Lenny Henry review – clips, gossip and a night of self-congratulations

Watford ColosseumThe comedian has his buddy Jon Canter tee up one big-name anecdote after another in a cosy night that pays tribute … to himselfAt one point in his touring show, Lenny Henry recalls a Tiswas sketch he took part in that riffed on the onc…

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Glenn Moore: ‘The funniest word? Ombudsman’

The standup, Mock the Week panellist, and Absolute Radio newsreader on the things that make him laugh the mostHans Teeuwen on my first visit to the [Edinburgh] fringe as a punter in 2010. I laughed so hard I fell off my chair. Continue reading…

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Hannah Gadsby review – Nanette follow-up doesn’t surprise, but delights

New Theatre, OxfordFollowing the success of her 2017 smash hit, the Australian comedian returns triumphant with a confident routine about her dog, her body and her out-and-proud neurodiversityHannah Gadsby’s not in America any more: she leaves an appla…

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David Baddiel on God, gags and being trolled – ‘It hurts and then I think: material!’

The comedian has written his first play – on whether science can prove that the Almighty exists. But first, there are some hecklers to deal with … Schrödinger’s cat can be both alive and dead – so surely David Baddiel can be both a comedian and a pla…

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Lenny Henry: ‘I wish somebody had taught me how to defend myself’

The comedian’s childhood was defined by racist abuse and his mother’s violence. As he publishes his autobiography, he talks about how it shaped him as a performer and activist“I’m fascinated by it. It’s history.” Lenny Henry is explaining why he has de…

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Darren Harriott: ‘The funniest film? Taken 3, it’s terrible’

The standup, Newsjack host and Fighting Talk panel member on the things that make him laugh the mostPatrice O’Neal is my favourite comic EVER. His last special, Elephant in the Room, is everything standup should be: unapologetically funny, honest and p…

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Josh Widdicombe review – the fine art of whingeing

Cliffs Pavilion, Southend The focus stays on the everyday as the standup works himself into a shrill rage. It would get repetitive if he wasn’t so good at it‘I realise that this show is me complaining a lot,” says Josh Widdicombe, “but that is what my …

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‘God, I was disgusting!’ – Ali Wong on why women’s bodies are the last taboo

The standup behind Baby Cobra found fame with her candid material on sex and pregnancy. Back with a memoir, she talks about her work ethic, the taboo of miscarriage – and performing in front of her in-lawsIn her memoir, written as letters to her two yo…

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Graham Dickson: ‘My cat’s pretty funny, he reminds me of Gene Wilder’

The improv performer and founder member of Austentatious on the things that make him laugh the mostAnything from Saturday Night Live with Kristen Wiig, but specifically the Lawrence Welk Show parody; her gruesome singer with baby hands gets me every ti…

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Kate Berlant review – one of comedy’s most electrifying performers

Soho theatre, LondonIn the hilarious persona of a millennial narcissist blessing the audience with her precious jokes, Berlant’s impro-comedy is blazingly in-the-moment‘This was incredible – to quote you.” Kate Berlant is reflecting on her performance,…

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