Genre Comedy Country United Kingdom Home station BBC Radio 4 | Running time 30 minutes Language(s) English Created by Armando Iannucci | |
Armando Iannucci's Charm Offensive is a British radio comedy programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 2005 with a second series in 2006, a third in 2007 and a fourth in 2008. Series 2, 3 and 4 of the show were broadcast in the popular Friday evening slot, which it has shared with The News Quiz and The Now Show. It is hosted by comedian Armando Iannucci and each week a panel of fellow comedians make satirical and surreal observations on current events. Vaughan Savidge provides voice overs.
Guests in the first three series have included Clive Anderson, Jo Brand, Marcus Brigstocke, Alexei Sayle, Mark Steel, Andy Zaltzman, John Oliver and Phill Jupitus. The 2007 series included Stewart Lee, Mark Watson, Rich Hall and David Cross.
In April 2007, Series 2 was awarded a Sony Radio Award in the comedy category. The judges said: "Making comedy programmes out of current affairs topics is a well-populated genre. The judges felt that this was a great example of brilliant observation with surreal twists, taking the listener on an unpredictable journey and bringing a fresh slant to the format."
The shows writers include Armando Iannucci, Nick Doody, Ian Martin, Sean Gray, Dan Tetsell, Will Smith and Jon Holmes.