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Cultural Life: Miranda Hart, Comedian

Fri, 24 May 2013 19:00:00 +0100

Comedy

Comedy review: Robert Newman's New Theory of Evolution, Little Angel Theatre, London

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:29:51 +0100

"Reviewers of alternative comedy have failed to do what the rock-music press did 30 years ago: evolve a critical language to talk about a new art form." So claimed Robert Newman in 2006.

Video: P Diddy stars in Downton Abbey spoof

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:10:05 +0100

"Hello everyone, this is Sean Combs with some very exciting news about my favourite show of all time, Downtown Abbey. Yes, I am an Abbey Head."

A class act: Will Adamsdale satirises the angst-ridden middle classes in his surreal new show

Thu, 16 May 2013 00:00:00 +0100

"I think that's the guy who sold me my flat," says Will Adamsdale, peering through the window of Foxtons in Angel, north London. It's a fitting place to start, as it turns out. The comedian/actor/theatremaker – he still doesn't know which he is, "but that can be quite a liberating thing not to know" – has written a new play about buying a house.

Comedian Eddie Izzard 'ready for flak of politics' in Mayor of London 2019 race

Tue, 14 May 2013 09:20:30 +0100

Comedian Eddie Izzard has said he is prepared to take the flak for wanting to pursue a career in politics.

Comedy review: Jack Dee Live, The Anvil, Basingstoke

Mon, 13 May 2013 10:20:55 +0100

Jack Dee ambled almost reluctantly on to the Anvil stage tonight to open his gig, signifying that he was in a characteristically grumpy mood. However, the 51-year-old quickly dispelled the idea that he was reticent to entertain, confiding in us that going out on the road is good for the soul - it keeps family life tolerable.

Comedy review: Rob Auton: The Yellow Show, The Warren, Brighton Fringe

Wed, 08 May 2013 13:41:01 +0100

Yellow and yelcome, yells Rob Auton at the top of his charming, eccentric and uplifting show. Before this, as the audience files in, he has spent a good 10 minutes festooning the room with yellow objects - dusters, rubber ducks, Marigold washing-up gloves, that sort of thing - as “Yellow Submarine” plays on a nerve-shredding loop.

Comedy review: Eddie Izzard's Brighton Centre gig is not a Force Majeure - more Partly Political Broadcast

Wed, 08 May 2013 09:41:31 +0100

An advocate of the European ideal, with his current tour playing in cities across the continent, Eddie Izzard starts his show by alluding to the recent poll successes of UKIP: "So, while Hitler's rising again, I am off playing Europe."

Aziz Ansari: The Twitter comedian who always steals the show

Wed, 08 May 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Who is Aziz Ansari? Is he US stand-up's rising star, a man who counts everyone from Kanye West to Judd Apatow among his admirers? Or a clever actor with great timing who steals the show in acclaimed sitcom Parks and Recreation? Or a master of social media's dark arts, followed by 2.9 million people on Twitter with a nice line in pop culture parodies?

Game for a laugh: The PFA awards furore was a joke – and Reginald D Hunter makes the most of it

Sat, 04 May 2013 00:00:47 +0100

Whichever way you look at it, the Professional Footballers’ Association scored a spectacular own goal this week and Reginald D Hunter – he of the dazzling, sweet-natured smile, the dreadlocks and the unhurried charm – was in no mood to let anyone forget that fact when he played to a packed, loudly appreciative audience at Cheltenham Town Hall on Thursday.

Comedian of the week: Daniel Kitson, various venues

Fri, 03 May 2013 19:00:00 +0100

A year after Daniel Kitson relieved himself of his trademark locks and beard for the exquisite Where Once Was Wonder, a show about identity (Kitson was worried that his had been hijacked and appropriated as some sort of left-field brand), the master storyteller, comedian and dispenser of quiet wisdom returns.

Reginald D Hunter: The smart stand-up having the last laugh

Wed, 01 May 2013 14:02:57 +0100

Reginald D Hunter, a comedian whose shtick is race, has responded to demands to return his fee after apparently compromising the fragile morals of an audience of football dignitaries by making jokes about race, as we reported on Wednesday.

Comedy review: Doc Brown, The Royal Albert Hall, London

Wed, 01 May 2013 09:41:46 +0100

Towards the end of his show rapper-turned comic Doc Brown (real name Ben Bailey Smith) says that he feels he is “still drifting”and that his career journey so far could still be a work in progress.

