Yeah baby he’s got it! Bananarama, Pontins and the brutally funny dance-off

In 1987, Dan Watson’s dance routine failed to nab first prize from a panel of pesky bluecoats. He revisits this haunting childhood experience in his new comedy show, VenusGood art often chimes with our own life experiences and gives us cause to reflect…

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David Mitchell and Ben Elton’s Upstart Crow sitcom to become stage show

Comedian will make his West End stage debut as Shakespeare in comedy adaptation promising troubles, twins and a dancing bearBen Elton’s sitcom Upstart Crow, which imagines the beleaguered personal and professional lives of a floridly loquacious William…

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Steve Martin and Martin Short: ‘Do you think the Queen will come to our show?’

Two of the Three Amigos are hitting the road with a banter and banjo-filled double act. But it’s not about nostalgia, they insist“I’m a Guardian subscriber!”Oh, come now, Steve, you’re just buttering me up.Steve Martin and Martin Short are at the SSE H…

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Julian Clary: ‘I was terribly good at heterosexual sex … I mastered it’

The comedian has spent more than 30 years outraging and educating straight audiences. He recalls his early fame, the infamous Norman Lamont gag – and his brief stab at heterosexualityIn a secluded room in the Guardian offices, Julian Clary is letting m…

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Bianca del Rio review – startlingly mean drag star loves to hate

Wembley Arena, London Though the timing is spot-on, the comedian’s outrageous swipes at every sexuality, race and even disability descend to cliche as their wickedness exceeds their wit It’s a big night for Bianca del Rio, breakout star of RuPaul’s Dra…

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London Hughes: ‘There are no black female household names in the UK, bar Naomi Campbell’

From Lizzo to Prince Charles to race and the British standup circuit, the rising comic lets rip London Hughes is the talk of the town. Every town. At this year’s Edinburgh festival fringe, her sold-out, roof-raising show To Catch a Dick narrowly missed…

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Jen Brister: ‘My mother-in-law once served us chicken pie and custard’

The standup, author and actor on the things that make her laugh the mostHas to be Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris. I read it on holiday with a mate and laughed so hard I annoyed her to the point that she chucked it in the bin. Continue reading…

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Romesh Ranganathan review – entertaining grouchiness from TV’s Mr Ubiquitous

Royal Concert Hall, NottinghamIf the domesticity subject matter is well-worn, the Crawley comic’s vivacity keeps it freshYou know your career has taken off when you become – as Romesh Ranganathan has – other comedians’ byword for ubiquity. The Crawley …

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All hail Tina Fey: the funniest comic of the 21st century

From skewering Sarah Palin to handing us Liz Lemon on 30 Rock, here are 10 of the SNL legend’s most hilarious moments The 50 best comediansA nice girl with an anarchic bent and a tongue as sharp as a boning knife, Tina Fey has dominated sketch comedy (…

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The 50 best comedians of the 21st century

From apocalyptic standup Frankie Boyle to the many hilarious faces of Tina Fey, Steve Coogan, Sharon Horgan and Kristen Wiig, we present the funniest comics of the eraOur No 1 comedian’s funniest momentsMore of the best Theatre | TV | Dance | Film | Al…

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