I’ve been asking Australians to anonymously rate their neighbours. Here’s what I’ve learnt so far | Rowan Thambar

A turd-hurling incident set comedian Rowan Thambar on a path to find out what makes good neighbours – by inviting people to document the good, bad and ugly of their own experiencesLast year I saw my neighbour throw dog poo at a man. It happened while m…

Continue Reading

‘I’m a big bear. I lumber’: showbiz superstar Richard Kind on delivering performances you can see from space

The first time Kind starred in Nazi-spoof The Producers, he lost 30lb. Is he – and the West End – ready for his return? And why is he so worried about his old flatmate George Clooney?Richard Kind has played everything from a child’s imaginary friend in…

Continue Reading

Claire Hooper: ‘People have different forms of therapy. Songs for the Deaf by Queens of the Stone Age is mine’

The comedian, TV presenter and Bake Off alum gushes about the joy of silence, an awkward encounter with Shane Warne, and getting recognised during a colonoscopyGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailThe premise of your new standup show, Fun Show xx…

Continue Reading

‘How could this be anything other than funny?!’ Behind the scenes of Saturday Night Live UK

SNL is a US comedy institution – can a British version rise to the challenge of finding the funny in our comparatively beige politicians every week? We speak to the team hand-picked to do just thatIt is the calm before the storm. The storm being the im…

Continue Reading

Hannah Gadsby: ‘The Obamas watched Nanette as a family. I apologise for ruining their evening’

The Australian comedian on why they became a sock puppet, a message in a potato, and meeting Anna KendrickYou recently released a free standup special, Woof!, where you are a sock puppet. I guess the question would be – why?I just got sick of being see…

Continue Reading

A thruple invitation in a potato: 10 chaotic questions with Hannah Gadsby – video

The Australian comedian Hannah Gadsby sits down with Guardian Australia’s deputy culture editor Sian Cain to chat about why they became a sock puppet, meeting Anna Kendrick, and a potato that was thrown onstage housing a strange request Continue readin…

Continue Reading

Fatiha El-Ghorri: ‘I was mortified by my heckler – but it turned out he wanted to see my trainers’

The comic on cleaning up her language for family audiences, writing her debut novel and praying before taking the stageHow did you get into comedy?After my second divorce, I was online looking for a walking group in my local area and I got a pop-up tha…

Continue Reading

‘Four teens in their 30s!’ Lovable New York comedy gang Simple Town land in London

They wowed the Edinburgh fringe with whip-smart sketches about Nasa engineers and what their audience were thinking. Now the slacker troupe are back on stage – but a long way from TV screensWhen a “New York cult favourite sketch group” (as per the blur…

Continue Reading

James Acaster review – standup in terrific form with tangled tribute act to himself

Clapham Grand, LondonIn his touring show, Acaster introduces a new alter ego, adding even more layers to his material, along with some trenchant political gags‘I’m the UK’s No 1 James Acaster tribute act!” says Craig Simons, bounding on stage in sparkl…

Continue Reading

The Legend of Davie McKenzie review – Butch, Sundance and the ultimate cinematic send-off

Òran Mór, GlasgowCovering friendship, addiction and death, this dark comedy from the team behind Dancing Shoes celebrates one man’s life and his passion for filmThe title is ironic. There is nothing legendary about Davie McKenzie. Scarcely out of priso…

Continue Reading