Hammersmith Apollo, LondonThe US standup tackles morality, racism, R Kelly and Michael Jackson in a barbed satirical showMuch has changed for Aziz Ansari since his last UK tour. The US comic’s previous gigs at this address showcased a slick, suited-and…
Continue ReadingCombining TED talk and party, the comic’s gigs challenge sexism and body-shaming. Now she’s riffing on Mary Magdalene, singing Cher to Richard Curtis – and hoping viewers watch again and againLuisa Omielan is fuming. When I arrive to meet the 36-year-o…
Continue ReadingAs I’m deaf in one ear, I have always had to watch people extra closely – the perfect preparation for character comedyWhen I was little, my sister Kate used to play the recorder really loudly down my deaf ear as a party trick for her friends. I liked t…
Continue ReadingStealing clothes, sharing a bed, cereal for dinner… from Shaun Ryder and Bez to the boys from Busted, former housemates remember their first houseshareShaun Ryder and his Happy Mondays bandmate Bez first lived together in Salford, Greater Manchester,…
Continue ReadingThe Man Like Mobeen star on his political aspirations, infiltrating Hollywood and reacting to ChristchurchFormer teacher Guz Khan is recalling the time he legged it out of an A-level class. He had organised an interview about his fictional character Mo…
Continue ReadingLeicester Square theatre, LondonNetflix’s Vagabond star teams up with Man Like Mobeen’s Khan to headline a mischievous night of smart gagsWhen the US standup Mo Amer first toured the UK, it was on the Muslim comedy bill Allah Made Me. There are echoes …
Continue ReadingThe actor, singer-songwriter and Fresh Meat star on the things that make her laugh the mostSpecifically, Billy Connolly on scaring his sister in the corridor; even more specifically, the way he runs around mapping said corridor. Continue reading…
Continue ReadingSoho theatre, LondonKemsley packs in high-calibre jokes in a tour through the gendered politics of promiscuityIn Nanette, Hannah Gadsby refused to pretend her personal pain was funny – and threw down a gauntlet to the comedy world. But there’s life yet…
Continue ReadingThis documentary about Sievey’s wacky comic creation makes a good case for bestowing posthumous national treasure statusIt’s appropriate that this absorbing, tender documentary has been driven by a surge of fan loyalty and love. A grassroots Kickstarte…
Continue ReadingThe comedian’s new show offers audiences ‘bespoke on-demand gags’ but reinforces the idea that satire is impotent In Richard Holloway’s book Waiting for the Last Bus – it’s about dying – he peers into the existential abyss. “The experiment of being was…
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