Edinburgh festival 2024: 12 tips for families

With manga circus, a Jaffa Cake musical, silly science and a llama adventure, there is something to entertain audiences of all ages this summerThe jaw-dropping, dreamlike animations of 1927 linger long after the final curtain. Now, the restlessly inven…

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The Material by Camille Bordas review – when life is one long joke

Students on a comedy course devote their every moment to mining material for their on-stage routine in a novel that relies on how much it can make the reader laughFor any standup comedian, “material” is everything. Yes, it will require editing, fleshin…

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David Sedaris is an icon of indignation in a world that keeps on irking

The American humorist delighted the Royal Festival Hall with characteristically disgruntled slices of life – including a brush with cancel cultureIn years to come, I can tell the grandkids I was at the Royal Festival Hall the night Keir Starmer celebra…

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‘We write something and it can be in the show that night’: comedy trio Sheeps on the freedom of Edinburgh fringe

The cult heroes are back with their ‘best sketches ever’. After success with Ladhood, Stath Lets Flats and Parlement, are they still hoping for that elusive Sheeps TV series?Fifteen years into a career of joking, what’s the biggest joke of all? To stil…

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‘Punters let me cut their hair!’ Johnny Vegas on the wild pub that launched his career

From performing in a bin to arm-wrestling rivals, the standup cut his teeth at a Nottingham pub’s chaotic Just the Tonic nights. As the thriving comedy club chain it grew into turns 30, he remembers really letting ripFrom a “renegade, rundown pub” to a…

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How viral ‘crowd work’ clips are remaking standup for the social media age

More and more comedians are uploading their improvised encounters with audience members. But do these interactions detract from the craft of standup?The front row of a comedy club is a scary place to be. Those courageous enough to brave that spot – or …

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Tweedy’s Massive Circus review – a lovable lark from start to finish

Culden Faw Estate, Henley-on-ThamesThe Scottish clown and his pals have taken over in a family caper combining comedy, slapstick, dropped plates and acrobatic skillsTweedy’s MASSIVE Circus (“but it’s tiny!”, shouts the crowd) unfolds in a bijou village…

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Tweedy’s Massive Circus review – a lovable lark from start to finish

Culden Faw Estate, Henley-on-ThamesThe Scottish clown and his pals have taken over in a family caper combining comedy, slapstick, dropped plates and acrobatic skillsTweedy’s MASSIVE Circus (“but it’s tiny!”, shouts the crowd) unfolds in a bijou village…

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Tweedy’s Massive Circus review – a lovable lark from start to finish

Culden Faw Estate, Henley-on-ThamesThe Scottish clown and his pals have taken over in a family caper combining comedy, slapstick, dropped plates and acrobatic skillsTweedy’s MASSIVE Circus (“but it’s tiny!”, shouts the crowd) unfolds in a bijou village…

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Edinburgh festival 2024: find the funny with these 20 comedy shows

A one-woman 90s romcom, boundary-testing standups and a new Taskmaster contestant make our comedy critic’s list of the fringe’s most promising ticketsOlga Koch stepped into the big league at Fringe 2023 with a show, Prawn Cocktail, pairing sassy tales …

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