We’re very fond of Dave – the TV channel, not the name (no offence meant to all the human Daves out there). Where else can you find BAFTA-winning cooking series Big Zuu's Big Eats alongside James Acaster and Josh Widdicombe’s new panel show Hypothetical and re-runs of cult sci-fi comedy Red Dwarf? If you want a laugh, you go to Dave. 

And we’re especially excited to tune into the channel this August, when it’s airing All New Laughs – a special series of half-hour UKTV original pilots commissioned especially for Dave. The pilot programme is focused on giving a platform to diverse talent from groups that are still underrepresented in the British television industry (which is still dominated, particularly in senior and high-profile creative roles, by white, able-bodied men from upper-middle class backgrounds). 

From a Romesh Ranganathan-produced short film about a half-Welsh, half-Iranian 20-something leaving his hometown for the first time, to a Liverpool-set comedy about a group of young disabled people on a work preparation scheme, All New Laughs is guaranteed to introduce you to some future stars of the UK comedy scene. Get ready to say you saw them first. 

The Other Half

Tuesday 23 August, 10pm, Dave (CH 127) 

Executive produced by Romesh Ranganathan, The Other Half stars Vahid Gold (Newark, Newark) as Navid, who gets the chance to swap his small Welsh hometown for the bright lights of Bristol when he lands his dream internship. 

Staying with his best friend’s posh family, Navid tries to forget that he’s still in the closet due to his overprotective Iranian dad (This Country’s Paul Chahidi). But he quickly realises it will be almost impossible to keep the two halves of his life apart. Written by Kate Reid and Zak Ghazi-Torbati, inspired in part by Ghazi-Torbati’s own Welsh-Iranian heritage. 

Dead Canny

Wednesday 24 August, 10pm, Dave (CH 127) 

Loose Woman Denise Welch co-stars in this new sitcom about a young medium from County Durham whose questionable talents see her ensnared in a murder investigation. Newcomer Sarah Balfour plays “psychic” Kay, whose ability to see dead people makes her a bit of money down the pub – then makes her the prime suspect when someone is killed. Written by County Durham-born Anna Costello and co-starring Fraser Ayres (The Smoking Room), who also serves as executive producer. 

Holier Than Thou

Thursday 25 August, 10pm, Dave (CH 127) 

Sex and spirituality are the themes of the day in this sitcom set in an African evangelical church in Manchester. Written by Mancunian Misha Adesanya and starring a trio of new talent, Holier Than Thou follows young adults Shola (Princess Khumalo), Chuks (Tomi Ogbaro) and Victor (Jordan Williams) as they navigate sex, faith and relationships against the backdrop of their conservative religious and familial backgrounds. 

Perfect

Friday 26 August, 10pm, Dave (CH 127) 

It’s still rare to see TV shows that capture the lives of disabled people in the UK from their perspective. Starring Sex Education’s George Robinson, Perfect takes us into a shoddily-run work preparation scheme in Liverpool – where Robinson’s character bonds with two other young disabled people (played by Wills Whittington and Shreya M Patel) over their scorn for a system that seems designed to only benefit the people who run it. Written by Liverpudlian screenwriter, playwright and comic Laurence Clark.