Tim Key and Tom Basden turn up the heat on curry night

Alan Partridge’s Sidekick Simon takes it out on his own hapless wingman – but Enya’s repeated interruptions slow the flowI’ve missed live comedy very much since the closure of theatres. But I haven’t had to miss Tim Key. His shows were a special event …

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Jimeoin: ‘Heckling can be great – as long as they know when to shut up’

The Irish standup comedian and actor on the things that make him laugh the mostBilly Connolly when I was about 13 or 14. It really was a good night. I’ve seen loads of great acts since but he was the first and, as such, left an amazing impression. Rela…

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‘It stank of fags and booze and we loved it’ – theatres that made us, from Glasgow to Soho

In the final part of our series, UK arts figures give the lowdown on the precious places that nurtured their careers‘I’ve wrestled, climbed the walls and got a black eye there’Robert Softley Gale is the artistic director of Birds of Paradise.Laura Carm…

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Theatres that made us: ‘I’ve wrestled, climbed the walls and got a black eye’

Nadia Albina, Ivo Graham, Cherylee Houston and more share memories of the theatres that they call homeIvo Graham’s Game of Life UK tour has been rescheduled. Read more about Pleasance Courtyard.Nadia Albina stars in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Othe…

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‘We had illicit snogs backstage!’ Love letters to theatres

Kerry Godliman, Genevieve Barr, James Graham and more share memories of the theatres that changed their livesKerry Godliman’s new podcast, Memory Lane, is released by Entale in August. Read more about the White Bear.Hannah Khalil is under commission to…

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‘The National’s Olivier theatre needs bodies and music – it’s a modern cathedral’

Michael Longhurst, Rebecca Front, Nathaniel Martello-White and more discuss the theatres that have inspired and challenged themMichael Longhurst is the artistic director of the Donmar Warehouse. His National Theatre production of Amadeus is online unti…

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Joz Norris captures spirit of fringe comedy in crafty new film

Originally planned as an Edinburgh show, You Build the Thing You Think You Are is now a film – and a different proposition to live-streamed lockdown comedyJoz Norris’s new experiment starts with a provocation. “To me,” says the comic, “a live-stream sh…

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Mark Nelson: ‘Blazing Saddles – so quotable, so politically incorrect, so funny’

The award-winning standup, broadcaster and writer on the things that make him laugh the mostWithout a doubt, An Audience With Billy Connolly. The “incontinence pants” routine is such a brilliant piece of physical comedy. Related: The Guide: Staying In …

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Farty paintings and getting sozzled on gin: a seriously silly history of art and comedy colliding

Can comedy ever be art? From the crucifixion in puppet form to Vic Reeves on dada, we celebrate the daftness that can ensue when one spills over into the otherA critic once called Simon Munnery’s Edinburgh show “the closest comedy gets to modern art”. …

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Fight a pigeon for your seat! Unforgettable theatre encounters

Susan Wokoma recalls plays backed by birdsong, Tallulah Brown found a fairytale in the reeds and Gregory Doran takes a trip back to LancasterRead the rest of our series on the theatres that made us Tallulah Brown’s play When the Birds Come was at the E…

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