Fears sector will be overlooked when £1.57bn emergency arts funding is allocated Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThree-quarters of British comedy venues face closure within a year without financial support, according to a su…
Continue ReadingWhile they wait for clubs to reopen, standups are returning to the stage in car parks, with audiences tuning in on the radioIn his new Netflix special, US standup Dave Chappelle reflected on the drive-in comedy shows that have sprung up while clubs are…
Continue ReadingArts venues have been hit hard by the pandemic and are still unable to stage live performances. In the second part of a new series, we celebrate their essential rolePaul Chahidi is in all three series of This Country, available on BBC iPlayer. Read mor…
Continue ReadingYouTubeBuress revisits the story of his 2017 arrest for disorderly intoxication in an enjoyable online set that uses technology creativelyCross a comedian at your peril. They can put their revenge on a very visible pedestal – as Hannibal Buress now doe…
Continue ReadingYouTubeIn Stalter’s sharply observed, bittersweet character comedy, a string of awkward talkative types bare their souls Disastrous for many comedians, lockdown has propelled others to prominence – notably, those who’d already made a home online. Meg S…
Continue ReadingUK venues are in peril and standups can’t make a living if clubs are closed. Without support, we’ll lose talent as well as theatres I have fond memories of playing Southampton’s Nuffield theatre, which is now closing due to the pandemic – a fate likely…
Continue ReadingThe comedian and Mash Report star on Lemn Sissay’s memoir, Tank and the Bangas’ mindblowing hip-hop, and a very weird podcastComedian and musician Rachel Parris was born in 1984 in Leicester. She stars in BBC Two’s satirical news show The Mash Report, …
Continue ReadingThe late-night hub is replacing its cancelled fringe programme with new virtual offerings alongside archive footage The Gilded Balloon, Edinburgh’s uproarious palace of late-night comedy, has announced a season of work to replace its cancelled fringe p…
Continue ReadingIt’s the only place in the world where jokes about local councillors work. But is Belfast’s sharp-tongued comedy circuit becoming less hostile to outsiders?Patrick Kielty’s first Belfast standup set won him a keg of beer. It was freshers’ week 1989 at …
Continue ReadingMy standup career stalled when the pandemic arrived. But I get my kicks as a football manager on Twitch – and giving each player a storylineI began 2020 full of optimism, excited about returning to the Edinburgh fringe in August with a new show and fee…
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