Behold the spine-chilling TerrorTome: Garth Marenghi puts the ‘boo’ into book tour

Matthew Holness’s fictional horror author is on the road reading from his novel – prepare to be terrified at the tills while we dream of his full return to the stageWhen is a show not a show? When it’s a book tour, of course. Time was when book tours w…

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Ted Lasso star Nick Mohammed returns as Mr Swallow – and he’s not just for Christmas

Once an under-the-radar live comedy jewel, Mohammed’s alter-ego impresario is hogging the spotlight in two new stage shows. Is the character destined for TV?Any assessment of the best character acts of recent years – Colin Hoult’s Anna Mann, Zoë Coombs…

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Ricky Gervais: Armageddon review – smug, macho, playground bants

Apollo, ManchesterThere’s ample room in comedy to tease at woke over-earnestness but this weak and boorish set fails to engageRicky Gervais gives us a little lecture after curtain call tonight about taking offence. Laughter is always good; no one’s get…

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Truss, Holly and Phil and MPs inspire UK’s best Christmas cracker jokes

In keeping with tradition, jokes chosen by Gold TV poll more likely to elicit groans of despair than laughterJokes about Phil Schofield, Liz Truss, and the cost of living crisis are among the best contemporary Christmas cracker jokes selected by the Br…

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Peter Kay brought to tears on opening night of comeback tour

Comedian appeared overwhelmed by reception as he took to stage at start of first comedy tour in 12 yearsPeter Kay was moved to tears on the opening night of his first live comedy tour in 12 years.The comedian received a rapturous standing ovation that …

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Peter Kay review – from tried and tested everyman routine to jaw-dropping pageant

Manchester ArenaAfter 12 years away from the stage, the slimmed-down entertainer is more unapologetically nostalgic than everNo hotcake ever sold in greater quantity than tickets for Peter Kay’s new tour: at one stage in my own bid for access, I was nu…

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Mat Ewins review – digital gagster is full of nerdy fun

Soho theatre, LondonEven when the grouchy wannabe game-show host’s set is buffering he still delivers a winning formula of hi-tech comedy and twisty jokesIn Danger Money, we find Mat Ewins hacked off that he can’t catch a telly break. The annoyance cou…

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Ted Lasso’s Nick Mohammed: ‘I didn’t think about comedy seriously until doing a PhD in seismology’

The character comedian and TV star on meeting angry fans, his first UK tour as megalomaniac magician Mr Swallow and taking inspiration from Torvill and DeanWho did you look up to when you were starting out?French and Saunders were probably the most ins…

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The Delightful Sausage review – delicious cult comedy

Soho theatre, LondonThe tale of two ‘mucky northern oiks’ on a quest for success is less important than the joyful jokes, backchat and smutty puns en routeThe barely realised comic play, for ever suspended between the fictional world and the fun its cr…

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The Delightful Sausage review – delicious cult comedy

Soho theatre, LondonThe tale of two ‘mucky northern oiks’ on a quest for success is less important than the joyful jokes, backchat and smutty puns en routeThe barely realised comic play, for ever suspended between the fictional world and the fun its cr…

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