John Shuttleworth: ‘The funniest word? Tuna mayonnaise’

The standup, singer-songwriter and radio presenter on the things that make him laugh the mostI do believe it was a sketch by the late Mike and Bernie Winters in the early 1970s. I can’t remember much about it, but it must have been funny because I slap…

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Mark Thomas: 50 Things About Us review – an inventory of Britishness

Radlett Centre, HertfordshireThis grab-bag show sheds little light on our political travails but it’s stuffed with funny caricatures and plenty of myth-bustingHow did we get here? asks Mark Thomas. His new show, 50 Things About Us, promises little-know…

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Peter Kay announces comeback with Dance for Life charity shows

Comedian returns to stage three years after cancelling his UK tour for undisclosed family reasonsThe comedian Peter Kay is set to return to the stage, three years after cancelling all of his projects due to “unforeseen family circumstances”. The 46-yea…

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Arabella Weir: ‘Funerals should be like the best parties’

The actor, writer and comedian of the things that make her laugh the mostJoan Rivers. Boy, she was fearless and funny, just perfect. Continue reading…

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Matt Richardson: ‘The funniest dream? To have a steady income from comedy’

The standup, radio DJ and TV presenter on the things that make him laugh the mostJason Byrne at Latitude festival in 2011: he had the audience in the palm of his hand. He was walking the line between a comedy gig and a riot. Continue reading…

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From first love to unfollowing – culture that sums up romance in 2020

A book redefining marriage, a riotous show about dating, the secret meanings of breakup songs and a sex show to put your back out … ahead of Valentine’s Day, our critics pick works that sum up passion in our turbulent timesFrom Adam and Eve in the book…

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John-Luke Roberts: master of nonsense rails against comedy blandness

The oddball standup delivers deliciously terrible, wonderful jokes as he leads the charge for alternatives to the mainstreamWhen John-Luke Roberts scored an Edinburgh fringe success with the absurdly titled All I Wanna Do Is [FX: GUNSHOTS] With a [FX: …

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John-Luke Roberts: master of nonsense rails against comedy blandness

The oddball standup delivers deliciously terrible, wonderful jokes as he leads the charge for alternatives to the mainstreamWhen John-Luke Roberts scored an Edinburgh fringe success with the absurdly titled All I Wanna Do Is [FX: GUNSHOTS] With a [FX: …

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David Baddiel – Trolls: Not the Dolls review – standup surveys the online cesspit

Royal Shakespeare theatre, Stratford-upon-AvonThe comedian leads us from weird to wonderful to ‘the absolute worst of humanity’ in his new show about social mediaTwitter has curdled public discourse, says David Baddiel; it has normalised angry and extr…

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Maisie Adams: ‘The funniest word? Fiscal, it sounds proper saucy’

The standup, writer, and actor on the things that make her laugh the mostI’m obsessed with This Country. All the relationships are completely dysfunctional yet there’s a real warmth to the whole thing. There’s not one weak episode. Continue reading……

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