BBC America’s ‘Ministry of Laughs’ First Look: Chris Hardwick’s Drag Lesson (Exclusive)

BBC America’s weekly comedy showcase Ministry of Laughs, hosted by Chris Hardwick, is launching this Saturday — and we’ve got the exclusive first look.

Here, Hardwick — a self-proclaimed Doctor Who fan — teaches us some things about British comedy, specifically how often they feature their lead characters in drag. Some examples? Monty Python, Shakespeare and The Crying Game.

Clearly the British have an affinity for dressing up.

This won’t be a one-time thing, just the first of many videos to come that will play during Ministry of Laughs (#MinistryofLaughs on Twitter) — all of which will delve deeper into the comedic stylings of the British. And who better to educate us than Hardwick?

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Ministry of Laughs begins with the U.S. premieres of The Graham Norton Show, The Inbetweeners and Come Fly With Me starting at 10 p.m. on Saturday, June 18.

And just in case you needed a refresher: The Inbetweeners centers on the stories of awkwardness, idiocy and sexual misadventure from Will, Simon, Jay and Neil in their final year of school. Come Fly WIth Me, from Little Britain‘s Matt Lucas and David Walliams, star in the mockumentary-style comedy featuring the duo as they play nearly 50 characters found in an airport terminal.

If all goes well, this won’t be the only place you’ll be seeing Hardwick (also host of G4’s Web Soup) on BBC America, which just aired the game-changing Doctor Who midseason finale. Through his deal with the cable network, a pilot for a television show based on his popular Nerdist podcast will air some time this year — with the potential for it to go to series.

Check it out:

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