His influence is everywhere – but is the great, groundbreaking comedian being forgotten? Twenty-five years after his death, we reassess his impact The reports of Peter Cook’s death on 9 January 1995 had no difficulty arriving at a consensus about him, …
Continue ReadingComedian will make his West End stage debut as Shakespeare in comedy adaptation promising troubles, twins and a dancing bearBen Elton’s sitcom Upstart Crow, which imagines the beleaguered personal and professional lives of a floridly loquacious William…
Continue ReadingIs the fringe ready for the brash standup who used to get paid in nachos and chicken wings? We meet one half of 2 Dope Queens as she fills her shoes with sweatWhat does Phoebe Robinson want to see when she arrives at the Edinburgh fringe? “Just tons of…
Continue ReadingThe queen of the caustic punchline talks about plastic surgery, embarrassing her daughter – and turning her life as a single mum into a sitcomKatherine Ryan is busily scrolling through a neighbourhood Facebook group when we meet. “Someone’s dog attacke…
Continue ReadingLoughborough Town HallHe became ‘the most hated comedian in Britain’. Now Walsh is on tour with the most engaging show of his careerThree weeks into Strictly Come Dancing last autumn, Seann Walsh was walking on air. The public loved him; the primetime …
Continue ReadingTyne theatre, NewcastleThe broadcaster and writer’s second live show is a warm storm of rollicking tales about musicians and his familyYou could ask the question of any comedy show: how much is truth and how much is performative topspin? It’s particula…
Continue ReadingThe BBC comedy chief says social media is stopping comedy from testing boundaries. Has he seen Fleabag and Derry Girls?Great leaps forward in comedy happen by asking the big questions. What if you created a show that unapologetically showed the horror …
Continue ReadingThe Palestinian-US standup on British airports, his Netflix special The Vagabond and what he has in common with comic pals Guz Khan and Dave ChappelleThere’s an auspicious precedent for Houston comedians trying their luck in the UK: when Bill Hicks did…
Continue ReadingProvocative and political, the stand-up – who has died aged 57 – shook up Radio 4 at a time when it was in danger of resembling a Rotary Club quiz night Although generally excluded from lists of BBC Radio 4 shows of historic longevity, a series present…
Continue ReadingProvocative and political, the stand-up – who has died aged 57 – shook up Radio 4 at a time when it was in danger of resembling a Rotary Club quiz night Although generally excluded from lists of BBC Radio 4 shows of historic longevity, a series present…
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