Comics (British TV series)

Comics is a two-part British television miniseries, written and created by Lynda La Plante, that broadcast on Channel 4 between 6 and 7 June 1993. Adapted from La Plante's novel of the same name, the series stars Tim Guinee as Johnny Lazar, a down-and-out American comedian who tries to regain his status as an international superstar by embarking on a tour of working men's clubs and universities in England. But on his first night, Johnny is witness to a gangland murder and finds himself having to go on the run as he becomes the target of hit men who want to eliminate any chance of them being identified.

The series also stars Danny Webb as Lazar's agent, Brian Duffield; Lennie James as Delroy Smith, a local delinquent whom the police suspect committed the murder; and Michelle Fairley as Nula O'Reilly, Duffield's girlfriend and a fellow comic who grows close to Johnny. The series was directed by Diarmuid Lawrence, produced by Verity Lambert via her own production company, Cinema Verity, and features a number of notable cameo appearances, including the likes of Michael Aspel and The Wildhearts. Comic material used in the series was co-written by Jenny Eclair. The complete series was released on DVD via Simply Media on 21 May 2018.

Cast

 * Tim Guinee as Johnny Lazar
 * Danny Webb as Brian Duffield
 * Lennie James as Delroy Smith
 * Michelle Fairley as Nula O'Reilly
 * Frank Grimes as D.C.I. Kelly
 * Christopher Fulford as Nigel Perfect
 * Graham Fellows as Graham Redcar
 * Jenny Galloway as Rebecca
 * Alex Norton as Haggis
 * Terry O'Neill	as Peter Moreno
 * Stephen Greif as Anthony Fratelli
 * Joe Dixon as Harper Knowles
 * Steve Nicolson as D.I. Cloaks
 * Colin Wyatt as D.I. Shawley
 * Johanna Benyon as Felix
 * Lou Hirsch as Morris Feldman
 * Michael Gardiner as Supt. Jackson
 * Cassandra Holliday as Lucinda
 * Richard Ridings as Tommy Karr
 * Kevin Williams as Alex Cornwall

Releases
Comics has been released on DVD in 2018 by Simply Media.