Jerrod Carmichael is a superb standup – if only he’d stop checking his phone on stage

The US comedian, who won an Emmy for the remarkable 2022 special Rothaniel, makes a bemusing visit to London When Sarah Silverman took to the stage at Hammersmith Apollo one night in 2008, she couldn’t have been more hip, or more hyped – America’s most…

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Claire Hooper: ‘We are surrounded by people we love who we will lose … how are we not crying all the time?’

The beloved comedian can hardly believe her success. But two tragedies last year left the former Bake Off star grappling with life after lossGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailJust after 7am and Melbourne is still waking up. On the drive from t…

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‘Why would you not want to be woke?’ Inside the TV comedy workshops infuriating the right-wing press

They’ve been called ‘a disaster for the arts’ and lambasted for ‘pursuing a heavily woke agenda’. So what actually happens at a comedy workshop? Our writer joins 30 working-class standups determined to break into TV A bunch of comedians are pouring int…

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Richard Lewis: the Curb favourite and standup legend who never hid he was having a great time

Whether duking it out with Larry David or bringing the funnies alongside Jamie Lee Curtis, Lewis loved the banter and relished the comedyRichard Lewis: a life in picturesJust last night, before I woke up to the news that comedy legend Richard Lewis has…

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Bill Bailey: a comic maestro of bits, bobs and barbs at the Tories

Thoughtifier, a new European tour, brings familiar whimsy from the Strictly Come Dancing champ. But does the mirth cramp his musical stylings?Forty years into his performing career, you know what you’re going to get with Bill Bailey. Musical noodling: …

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‘We’re going back to silly’: what’s the next turn for British comedy in era of nostalgia?

It’s no joke for new shows as classic favourites live on while investment in sitcoms and sketches faltersThere is a quip beloved of comedians, when asked if their industry is going down the pan: “Nostalgia? It ain’t what it used to be.”But for fans of …

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Candace Bushnell: True Tales of Sex, Success and Sex and the City review – racy, raw and riotous

London PalladiumThe fabulously gifted raconteur charts her stellar career with plenty of spit-out-your-wine moments and empowering life lessons‘Do you want to hear the story of the real Mr Big?” Candace Bushnell, the 65-year-old Sex and the City creato…

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Don’t mention the war … and the rest: the trouble with bringing back Fawlty Towers

Stage revivals of the 70s sitcom and The Fast Show have enough nostalgia value to delight fans. Less certain is what will happen to their more problematic materialThe essence of humour is surprise, according to that renowned comedy sage Immanuel Kant. …

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‘One-off talent’: UK comedy composer Steve Brown dies aged 66

Hit composer scored TV and radio as well as the stage shows X-Factor and TONY!The British comedy composer Steve Brown, who collaborated with the likes of Harry Hill, Steve Coogan and Lenny Henry, has died aged 66 from lung disease, his agent announced….

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‘One-off talent’: UK comedy composer Steve Brown dies aged 69

Hit composer scored TV and radio as well as the stage shows X-Factor and TONY!The British comedy composer Steve Brown, who collaborated with the likes of Harry Hill, Steve Coogan and Lenny Henry, has died aged 69 from lung disease, his agent announced….

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