‘Maybe everybody feels socially awkward’: the standups turning their autism into a comedy superpower

From Fern Brady to Hannah Gadsby, a host of comedians have discovered that they have autism. What is it about standup that lends itself so well to neurodivergent people?In 2020, Pierre Novellie was previewing an early version of  his standup show …

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Robby Hoffman review – New Yorker unleashes her nerd-jock shtick

Soho theatre, LondonSnarling at the audience and cracking cynical jokes, Hoffman’s intriguing faux-boorish persona wears thin, undermining her subversively funny riffsRobby Hoffman recently raised hackles, she tells us, by using the word “faggot” on Ne…

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Robby Hoffman review – New Yorker unleashes her nerd-jock shtick

Soho theatre, LondonSnarling at the audience and cracking cynical jokes, Hoffman’s intriguing faux-boorish persona wears thin, undermining her subversively funny riffsRobby Hoffman recently raised hackles, she tells us, by using the word “faggot” on Ne…

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‘We are devastated’: London’s Vault festival to close after funding falls through

Launchpad for theatre and comedy talent, which had planned to open its new longterm home this year, announces its closureLondon’s Vault festival, which has kickstarted countless theatre and comedy careers in a warren of performance spaces beneath Water…

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‘We are devastated’: London’s Vault festival to close after funding falls through

Launchpad for theatre and comedy talent, which had planned to open its new longterm home this year, announces its closureLondon’s Vault festival, which has kickstarted countless theatre and comedy careers in a warren of performance spaces beneath Water…

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Chris Turner: the 10 funniest things I have ever seen (on the internet)

The British musical comedian shares the comedy songs he grew up listening to, including Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, Monty Python and Spike MilliganGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailIn our era of Infinitely Scrolling Disposable ContentTM, our …

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Chris Turner: the 10 funniest things I have ever seen (on the internet)

The British musical comedian shares the comedy songs he grew up listening to, including Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, Monty Python and Spike MilliganGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailIn our era of Infinitely Scrolling Disposable ContentTM, our …

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Janey review – behind-the-scenes doc shows standup at her hilarious and heartfelt best

On tour with her daughter after her cancer diagnosis the Scottish national treasure opens up about her life and finds big laughs in the face of deathHere’s a documentary following the Glaswegian standup comic Janey Godley on her Not Dead Yet Tour; in 2…

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‘The outrageousness of what Louis CK did is totally lost’: the film about the backlash faced by his accusers

Sorry/Not Sorry tells the story of the comedian’s sexual misconduct through the eyes of the women who spoke out – and endured a vicious backlash from fans, podcasters and fellow standupsCaroline Suh was once a huge fan of Louis CK, the comedian known f…

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Leigh Francis: My First Time review – cacophonously unfunny with the emphasis on cack

London PalladiumThe comic revives Avid Merrion, Keith Lemon and others in a scatological set of unimaginative jokesIs he funny, or is his comedy the nadir of western civilisation? Not being a close follower of the storied TV career of Leigh Francis, AK…

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