La Princesa de Woking: Sex, Brexit and big hair in Emma Sidi’s glorious spoof

Sidi’s new online soap opera brings all the overheated thrills of Mexican telenovelas to the home countiesIf a Mexican TV company set a Spanish-language soap opera in a bland British town, peppering the script with gratuitous references to the NHS and …

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Jigsy review – Les Dennis sheds tears of a clown for comedy’s lost era

Available onlineThe scuzzy end of show business and all its sozzled, sentimental excesses are captured by the ex-standup in a heartfelt monologueI last saw Les Dennis on stage two years ago, playing a washed-up, old-school comic in the Park theatre’s&n…

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Gina Brillon: The Floor is Lava review – a deft dance across class divides

Amazon Prime VideoQuinoa, veganism and lakehouses are ticked off on the Bronx comic’s journey to affluence but her charm shines throughLockdown laughs: where to watch online comedyThe British are obsessed with class, it’s said – unlike in egalitarian A…

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Comedy at the Covid Arms review – the perfect formula for lockdown standup

Consummate host Kiri Pritchard-McLean sets the stage for Frankie Boyle and others in a show with true comedy-club feel Lockdown laughs: where to watch online comedyThe Covid Arms started life as an online “pub” where a group of friends met during lockd…

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Holly Walsh: ‘The funniest TV show I’ve ever seen? Eastbound & Down’

The comedian, comedy writer and TV producer on the things that make her laugh the mostMaria Bamford. I saw her in Edinburgh about 10 years ago and I don’t think it gets better than that. Related: The Guide: Staying In – sign up for our home entertainme…

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Rhys Nicholson: the 10 funniest things I have ever seen (on the internet)

We asked Australian comedians what they turn to to cheer them up online. For Rhys Nicholson, it’s dark sketches, surreal specials and furious women Ah, the internet. Where would we be without it? Probably not in severe civil unrest. As a self-empl…

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Jen Brister: Meaningless review – a furiously funny blast of rage

Available online With weariness and seething frustration, the comedian sounds off in style about gender inequality and sexismThe starting point of Jen Brister’s 2018 show Meaningless, now available online from Soho theatre, is that the Bright…

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‘It’s like the wild west!’ – inside Cardiff’s heckle-heavy comedy scene

How do you make audiences laugh in a town that hates show-offs and loves to hassle performers? Our writer gets some hot tips as she continues her comedy tourIn 2005, you could fit the whole Cardiff comedy scene into a small minibus, says comic Elis Jam…

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Lockdown laughs: where to watch online comedy

The comedy industry is in crisis and we could all do with hearing a few jokes. Here’s a guide to the virtual gigs you can enjoy this weekLike all comedy clubs, the Angel in London is closed and faces a precarious future caused by the Covid shutdown. Th…

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Stamptown Comedy Night review – flying the flag for leftfield comedy

Available onlineLive cabaret becomes alternative sketch show as the Stamptown gang make merry with Zoom-era laughsCan you capture online the raucous energy of the best live comedy cabarets? It’s not easy – because audience and performers aren’t in the …

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