Tom/Crystal Rasmussen: ‘The funniest thing? Posh people pretending to be poor’

The author, singer, and cabaret artiste on the things that make them laugh the mostAnything that goes “gay viral” – like that woman on Celebrity Mastermind who, when asked the name of the Swedish climate activist changing the world, answered “Sharon”. …

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Jon Culshaw to play Bill Bryson in Notes from a Small Island adaptation

Dead Ringers impressionist takes lead role in stage version of bestselling book on British identityThe impressionist Jon Culshaw is to play Bill Bryson in a new stage adaptation of Notes from a Small Island, the Iowa-born author’s bestselling book abou…

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Allez les standups! Are French comics gutsier than their British rivals?

They’re inspired by Charlie Hedbo and tell jokes that would get British comedians cancelled. Our writer spends a week watching French standupsHow Greece’s theatre staged triumph from tragedyLast dance for Berlin’s 56-hour party people?Poland’s world-be…

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Sadie Clark on dating, swipe culture and creating a ‘bisexual Bridget Jones’

Algorithms, Clark’s hilarious one-woman show, triumphed at the Edinburgh fringe. Is a hit TV series on the way?Sadie Clark is one of theatre’s most exciting rising stars but back in 2017 she was in a rut. Depressed and anxious, she couldn’t stop checki…

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Comedian Joe Lycett changes name to Hugo Boss in swipe at fashion house

Stunt is revenge for brand’s legal action against small firms using word boss in namesHugo Boss has long been a commanding brand in designer clothing and expensive fragrances – but it hasn’t had much of a track record in entertainment.That is about to …

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‘It still frightens me’: Tommy Tiernan on 25 years in comedy, from the Perrier to Derry Girls

The titan of Irish comics is on a roll after his sitcom and chatshow success, but he is still excited and overwhelmed by the art of standup‘The older you get,” asks Tommy Tiernan, “do you get lazy, and complacent? Or do you get more joyfully reckless? …

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Kojo Anim review – BGT star on fame, faith and fatherhood

Fairfield Halls, LondonIn his show Taxi Tour, the comic from last year’s Britain’s Got Talent offers only standard-issue middle-aged standup Kojo Anim was a star of the black standup circuit for years, but “Britain’s Got Talent changed my life,” he tel…

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John Shuttleworth: ‘The funniest word? Tuna mayonnaise’

The standup, singer-songwriter and radio presenter on the things that make him laugh the mostI do believe it was a sketch by the late Mike and Bernie Winters in the early 1970s. I can’t remember much about it, but it must have been funny because I slap…

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Mark Thomas: 50 Things About Us review – an inventory of Britishness

Radlett Centre, HertfordshireThis grab-bag show sheds little light on our political travails but it’s stuffed with funny caricatures and plenty of myth-bustingHow did we get here? asks Mark Thomas. His new show, 50 Things About Us, promises little-know…

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Peter Kay announces comeback with Dance for Life charity shows

Comedian returns to stage three years after cancelling his UK tour for undisclosed family reasonsThe comedian Peter Kay is set to return to the stage, three years after cancelling all of his projects due to “unforeseen family circumstances”. The 46-yea…

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