‘It could have some negative pushback’: has extreme comedian Kim Noble finally gone too far?

In Lullaby for Scavengers, the no-holds-barred performance artist returns to outfox and outrage audiences. He talks about trying to snog his mother, bathing with maggots and being an ‘old white dinosaur’To interview comedians, you don’t usually travel …

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Kate Berlant and the one-woman show to end all one-woman shows

The comedian teams up with Bo Burnham for a subversive and striking performance that plays into her knack for the absurdEven if you were only remotely involved in the making of Don’t Worry Darling, Olivia Wilde’s sophomore film as director whose behind…

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Laura Lexx: ‘I did 10 gigs for a master’s in standup comedy – then never stopped’

The comedian and author on studying laughter theory, industry frustrations and the perils of gigging at a racecourseHow did you get into comedy?I studied the history of variety and vaudeville under Oliver Double at university and then did a master’s in…

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Laura Lexx: ‘I did 10 gigs for a master’s in standup comedy – then never stopped’

The comedian and author on studying laughter theory, industry frustrations and the perils of gigging at a racecourseHow did you get into comedy?I studied the history of variety and vaudeville under Oliver Double at university and then did a master’s in…

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Dawn French Is a Huge Twat review – mini-masterpieces of self-mockery

New theatre, OxfordFrench heaps detail upon self-abasing detail as she shares hugely engaging stories from her 40-year careerIt’s called semantic satiation, when you say a word so many times it starts to lose its meaning. Something of that effect is on…

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Laughing all the way to the West Bank: the blind Palestinian comedian tearing down barriers

Joke by joke, standup sensation Sherihan El Hadwa is challenging lazy stereotypes about victimhoodOn a small stage in Tulkarm, a city in the north of the occupied West Bank, Sherihan El Hadwa emerges from the wings to a Palestinian pop song. Dancing an…

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‘I try to be repulsive’: comedian Patti Harrison on why she likes to bait liberal audiences

The Ohio-raised star of movies and TV shows such as Shrill and I Think You Should Leave says comedy is a refuge from the impacts of being trans and that, right now, she’s happy to be in the UKNear the start of Patti Harrison’s untitled live comedy show…

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Georgie Carroll: the 10 funniest things I have ever seen (on the internet)

The nurse turned comedian is here to spread cheer with the things that make her laugh online, including Joe Lycett, celebrities eating hot wings and her mumGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailG’day. I am Georgie Carroll or Nurse Georgie, nurse t…

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Guz Khan: ‘I didn’t have an agent, I just had my mates’

The comedian talks about his hunt for fresh talent, the new series of Man Like Mobeen and how one disastrous standup gig led to multiple arrestsYour route to the stage started with funny videos on Facebook. Was there any intention of it becoming someth…

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Helen Bauer: ‘The heckling turned into audience whack-a-mole then the whole room went quiet’

The standup on middle-child syndrome, the comedy scene in Berlin and the nightmare gig that she can’t forgetWhat made you get into comedy?An unholy need for attention stemming from middle-child syndrome that grew out of control and a desperate need for…

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