Bryony Kimmings: ‘I found birth incredibly funny, weirdly’

The award-winning live artist and writer on the things that make her laugh the mostNeil Hamburger gets me every single time. It’s so dumb, but in its repetition it becomes so amazing. Related: The Guide: Staying In – sign up for our home entertainment …

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Eddie Izzard: ‘I’m just trying to create a space for myself’

The actor and comic on making her female pronouns permanent, shouting down abuse, enduring a marathon a day – and running for Labour Eddie Izzard doesn’t understand what all the fuss is about. In December, it was reported that the standup comic/actor/c…

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Funny Festival Live review – BBC series puts standups back on stage

BBC2, live and on catchupThis chance to see new comedy faces, including Judi Love, Michael Stranney and Toussaint Douglass, reaps easygoing rewardsVictoria Wood, Harry Hill and Eddie Izzard are among the comics celebrated in the BBC’s new Festival of F…

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Sarah Silverman review – after a year of exile from the stage, a standup looks inward

Available onlineSilverman shifts away from shock-peddling and scripted jokes in a Q&A that comes alive when she reflects on comedy itself“I hope this was interesting in some way,” says Sarah Silverman to end this online event, with a note of uncert…

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Hugh Dennis: ‘I try to go so fast that it’s impossible for anyone to heckle’

The comedian, actor, writer, and standup on the things that make him laugh the mostRowan Atkinson doing his school register sketch, live in Birmingham in the very early 90s. Or, on TV, Bob Newhart doing a phone call to Walter Raleigh, in which Walt tri…

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Hugh Dennis: ‘I try to go so fast that it’s impossible for anyone to heckle’

The comedian, actor, writer, and standup on the things that make him laugh the mostRowan Atkinson doing his school register sketch, live in Birmingham in the very early 90s. Or, on TV, Bob Newhart doing a phone call to Walter Raleigh, in which Walt tri…

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BGT standup sensation Nabil Abdulrashid: ‘There’s so many people to annoy!’

His routines about race, identity and a black Winston Churchill clocked 3,000 complaints. As he looks forward to touring again, the standup explains why he won’t be toning things down Watch Nabil Abdulrashid’s audition for Britain’s Got Talent from las…

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Improv your lockdown: the comedian delivering laughs and life hacks

Pippa Evans, star of improvised musical Showstopper!, has written a self-help book based on her stage experiences. ‘Yes … and?’ asks our comedy criticDid you ever think: I wish my life was more like Whose Line Is It Anyway? It’s not, I suspect, the fir…

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Odd couple: can a leftie comic teach a Tory baroness standup?

She used to chair the Conservatives. He used to perform in his underpants. Could Nick Helm turn Sayeeda Warsi into a comedian?A Tory baroness and a leftwing comedian walk into a bar. As setups for a punchline go, it sounds fairly promising. But on day …

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Garth Marenghi: how the Edinburgh award winner found his Darkplace

Our series exploring the stage origins of hit comedies continues with the cult hospital horror show that scared up audiences to become a fringe sensationGarth Marenghi, serious horror writer and self-described “master of the macabre”, was born in 1950 …

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