She won comedy’s top award, reinvented the romcom and is now hosting Junior Taskmaster. So why does the New Zealand comic need Buddhist podcasts to get through the day?Rose Matafeo is bad at endings. So bad that, after stepping away from standup in 201…
Continue ReadingTheir Miss Fortunate show – which takes in bipolar disorder, financial ruin and a shocking scamming in Thailand – will ‘take the charge paddles to the chest’ of a comedy career that began with an eye-gougingKemah Bob arrives wearing a stylish ensemble:…
Continue ReadingSoho theatre, LondonInspired by joint therapy sessions with her father, the standup’s joyful show has vivid portraits of her ‘borderline-delusional’ parentsHow would you describe my vibe, Sophie Duker asked friends one day, and – quelle surprise – she …
Continue ReadingPlaying gimcrack games and being teased by Greg Davies’ digital avatar in a facsimile of the Taskmaster house will delight fans of the TV show – once the kinks are ironed outWhat’s the key to the success of the TV show Taskmaster? Is it the batty chall…
Continue ReadingSoho theatre, LondonThe Drag Race UK winner draws inspiration from a human cannonball in an unsubtle hour of daredevil feats and jokes about flatulenceSome shows win new fans; some just please existing ones. UK Drag Race champ Ginger Johnson’s latest m…
Continue ReadingComedian wows BBC show’s judges and fans with confident performances that are helping to upend stereotypesIt may be early days, but Strictly Come Dancing’s breakout star so far this season is also the show’s first blind contestant, Chris McCausland.The…
Continue ReadingComedian wows BBC show’s judges and fans with confident performances that are helping to upend stereotypesIt may be early days, but Strictly Come Dancing’s breakout star so far this season is also the show’s first blind contestant, Chris McCausland.The…
Continue ReadingThe standup on his new book about stuck-up children, earnest hecklers and why he gets annoyed about being called a ‘TikTok comedian’How did you get into comedy?I’d always secretly wanted to be a comedian. When my university held a talent show and neede…
Continue ReadingMilton Keynes theatreThe indefatigable comic eschews the cliches of most middle-aged standups and skewers modern life with fairness and charmA central section of Ben Elton’s new show addresses euthanasia, with the 65-year-old strongly asserting the rig…
Continue ReadingThe British comedian’s show Ends went from a tiny basement at Edinburgh festival to landing its top award – and now it is on Netflix. It’s easy to see whyIf you were to judge Ahir Shah’s Netflix comedy special Ends by its trailer – a middle-of-the-road…
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