PFA demands refund from Reginald D Hunter after comedian causes offence at the Player of the Year awards

Wed, 01 May 2013 01:00:52 +0100

After the outrage at the black US comic Reginald D Hunter’s liberal use of the word “n****” during his performance at England’s annual football gala, came the demands for restitution.

Stand-up: You thought that was a tough gig, Reginald D Hunter?

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 19:19:25 +0100

After the racism rows that have embroiled the Football Association over the past couple of years, you can imagine the organisers of the Professional Footballers’ Association’s (PFA) annual awards ceremony’s horror when the comedian they hired for the evening, Reginald D Hunter, started using the ‘n’ word during his set at the Grosvenor House hotel in London on Sunday night.

Reginald D Hunter at the PFA Player of the Year awards: Right man, but wrong event at the wrong time

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:24:27 +0100

Watching Reginald D Hunter at the PFA awards on Sunday night, I was struck by the fact that here was a talented, interesting comedian whose material required careful consideration. He was challenging. He was on the edge. He was the right man, albeit at the wrong event at the wrong time.

Marcus Brigstocke: 'I'm the most interesting subject I have at the moment'

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Heard the one about the comedian who nearly died after ballooning to 25 stone, before being exposed as a philanderer in an affair that ended his marriage? You soon will.

Comedy of the week: Machynlleth Comedy Festival, various venues

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 19:00:00 +0100

This little stunner of a festival in the Powys market town of Machynlleth boasts an almost indecently good line-up over three days.

Comedy of the week: Return of the Lumberjacks, various venues

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 19:00:00 +0100

Fifteen years ago, this lovely bunch of Canadian fellers (snigger) arrived at the Edinburgh Fringe as fresh-faced newbies on the UK comedy scene; now ensconced over here, they're among the most enjoyable acts doing the rounds.

Seinfeld, Louis CK and me: A masterclass in stand-up at New York's Comedy Cellar

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 19:00:00 +0100

I wanted to write about the Comedy Cellar, a tiny club in New York that has become the hub of global comedy due to the rise of one of its regulars, Louis CK — creator of his own TV show, Louie, and frequently referred to as the world's best stand-up. The editor said OK, but only if I did stand-up there. For many reasons I should have said no. I said yes.

Heads Up: The Comedy Hullabaloo

Sat, 06 Apr 2013 18:30:00 +0100

What are we talking about? A brand new comedy festival in Shakespeare's hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon, held over four days at the end of May. Spread across four venues – The Courtyard Theatre, the Stratford-upon-Avon Boat Club, the Idolize Spiegeltent by the river and the Swan's Nest Hotel – Stratford will play host to over 30 comedians.

Seinfeld is laughing all the way to the bank: TV show generates $3.1bn in repeat fees since final episode

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 18:00:28 +0100

Ending Seinfeld at its peak has proved the most lucrative decision comic Jerry Seinfeld ever made.

Not laughing anymore? How a well-good stunt landed the joker behind Lee Nelson in court

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 12:51:23 +0100

The comedian Simon Brodkin is appearing in Liverpool this week in a rare performance as himself – standing up in front of the magistrates’ bench.

Barry Humphries: the man and the mask

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 22:45:10 +0000

On 23 April, at the City Recital Hall in Sydney, Barry Humphries will begin a new Australian tour.

Alan Davies: I nearly quit QI after BBC axed my comedy show

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 08:28:27 +0000

TV star Alan Davies has revealed that he almost quit top quiz show QI over the BBC's decision to axe his comedy Whites.

Plebs: A funny thing happened on the way to the Colosseum

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 12:59:38 +0000

In September last year, about a month before we were due to start shooting Plebs, a new sitcom set in Ancient Rome written by me and Sam Leifer, we were handed a pretty juicy and unexpected PR leg-up by Andrew Mitchell, former Tory chief whip.

Rob Delaney: 'Each morning I woke up and vomited'

Sat, 23 Mar 2013 20:00:00 +0000

'I'm angry at God, I'm angry at my wife, I'm angry at myself. I'm angry at you right now. I'm dirty, I'm tired, I can feel myself fuelled by the tar of black hatred." Want an authentic take on life? Just ask Rob Delaney. That, incidentally, was his response to being asked what it's like having a second son, born a little over a month ago.

First Night: Louis CK; O2 Arena, London

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Described as "the comedy love child of Bill Hicks and George Carlin" by Vanity Fair, (one of many such combinations that can variously include Richard Pryor), the matter-of-factly dark humour of red-haired Bostonian, Louis CK, has been popular with British comedy fans for some years now. With this 02 visit the 45-year-old elder statesman has stepped up another rung in his overseas appeal.

