Edinburgh festival’s funniest performers for 2022 are revealed

Young Latina whose act tackles disability is among the winners at prestigious awards ceremonyBoth of the top prizes for being funny at the 2022 Edinburgh fringe festival have gone to foreign talent. The Australian comedian Sam Campbell is the winner of…

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On my radar: Ed Gamble’s cultural highlights

The comedian on metallic hardcore bangers, the TV adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman and where to get the best mushroom parfaitBorn in Hammersmith in 1986, Ed Gamble is a comedian, writer and actor. He studied philosophy at Durham University and s…

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Lauren Pattison review – fall and rise of a comic motormouth

Monkey Barrel Comedy, EdinburghThe standup puts her working-class status front and centre in this compelling and cathartic journey through her Covid yearsLauren Pattison had two ambitions for 2020: get engaged, and take a comedy show on tour. By the su…

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How to say the unsayable: the comics tackling anti-‘woke’ trolling

While debates about cancel culture rage on at Edinburgh, a trio of performers are critiquing ‘edgelord’ humour, while still remembering to be funny‘Cancel Anti Wokeflake Snow Culture” is not an out-of-context Piers Morgan quote but the title of comedia…

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Josh Pugh review – fashioning fecklessness into front-rank standup

Monkey Barrel Comedy, EdinburghPugh shambles his diffident way into the spotlight with a stealthy, clever and heartwarming showIncompetent, negative, a follower not a leader: Josh Pugh is highly conversant with his own shortcomings. His Edinburgh show …

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Larry Dean review – cheeky-chappy persona begins to fray

Monkey Barrel Comedy, EdinburghDean’s great skill is to make the audience feel like intimate confidantes, but sometimes his impatience to get to the next laugh weakens the shtickIt’s a sign of the times that even the sunniest standups are now deliverin…

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Sam Campbell review – loopiness underpinned by sharp observations

Monkey Barrel, EdinburghThe Australian comic takes incongruity to uncommon lengths – and this year he’s recalibrated his show towards warmth“My mind is a prison full of crazy ideas. And I think there’s going to be a jailbreak!” That’s Sam Campbell: fre…

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Oliver Coleman: the 10 funniest things I have ever seen (on the internet)

In between performances at Edinburgh Fringe, the Australian comedian has assembled a list of fun clips, including the Armando Iannucci Shows and a parody of Vogue’s 73 QuestionsGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailThe future is bright for online …

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A love rat, a shelf-stacker and a Fleabag spoof: Edinburgh comedy awards shortlist announced

From Liz Kingsman’s ‘messy woman’ send-up to Seann Walsh’s memories of his off-screen Strictly kiss, the nine-strong shortlist is a triumph for diversity though not without glaring omissionsThe nominations have been announced for the first Edinburgh Co…

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Blues, Jews and Ukrainian ballet: the best theatre, dance and comedy of autumn 2022

Samira Wiley makes her UK stage debut, there’s an urgent counter to antisemitism, plus a fourth King James, refugee dancers and comedic returns Continue reading…

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