New director-general Tim Davie will reportedly steer TV comedy to the right to correct years of perceived anti-Tory bias. But it was Brexit, not the BBC, that put a spanner in British humourJust as I couldn’t work myself up over what anyone sings at th…
Continue ReadingNew director-general Tim Davie will reportedly steer TV comedy to the right to correct years of perceived anti-Tory bias. But it was Brexit, not the BBC, that put a spanner in British humourJust as I couldn’t work myself up over what anyone sings at th…
Continue ReadingShakespeare at a cricket ground, a festival in a bombed-out church and park-bench drama – plus more socially distanced shows to enjoy this monthAugust is over but there’s still time to enjoy open-air theatre season. Presented in York’s Rowntree Park, M…
Continue ReadingJohn Godber’s B&B drama – performed by the playwright, with his family – launches programme that includes one-woman Christmas showA play written by John Godber during lockdown is to be performed by the playwright, his wife and their daughter at the…
Continue ReadingThe comic, who was testing out new material, said ‘You’ve ruined it’ before leavingThe comedian Russell Howard cut short a standup set in Bristol on Wednesday night after discovering an audience member was filming the performance on her cameraphone.How…
Continue ReadingFrom Brighton to Belfast, socially distanced performances are popping up in unexpected spaces, including the beach, a shopping centre and a church‘Dive in!” commanded the cover of Brighton fringe’s 2020 programme, listing more than 5,500 performances a…
Continue ReadingWith the reopening of indoor venues delayed, it’s open season for outdoor performances with companies heading out into the sunshineIf you want to watch live theatre in the UK, you currently have two options: go online or into the great outdoors. With s…
Continue ReadingFor years, sexual predators have infested the live comedy scene. But female comedians are demanding action. Is this British standup’s #MeToo moment?‘If this was a normal office where, on your first day, someone higher up than you goes: ‘Here’s a list o…
Continue ReadingWith this year’s Edinburgh festival cancelled, performers including Sara Pascoe, Deborah Frances-White and Gary McNair will be broadcasting live from the tiniest of venuesIt started as a throwaway pun. With the Edinburgh festival cancelled by Covid-19,…
Continue ReadingIn the final part of our series, UK arts figures give the lowdown on the precious places that nurtured their careers‘I’ve wrestled, climbed the walls and got a black eye there’Robert Softley Gale is the artistic director of Birds of Paradise.Laura Carm…
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