The BBC comedy chief says social media is stopping comedy from testing boundaries. Has he seen Fleabag and Derry Girls?Great leaps forward in comedy happen by asking the big questions. What if you created a show that unapologetically showed the horror …
Continue ReadingProvocative standup who never appeared on television, but was a much loved figure on the comedy circuitThe charismatic and iconoclastic comedian Ian Cognito, who has died aged 60, was a critically acclaimed and much loved figure on the British circuit …
Continue ReadingJimmy Carr and Katy Brand among those to pay public respect to ‘fearless’ comic who fell suddenly ill during Bicester gigTributes have been paid to the anarchic comedian Ian Cognito, who died on stage during a gig on Thursday night. The cult standup wa…
Continue ReadingThe writer, actor, standup and Massive Dad member on the things that make her laugh the mostLazy Susan are brilliant, John Kearns is sublime and I will always love anything Adam Riches does on a stage. Continue reading…
Continue ReadingTommy Cooper’s fez and Paul Daniels’ saw-in-half box part of display at Wellcome Collection Tommy Cooper’s fez, a gorilla mask used by Derren Brown and a wooden box and saw that Paul Daniels used to saw Debbie McGee in half have gone on display at a mu…
Continue ReadingThe American comedian, actor and musician on the things that make him laugh the mostMonty Python’s Argument Sketch is hard to beat. Continue reading…
Continue ReadingHammersmith Apollo, LondonThe US standup tackles morality, racism, R Kelly and Michael Jackson in a barbed satirical showMuch has changed for Aziz Ansari since his last UK tour. The US comic’s previous gigs at this address showcased a slick, suited-and…
Continue ReadingCombining TED talk and party, the comic’s gigs challenge sexism and body-shaming. Now she’s riffing on Mary Magdalene, singing Cher to Richard Curtis – and hoping viewers watch again and againLuisa Omielan is fuming. When I arrive to meet the 36-year-o…
Continue ReadingAs I’m deaf in one ear, I have always had to watch people extra closely – the perfect preparation for character comedyWhen I was little, my sister Kate used to play the recorder really loudly down my deaf ear as a party trick for her friends. I liked t…
Continue ReadingStealing clothes, sharing a bed, cereal for dinner… from Shaun Ryder and Bez to the boys from Busted, former housemates remember their first houseshareShaun Ryder and his Happy Mondays bandmate Bez first lived together in Salford, Greater Manchester,…
Continue Reading