Goose: ‘The funniest thing that shouldn’t be funny? Richard Madeley’

The comedy duo Adam Drake and Ben Rowse on the things that make them laugh the mostAdam Drake The first time I saw Lolly Adefope do her character Gemma.Ben Rowse The first ever Horne Section in Edinburgh in 2010, with Mark Watson singing about bouncy c…

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Contrarian comic Fin Taylor: ‘I don’t believe in anything beyond getting the next laugh’

The explosively funny standup has joked provocatively about race, leftwing politics and gender. Next up, his mother-in-lawIn 2019, a performance of Fin Taylor’s #MeToo-themed When Harassy Met Sally prompted outrage in an article for the Independent. “T…

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Kim Noble: ‘I covered an Introduction to Schopenhauer in batter once then ate it’

The comedian and artist on the things that make him laugh the mostI once saw Neil Hamburger and laughed uncontrollably … it was actually embarrassing. I was part of a group that went for dinner with him afterwards and then started sobbing uncontrollabl…

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An Inside job: lockdown has finally been turned into the stuff of irresistible art | Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett

This strange time needs to be described and explored – and US comedian Bo Burnham has produced something specialIn the spring, I wrote about a wariness surrounding art that reflects on the pandemic – and how we nonetheless need to address it culturally…

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An Inside job: lockdown has finally been turned into the stuff of irresistible art | Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett

This strange time needs to be described and explored – and US comedian Bo Burnham has produced something specialIn the spring, I wrote about a wariness surrounding art that reflects on the pandemic – and how we nonetheless need to address it culturally…

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Joanna Griffin: ‘I dreamed Pacey from Dawson’s Creek took me for a watermelon Bacardi Breezer’

The writer, comedian and actor on the things that make her laugh the mostKemah Bob. She has a drag king act called Lil’ Test Ease who is a right-wing rapper claiming to be a men’s rights activist. The way she tackles toxic masculinity is hilarious and …

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Alyssa: Memoirs of a Queen review – ego fest with a helping of humility

Vaudeville theatre, LondonRuPaul’s Drag Race star Alyssa Edwards rampages into the West End and has an easy way with the crowd“My favourite subject is talking about me,” Alyssa Edwards tells us – so she must really be enjoying her West End show, in whi…

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Alyssa: Memoirs of a Queen review – ego fest with a helping of humility

Vaudeville theatre, LondonRuPaul’s Drag Race star Alyssa Edwards rampages into the West End and has an easy way with the crowd“My favourite subject is talking about me,” Alyssa Edwards tells us – so she must really be enjoying her West End show, in whi…

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‘Explosively funny’: Victoria Wood’s song-filled slog to comedy glory

Joyce Grenfell inspired her, she wrote her own musical at school and a fringe theatre show with Julie Walters paved the way to TV fame. As Victoria Wood’s Talent returns, we revisit her early stage yearsAnyone who has watched her in Dinnerladies or rec…

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Sound Heap review – one podcast to spoof them all

Available onlineThe age of peak podcast meets its match in John-Luke Roberts and his procession of hilariously titled imaginary showsIn 2018, John-Luke Roberts’s Edinburgh show consisted entirely of names of hitherto unheard-of Spice Girls. He’s up to …

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