Russell Howard looks back: ‘Am I peculiar? You’d struggle to find anyone who does standup who isn’t a bit weird’

The comedian on mining his very large family for material, avoiding the celebrity circus, and being an unashamed standup fanboyBorn in Bath in 1980, Russell Howard is one of the UK’s most successful comedians. He started his career on the standup circu…

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Samuel Barnett: the 10 funniest things I have ever seen (on the internet)

The English actor shares what tickles his funny bone, from a bracing bagpipes outtake to a foolproof moment of awkward familial physical interactionMore summer essentialsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastHi Guardian Australia. …

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Ben Elton: ‘I fancied Olivia Newton-John. It’s alright to say that about a third cousin, right?’

The standup talks about tensions behind the scenes of Blackadder, his Wiggles movie that never happened and his opinions on hecklersOf all the things you’ve written, what gets quoted at you the most?It’d be something from my three series of Blackadder …

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Jenny Eclair looks back: ‘Anorexia is difficult to get out of. I can joke about it now, because I’m overweight’

The comedian and novelist on the stress of sudden success, her disordered relationship with food, and how hobbies have replaced her libidoBorn in Kuala Lumpur in 1960, Jenny Eclair is a comedian, actor and author. The daughter of a major in the British…

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Janey Godley obituary

Scottish comedian and actor whose sweary voiceovers to Nicola Sturgeon’s briefings during Covid were a viral sensationJaney Godley, the Scottish comedian, actor and writer, who has died of cancer aged 63, performed to sell-out crowds across&n…

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Bill Bailey: ‘When I met Paul McCartney, I was so nervous that I forgot how to speak’

The comedian planned to tell the Beatle ‘something eloquent’ backstage – but wound up completely thrownGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailIf you could change the size of any animal to keep as a pet, what would it be?A tiny elephant, so tiny you…

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‘Oh god I’m Sue Gray – don’t, I’m cringing’: comic Emma Sidi brings the embattled civil servant to the stage

After Starstruck and Taskmaster, the new project sees Sidi play a profane, lowbrow version of Keir Starmer’s former chief of staff. She explains why her latest comedy creation is breaking-news proofWhen Emma Sidi was in year seven, a classmate predicte…

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Elouise Eftos: the 10 funniest things I have ever seen (on the internet)

‘Australia’s first attractive comedian’ shares what makes her laugh, including a Showgirls parody, ‘Sweded’ films and Emma Stone on Saturday Night LiveGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailI was aware of the internet from quite a young age, maybe …

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Jerry Seinfeld says he was ‘wrong’ to blame ‘extreme left’ for killing comedy

Seventy-year-old comedian walks back contentious comments about ‘PC crap’, saying: ‘You can’t say certain words about groups. So what?’Jerry Seinfeld has backtracked on comments he made earlier this year blaming the “extreme left and PC crap” for negat…

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Count the bounces! Balance the egg! Can Taskmaster triumph as a live experience?

Playing gimcrack games and being teased by Greg Davies’ digital avatar in a facsimile of the Taskmaster house will delight fans of the TV show – once the kinks are ironed outWhat’s the key to the success of the TV show Taskmaster? Is it the batty chall…

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