Rob Beckett: ‘Comedy is just a hobby that got out of hand’

TV’s most relatable comic – with TV’s most distinctive teeth – talks about sleeping in toilets, being ‘chavvy’ and how Twitter trolls drove him to therapy‘Have you ever been to Disneyland?” Rob Beckett asks, buzzing with the energy of a small child as …

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Elf Lyons: ‘I dreamed I married Stormzy and we remade Saw as a musical’

The standup, writer and actor on the things that make her laugh the mostHarriet Dyer. She is an atom bomb of explosive comedy eccentricity. Continue reading…

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Boulevard theatre, London’s new Soho venue, announces first shows

State-of-the-art West End theatre opens its doors with a season including plays by Cormac McCarthy and Lucy PrebbleA “novel in dramatic form” by Cormac McCarthy, a revival of Lucy Prebble’s The Effect and dramas directed by Kathy Burke and Yaël Farber …

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Kate Berlant: ‘There’s a connection between being psychic and improv’

She’s had small roles in hipster thriller Search Party and the new Tarantino movie but comedy is Berlant’s first love. Why? Because it’s ‘a place of terror’To fellow comic Bo Burnham, she is the “most influential/imitated comedian of a generation … a m…

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Ben Elton review – bracing return of a sexagenarian all at sea

Nottingham PlayhouseFifteen years since he last performed standup, Elton’s new show humbly embraces the madness of the modern world ‘It hasn’t been easy,” says Ben Elton, “trying to decide what to talk about.” You don’t say. His new standup show is stu…

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Volcanic smash: meet Ari Eldjárn, Iceland’s hottest comic

The former flight attendant started standup as a dare – now he’s a sellout star. But how will his Nordic innuendos work in England?This winter, comedian Ari Eldjárn will play to thousands of people in his home town of Reykjavík. Seventeen shows in nine…

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Brydon, Mack & Mitchell review – backchat and banter from TV trio

Cliffs Pavilion, SouthendRob Brydon, Lee Mack and David Mitchell take the off-the-cuff gags of Would I Lie to You? on the road for a nonessential but entertaining night of comedyThe panel show offers a TV lifeline to scores of comedians, but it has nev…

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Eddie Izzard review – would-be MP’s ‘last’ standup show

Brighton DomeWunderbar is packed with surreal sugar – delightful animals and gobbledegook – but the pill of messianic politics is hard to swallow‘This is my last tour before politics,” says Eddie Izzard, who plans to stand as an MP at the next election…

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Catherine Bohart: ‘The funniest word? Butt’

The Irish standup, writer and actor on the things that make her laugh the mostHow am I supposed to answer that? It’s like asking about your favourite kid, or the best ice-cream, or naming one good book … ugh, Michelle Wolf in Melbourne. Continue readin…

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Ben Elton’s return to standup: ‘I’m as scared as I get’

Back on tour for the first time in 15 years, the trailblazing comedian has some scores to settle. How can he be a sellout, he asks, if he was never radical to begin with?They say you shouldn’t meet your heroes – but my inner 13-year-old would never for…

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