Prunella Scales was a queen of comedy with a passion for classical theatre

The actor best known as TV’s Sybil Fawlty dazzled over five decades on stage, in roles from from Shakespeare to Alan Bennett • Fawlty Towers actor Prunella Scales dies at the age of 93Prunella Scales will always be remembered for her TV performances in…

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Ardal O’Hanlon: ‘I fell asleep on stage once – I could hear someone doing my material, got annoyed and woke up’

In the lead-up to the new series of Return to Paradise, the actor and comedian talks Father Dougal’s knitwear, Van Morrison and his disappointing sauerkrautGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailWhat’s the longest word you can make out of the lette…

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Tom Rosenthal: ‘I quickly forget nice gigs and will take bad ones to the grave’

The Friday Night Dinner star on returning to standup, being inspired by Arctic Monkeys and his bugbears with the comedy industryHow did you get into comedy?I was in a public speaking club at school and competed internationally. I am greatly indebted to…

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Tom Rosenthal: ‘I quickly forget nice gigs and will take bad ones to the grave’

The Friday Night Dinner star on returning to standup, being inspired by Arctic Monkeys and his bugbears with the comedy industryHow did you get into comedy?I was in a public speaking club at school and competed internationally. I am greatly indebted to…

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Rosie O’Donnell: ‘Meat Loaf’s mother wrote me and said, “You can’t be mean to my son”’

The beloved host and comedian on blubbering fans, scary kangaroos, her favourite Irish person and the strangest job she has ever hadGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailYour show is called Common Knowledge. What do you think should be common know…

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‘My past was chaos’: Iain Lee on abuse, cocaine, comedy, his on-air breakdown and his ‘sex addict’ father

The broadcaster and comedian has been delighting and outraging audiences for almost 30 years. Off-air, his life has lurched from crisis to crisis. Has he finally found peace?It’s nearly three decades since Iain Lee roamed the streets for Channel 4’s 11…

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Ania Magliano: ‘My favourite gig? I did some material about vibrators and a 92-year-old gave me tips on different settings’

The standup on Taskmaster, her time in the Cambridge Footlights and the geniuses behind Colin the CaterpillarWhat made you get into comedy?
In primary school I wasn’t very cool. I never got Hula Hoops in my packed lunches because my Polish mum would g…

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‘There’s magic, blood and gore!’ Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton on touring Inside No 9 – and being megastars in China

As the show based on their cult TV hit goes on the road, the duo discuss haunted theatres, feeling like arthritic swans and what it was like being mobbed in ShanghaiHow do you make a shopping centre in Woking spooky? I bow before Reece Shearsmith and S…

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Ideal review – stage return for Johnny Vegas’s TV weed dealer fails to score

Lowry, Salford Reprise of Graham Duff’s cult comedy delights the series’ fans but there’s not much here for anyone elseIf you are a fan of the cult BBC Three sitcom Ideal, you should immediately book a ticket for this show. Judging by tonight’s audienc…

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Haywire review – early history of The Archers inspires behind-the-mic farce

Barn theatre, CirencesterFeaturing extraordinary voice acting, this play about the birth of the BBC’s farming drama will equally satisfy superfans and everyday folkEven regular listeners to Radio 4’s The Archers can balk at the laborious annual plotlin…

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