Janey review – behind-the-scenes doc shows standup at her hilarious and heartfelt best

On tour with her daughter after her cancer diagnosis the Scottish national treasure opens up about her life and finds big laughs in the face of deathHere’s a documentary following the Glaswegian standup comic Janey Godley on her Not Dead Yet Tour; in 2…

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‘The outrageousness of what Louis CK did is totally lost’: the film about the backlash faced by his accusers

Sorry/Not Sorry tells the story of the comedian’s sexual misconduct through the eyes of the women who spoke out – and endured a vicious backlash from fans, podcasters and fellow standupsCaroline Suh was once a huge fan of Louis CK, the comedian known f…

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Leigh Francis: My First Time review – cacophonously unfunny with the emphasis on cack

London PalladiumThe comic revives Avid Merrion, Keith Lemon and others in a scatological set of unimaginative jokesIs he funny, or is his comedy the nadir of western civilisation? Not being a close follower of the storied TV career of Leigh Francis, AK…

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Jerrod Carmichael is a superb standup – if only he’d stop checking his phone on stage

The US comedian, who won an Emmy for the remarkable 2022 special Rothaniel, makes a bemusing visit to London When Sarah Silverman took to the stage at Hammersmith Apollo one night in 2008, she couldn’t have been more hip, or more hyped – America’s most…

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Catherine Bohart: Again, With Feelings review – firecracker of an hour is her best yet

Soho theatre, LondonThe Irish comedian refines gossip to a high art in a big-hitting show packed with whipsmart jokes about the panic of settling down in your 30sThe dates on Catherine Bohart’s new tour are being advertised, she tells us, as “relaxed p…

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Arnie, Dolph and me: Musclebound, the show working out pleasure, pain and bodybuilding

Growing up, Rosy Carrick was fascinated by Schwarzenegger, Lundgren and other shredded 80s screen stars. Now she is exploring what they helped her realise about her sex lifeIs there a gap between our private desires and the ones we are brave enough to …

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Claire Hooper: ‘We are surrounded by people we love who we will lose … how are we not crying all the time?’

The beloved comedian can hardly believe her success. But two tragedies last year left the former Bake Off star grappling with life after lossGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailJust after 7am and Melbourne is still waking up. On the drive from t…

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Sarah Keyworth: My Eyes Are Up Here review – top surgery becomes a family affair

Soho theatre, LondonWith fine one-liners, the crowd-pleasing east Midlander traces their relationship with their parents in a touching showSarah Keyworth launched their standup career with two thoughtful solo shows deconstructing gender and the meaning…

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‘Why would you not want to be woke?’ Inside the TV comedy workshops infuriating the right-wing press

They’ve been called ‘a disaster for the arts’ and lambasted for ‘pursuing a heavily woke agenda’. So what actually happens at a comedy workshop? Our writer joins 30 working-class standups determined to break into TV A bunch of comedians are pouring int…

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Richard Lewis: the Curb favourite and standup legend who never hid he was having a great time

Whether duking it out with Larry David or bringing the funnies alongside Jamie Lee Curtis, Lewis loved the banter and relished the comedyRichard Lewis: a life in picturesJust last night, before I woke up to the news that comedy legend Richard Lewis has…

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