‘I love that there’s this big gay thing in the middle of Scotland’: Ian McKellen and Graham Norton join Alan Cumming for Out in the Hills

New LGBTQ+ festival included McKellen in a fiery monologue and Norton in conversation, as well as a queer ceilidh and ‘kilted yoga’Sir Ian McKellen is on stage blowing up a red balloon. For a man of 86, he has impressive lung capacity. He lets it go an…

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Chaos, crying and poo explosions: baby-friendly comedy clubs take off in Britain

Daytime gigs where parents can bring their infants without fear of judgment are proving a sellout successWhen Nick Page saw the exhaustion of the new mothers arriving at his comedy gig, he suggested turning the hour-long set into a sleepover. He had be…

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Slow Horses’ Jack Lowden: ‘I feel more at home on stage than I do in life’

Speaking at a screening of hit play The Fifth Step, the actor reveals he is ‘not comfortable at all on camera’Slow Horses star Jack Lowden has said it was a “relief” to return to the stage in the intense role of an alcoholic in the West End hit The Fif…

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Lake District theatre to be renamed after Victoria Wood and unveil new musical of her songs

Old Laundry theatre in Bowness-on-Windermere will change its name next year and premiere show to mark 10th anniversary of comedian’s deathA theatre in the Lake District is to be renamed for the comedian and playwright Victoria Wood and will stage a new…

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BBC sitcom Two Doors Down to be adapted for the stage with full TV cast

The hit Scottish comedy about suburban neighbours will move from screen to stage next year at Glasgow’s HydroTwo Doors Down, the BBC comedy series about a suburban Scottish couple with constantly knocking neighbours, is to be brought to the stage.Unusu…

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‘It’s a lot darker than Sleaford Mods’: Jason Williamson on acting, rejection and a radical portrait of street life

The frontman is realising his stage dreams by starring in Edgecity which draws on playwright gobscure’s experience of sleeping rough. The pair talk about an urgent, explosive showIn the late 1980s, fresh from being kicked out of school, Sleaford Mods f…

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‘It’s a lot darker than Sleaford Mods’: Jason Williamson on acting, rejection and a radical portrait of street life

The frontman is realising his stage dreams by starring in Edgecity which draws on playwright gobscure’s experience of sleeping rough. The pair talk about an urgent, explosive showIn the late 1980s, fresh from being kicked out of school, Sleaford Mods f…

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The best joke award has gone. Is the Edinburgh fringe taking all the pun out of comedy? | Anya Ryan

I will miss the lighthearted award, but often it overlooked the art of standup in favour of celebrating groan-inducing one-linersAnya Ryan was a member of the Edinburgh Comedy Awards judging panel in 2023 and 2024So long, pun of the year. The best joke…

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The best joke award has gone. Is the Edinburgh fringe taking all the pun out of comedy? | Anya Ryan

I will miss the lighthearted award, but often it overlooked the art of standup in favour of celebrating groan-inducing one-linersAnya Ryan was a member of the Edinburgh Comedy Awards judging panel in 2023 and 2024So long, pun of the year. The best joke…

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Edinburgh funniest fringe joke award scrapped for 2025

TV channel U&Dave has announced its award for best joke at the fringe, launched in 2008, won’t be given this yearIt’s beyond a joke for pun-lovers. The traditional list of the funniest gags at the Edinburgh fringe, presented by the TV channel U&amp…

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