Don’t judge Ahir Shah’s Netflix special by its trailer – it’s among the best comedy out there

The British comedian’s show Ends went from a tiny basement at Edinburgh festival to landing its top award – and now it is on Netflix. It’s easy to see whyIf you were to judge Ahir Shah’s Netflix comedy special Ends by its trailer – a middle-of-the-road…

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Nish Kumar review – state of the nation and state of the Nish

Hackney Empire, LondonThe pre-eminent comic political polemicist of our time rants as much as ever, but with added introspectionWhat’s the point of making comedy that reminds everyone how awful things are? For the first time in Nish Kumar’s work, a not…

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Bec Charlwood: the 10 funniest things I have ever seen (on the internet)

This comedian pays homage to peak internet (circa 2000-2014), with classics including Cole Hersch, Charlie the Unicorn and a parody song about incelsGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailIf you’ve been online recently you’ve probably been disappoi…

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Michelle Brasier on turning cancer into comedy – and kicking her life into overdrive

After losing her father and brother, the Aunty Donna comedian was told she had a 97% chance of cancer herself. With a new album, musical and memoir to promote, she’s not slowing downGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailAt the end of her first yea…

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The best theatre to stream this month: Andrew Scott’s Vanya and an Othello with three Iagos

The Fleabag star delivers a bravura solo version of Chekhov’s classic, plus new perspectives on Shakespeare and a starry Rodgers and Hammerstein hoedownAndrew Scott plays every role in Simon Stephens’ Olivier award-winning version of Uncle Vanya, ingen…

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A Six follow-up, an LA clown … and War Horse rides again: theatre, comedy and dance autumn preview

Why Am I So Single sets dating angst to music; more Hollywood stars hit the West End; and a Brummie dance trilogy reaches its finale Continue reading…

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Sir Ken Dodd’s new ‘happiness centre’ tickles me but should be taken seriously | Michael Billington

A £15m, four-storey space in Liverpool is to be dedicated to the man once known as Professor Yaffle Chuckabutty. Let’s hope it will delve as deeply as he did into comedy’s infinite variationsWhat is the legacy of a great comedian? In the past it lay pr…

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Larry Dean: Dodger review – crowd-pleasing gags with a tender twist in the tale

Monkey Barrel Comedy, EdinburghThe Scottish standup retains his bouncy charm in a show that parallels his recent autism diagnosis with the story of his grandmother’s descent into Alzheimer’sWith victory in last week’s So You Think You’re Funny? prize f…

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Colin Hoult: Colin review – portrait of the artist as a young grande dame

Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghThe fringe veteran unpacks his idiosyncratic childhood in a vividly realised show about class, family and neurodiversityColin Hoult has been performing at the fringe for 20 years, but never with what most comics give us at…

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Graham Dickson: No One Deserves This More Than You review – dependably funny desperation

Pleasance Dome, EdinburghThe improv star showcases all his charm and skill playing a delusional actor who keeps pausing his show to record self-tapes for superior productions elsewhereFew figures are more dependably funny than the delusional, disappoin…

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