C4 is paying tribute to Sean Lock tonight with a special evening of shows

Sean Lock at a C4 event.
Sean Lock passed away from cancer aged 58. (Image credit: Getty Images)

Following news that Sean Lock has passed away, C4 have adjusted their scheduling to pay tribute to the much-loved comedian. He was best known for his appearances on 8 out of 10 Cats as well as being a captain on its spin-off show, 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown. In addition to this, fans knew him for writing and starring in two series of the BBC sitcom, 15 Storeys High, which was set in a tower block.

To pay tribute to Sean, on Thursday 19 August there'll be two iconic programmes to celebrate the comedian and his work. At 10pm they'll be airing Sean Lock: Keep It Light, a stand-up performance which sees him talking about everything from the price of cinema food, accusations of him having a mid-life crisis, his behaviour on the internet and jewellery heists.

Following this, at 11:05pm there'll be a re-run of 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown to celebrate his time on the series where he worked alongside host Jimmy Carr, fellow team captain Jon Richardson, and a host of comedian guests such as David Mitchell, Richard Ayoade, Katherine Ryan, and Henning Wehn to name a few.

Yesterday C4 wrote a message of condolence which thanked the comedian for his time spent working on its programmes. They said: "Incredibly sad to learn of the loss of one of our greatest comedians, Sean Lock. A much-loved part of the C4 family he’s played a huge role on the channel for over 2 decades, and we’ll miss him. Our thoughts are with his family and friends."

Thousands of tributes have poured in for the late comedian, with many of his friends and co-stars paying tribute to him following the news. Jimmy Carr said: "Brutal news about Sean Lock today. I loved him. I’m watching clips of him right now - laughing & crying. I’ll miss him so much."

And Jon Richardson added: "I idolised Sean as a comic long before I became a comedian myself and ten years working alongside him didn’t diminish that in the least. An incredible comic brain and a truly unique voice."

For full C4 scheduling over the coming week, you can check our TV guide.

Lucy Buglass
Senior Staff Writer

Lucy joined the WhatToWatch.com team in 2021, where she writes series guides for must-watch programmes, reviews and the latest TV news. Now she works for our sister site TechRadar in the same role. Originally from Northumberland, she graduated from Oxford Brookes University with a degree in Film Studies and moved to London to begin a career writing about entertainment.

She is a Rotten Tomatoes approved film critic and has a huge passion for cinema. She especially loves horror, thriller and anything crime-related. Her favourite TV programmes include Inside No 9, American Horror Story, Stranger Things and Black Mirror but she is also partial to a quiz show or a bit of Say Yes to the Dress