events of a weekend party at an English country house.

Building Sights

Building Sights · 1988

Building Sights

SeriesDocumentary

Personal reflections on the best of 20th Century architecture.

More Like This

The Comedians

The Comedians · 2015

A veteran comedian is reluctantly paired with a younger, edgier comedian for a late-night comedy sketch show.

The Soup

The Soup · 2004

With this satirical series, the E! Entertainment Network returns to a format they helped create with the popular '90s show Talk Soup. Only this time instead of just poking fun at talk shows, they're setting their sights on all things in entertainment, reality TV, pop culture, and politics.

The Graham Norton Show

The Graham Norton Show · 2007

The Graham Norton Show

Each week celebrity guests join Irish comedian Graham Norton to discuss what's being going on around the world that week. The guests poke fun and share their opinions on the main news stories. Graham is often joined by a band or artist to play the show out.

Daniel Sloss: Live Shows

Daniel Sloss: Live Shows · 2018

Daniel Sloss: Live Shows

Comedian Daniel Sloss is ready to find the funny in some very dark topics, from the deeply personal to the truly irreverent.

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee · 2012

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee

Jerry takes his comedy pals out for coffee in a selection of his classic automobiles. Larry David sums it up best when he says, 'You've finally made a show about nothing.'

Jam

Adapted from Blue Jam, a late night radio show, Jam consists of six shows featuring dark humour and unsettling sketches unfolding over an ambient soundtrack. From the mind of Chris Morris.

How is it so far?

Your ratings make Midnight smarter