Phil Wang looks back: ‘Being the only East Asian person on the bill, there was a real thrill in defying people’s expectations’

The standup comedian on growing up in Borneo and Bath, living like Batman at Cambridge, and his lifelong fascination with wrestlingBorn in Stoke-on-Trent in 1990, Phil Wang is a comedian, actor and writer. He spent most of his childhood in Malaysia wit…

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Janey Godley obituary

Scottish comedian and actor whose sweary voiceovers to Nicola Sturgeon’s briefings during Covid were a viral sensationJaney Godley, the Scottish comedian, actor and writer, who has died of cancer aged 63, performed to sell-out crowds across&n…

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Susie McCabe on Janey Godley: ‘Audiences roared – never tittered or chuckled – and she made it look effortless’

The candid Scottish standup, who has died aged 63, is remembered for her love and laughter by her fellow Glaswegian comic‘Legend” gets bandied around a lot these days. But I said goodbye to a legend this week. It wasn’t a surprise; we all knew it was c…

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Janey Godley: a remarkable comic who built a career on her own terms

The Glaswegian comedian who grew up in poverty and married a gangster always put her life experience at the heart of her workNobody did comedy quite like Janey Godley. This wasn’t just a matter of her background, which in turn became the currency of he…

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Scottish comedian Janey Godley dies aged 63

Godley, whose comedy drew upon her Glasgow upbringing, died ‘surrounded by her loved ones’, her management saysJaney Godley: a remarkable comic who built a career on her own termsJaney Godley, the Scottish comedian and author whose quick wit led her to…

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Anirban Dasgupta: Polite Provocation review – stealthy subversive satire

Soho theatre, LondonPoking fun at Indian politicians present and past, and delighting in the UK’s decline, the low-key comic delivers some bulletproof materialAnirban Dasgupta has been a standup for 10 years – almost as long as that artform has been bo…

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Bill Bailey: ‘When I met Paul McCartney, I was so nervous that I forgot how to speak’

The comedian planned to tell the Beatle ‘something eloquent’ backstage – but wound up completely thrownGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailIf you could change the size of any animal to keep as a pet, what would it be?A tiny elephant, so tiny you…

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After 25 years of piss-taking Australia’s politicians, the ‘disturbingly accurate’ Wharf Revue bows out

Albanese was ‘very gracious’, Bob Hawke invited them to dinner and Tony Burke goes every year. Before their final shows, the minds behind the satire reflect on a quarter century of politics and beltersGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailIt’s tim…

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Babatunde Aléshé: ‘Dipsy from the Teletubbies got me into comedy’

The comic talks heroes, his best-ever gig and why he blows raspberries for 20 minutes before going on stageWho’s your comedy hero?Eddie Murphy. How can it not be? Eddie Murphy is the greatest of all time.Do you have any preshow rituals?Just to be left …

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Maisie Adam: Appraisal review – cheery self-mockery skips lightly across the surface of life

Leicester Square theatre, LondonWhile her assessment of her life so far may feel a little insubstantial, there is no doubting the standup’s likability and skill with an audienceCrowd work at the start of a standup set is meant to warm up the audience, …

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