Alan Cumming did a gig for a cat, Tiff Stevenson was drowned out by samba and some performers even made a profit … fringe veterans discuss their first time and how the festival has changedIt was when I still had a fringe of my own: 1974 seems like yest…
Continue ReadingOscar Jenkyn-Jones was one of the wildest new talents in comedy. But he suddenly disappeared – and reinvented himself as a therapist instead. He explains the joys of swapping the fringe for Freud‘I thought you might have come to kill me,” says Oscar Je…
Continue ReadingThe standup’s new Edinburgh fringe show, Lost Boy, is about rediscovering silliness after difficult life events“When bad things happen, there is a lot of comedy if you look in the right places,” says standup Sarah Keyworth. We’re in a bar in central Lo…
Continue ReadingA Greek project is teaching participants the art of standup in order to shine a new light on stories about migrationIn Athens, a handful of novice standups are at the mic after taking part in a series of comedy workshops. One of the organisers, Vasilei…
Continue ReadingUnderbelly festival, LondonThe acrobatic feats of Jarred Dewey go some way to redeem a show that’s way too high on cliches and exposed buttocksEnough buttock already! It’s not a sentiment one is often moved to express, but there you go: well before Aus…
Continue ReadingCanal Cafe theatre, LondonThis high-energy hour of songs and sketches includes a Conservative leadership medley from The Greatest Showman and Boris Johnson’s Jailhouse RockIn the 43 years since NewsRevue first made merry at current affairs – it’s now t…
Continue ReadingThe Brighton-based, Leeds-supporting comedian on late nights, long lunches, Reddit threads and sticky toffee puddingWhen do you wake up? I live in Brighton so I get woken by seagulls at 11am. I’ve usually done a gig on Saturday and won’t get in until 1…
Continue ReadingScary movies can exorcise the audience’s own demons but silliness can also help you process rage, says the comedian“Stop being hysterical!” “You are over-reacting!” “Put that watermelon down!” If I had a pound for every time I’d heard one of these rebu…
Continue ReadingWelsh comedian becomes patient at Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff, where he is a patronRhod Gilbert, the comedian and television presenter, has announced he is being treated for cancer.The 53-year-old from Carmarthen said he was a patient at Velindre…
Continue ReadingThe standup on who makes her laugh, what she misses most about home, and learning to tune out bad advice from drunk peopleWhat is your new comedy show about?Moving from Paris to Birmingham without a plan in 2014, trying to fit in with “Britishness”, an…
Continue Reading