‘God, I was disgusting!’ – Ali Wong on why women’s bodies are the last taboo

The standup behind Baby Cobra found fame with her candid material on sex and pregnancy. Back with a memoir, she talks about her work ethic, the taboo of miscarriage – and performing in front of her in-lawsIn her memoir, written as letters to her two yo…

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Kate Berlant: ‘There’s a connection between being psychic and improv’

She’s had small roles in hipster thriller Search Party and the new Tarantino movie but comedy is Berlant’s first love. Why? Because it’s ‘a place of terror’To fellow comic Bo Burnham, she is the “most influential/imitated comedian of a generation … a m…

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Steve Martin and Martin Short: ‘Do you think the Queen will come to our show?’

Two of the Three Amigos are hitting the road with a banter and banjo-filled double act. But it’s not about nostalgia, they insist“I’m a Guardian subscriber!”Oh, come now, Steve, you’re just buttering me up.Steve Martin and Martin Short are at the SSE H…

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All hail Tina Fey: the funniest comic of the 21st century

From skewering Sarah Palin to handing us Liz Lemon on 30 Rock, here are 10 of the SNL legend’s most hilarious moments The 50 best comediansA nice girl with an anarchic bent and a tongue as sharp as a boning knife, Tina Fey has dominated sketch comedy (…

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The 50 best comedians of the 21st century

From apocalyptic standup Frankie Boyle to the many hilarious faces of Tina Fey, Steve Coogan, Sharon Horgan and Kristen Wiig, we present the funniest comics of the eraOur No 1 comedian’s funniest momentsMore of the best Theatre | TV | Dance | Film | Al…

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Sebastian Maniscalco: the record-breaking comic who impressed Scorsese

The world’s fifth highest-earning comedian talks about going from serving Robert De Niro drinks to co-starring with him on screenIt’s an early Thursday morning in Los Angeles and Sebastian Maniscalco sounds weary, but for good reason. Not only is he en…

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Ken Jeong: insecure men find my nude scenes reassuring

After the smart-aleck sitcom Community and the outrageous Hangover movies, the rude and raging comedian is returning to standupRage, mania and disinhibition are the common factors in Ken Jeong’s comedy. That’s whether he’s springing naked from the boot…

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A lifetime of material: a comedian’s guide to the Indian election

The Stay Awake party, the polling station in an area populated by lions … on the eve of results in India, Anuvab Pal reveals how the biggest election in history – with 900 million voters – is comedy goldI sit down to read the Indian Express and come ac…

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Ian McKellen review – heartfelt hilarity from a crusader of the stage

Everyman, CheltenhamShakespeare, wizards and panto dames all play their part in an evening of autobiography that is a love letter to theatreScratch a great actor and you often find a born comic underneath and, watching Ian McKellen’s itinerant solo sho…

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‘She was our Michelle Obama’: how Gilda Radner changed comedy for ever

The death of the SNL star 30 years ago robbed the industry of one its finest voices – but not before she had blazed a trail for women such as Tina Fey to followThere is no shortage of excellent critical writing about the US comedy scene in the 80s, and…

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