Harry Hill unveils Gromit sculpture in Bristol

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 09:48:32 +0000

Comedian Harry Hill unveiled his giant sculpture of Gromit in Bristol - the popular plasticine dog from the animated series.

Breaking America? Anything Hugh Laurie can do, Stephen Fry can do better

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 19:14:17 +0000

In Britain they are both treasured entertainers, but Hugh Laurie streaked ahead of his old friend Stephen Fry in the international celebrity stakes with a highly lucrative role in the US medical drama House.

Comic Relief review: Funny for money – or was it?

Sat, 16 Mar 2013 19:15:00 +0000

Obviously no moment in Comic Relief history can come close to Vic and Bob trying to down 75 pints of ale while singing Nilsson's "Without You" in 1995, but Friday night's telethon certainly had its moments, notably Ricky Gervais bringing David Brent back to UK screens. So what were the key moments of this record-breaking Red Nose Day 2013?

Comedy gig of the week: Louis CK, various venues

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 19:00:00 +0000

Somehow during the past few years, this unassuming looking but brilliantly witty stand-up and Emmy-winning writer (we're just waking up to his semi-biographical TV show Louie) has become the biggest deal in world comedy.

My 25 hours of being funny for money

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Shortly before midnight on 1 March, I surveyed the scene from the stage of the Pleasance Theatre in Islington, north London. I had been on that stage for 24 hours and 45 minutes consecutively, only escaping from it when I took the audience out into the forecourt at 6.30am to give them a glimpse of the sun rising.

Can you have a right laugh? There's a shortage of Tory comedians

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 18:31:56 +0000

Responding to claims of left-wing bias in entertainment shows, Caroline Raphael, Radio 4’s Commissioning Editor, Comedy, said that funny right-wingers were harder to come by than those on the left.

We need to talk about Kevin Eldon

Sun, 10 Mar 2013 00:00:57 +0000

"I’m Banksy" Kevin Eldon confesses halfway through our interview. So that's one cause célèbre cleared up, then. Well that, or a slightly flummoxed funnyman is treating my deeply teen mag-style question “What’s the most interesting thing about you that no-one knows?” with the silliness it deserves.

Comedy of the week: Glasgow Comedy Festival, various venues

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 19:00:00 +0000

Gaun yersel ya beauty! Another year, another corking line-up to deflect the attention, for a wee while, from Glasgow's noisier neighbour.

Russell Brand, Duchess Theatre, London

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 10:42:01 +0000

You know when Russell Brand is in town. Outside the Duchess Theatre in London’s Theatreland are trucks and trailers denoting that this is no ordinary event.

SXSW: Max and Ivan fly the flag for British comedy in Texas

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 16:58:09 +0000

It is best known for its music and film strands but SXSW, the Texas arts festival which starts this week, is building a strong comedy line-up too.

Steve Coogan is the King of Comedy in The Look of Love

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 16:52:07 +0000

Never mind the King of Soho, Steve Coogan shows himself to be the King of Comedy in his new biopic of the strip club baron Paul Raymond.

Russell Brand: I recently wanted to take heroin

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 10:50:38 +0000

Comedian and former drug addict Russell Brand has admitted that he is still tempted to take heroin.

Chris Addison: He's like a can of Red Bull made flesh

Sun, 03 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Chris Addison is standing on stage at London's Southbank Centre midway through a gleefully rambling two-hour show he calls The Time is Now, Again. He has already talked about the "evil" Tory government, why Dundee might just be the worst place in the world, and the barefaced cheek of overpriced olive oil. He's done the bit on the Fleshlight (part vagina, part torch: what every heterosexual man secretly craves), and he is gearing up now to regale us with his un-ironic love of Prince Philip, our perpetual misunderstanding of science, and the poignant realities of being "mildly famous".

Transatlantic crossing for laughter USA: book that sofa and prepare for the funfest

Sun, 24 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0000

American television drama has become something of a British obsession in recent years. First came The Sopranos, then The Wire, then Mad Men; these days, you cannot move 15 metres in a built-up area without hearing someone rave about a sofa weekend spent chowing down on a Breaking Bad boxset.

Alexander Armstrong: BBC caution grates with its favourite comedian

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0000

There is no escaping Alexander Armstrong on the BBC: comedy shows, radio, quizzes, stand-up and sketches. It would be fair to say the broadcaster has put a lot of money Armstrong's way. But that has not stopped the comedian having a pop at poor old Auntie.

Josh Widdicombe: The Further Adventures of...,Soho Theatre, London

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 17:24:02 +0000

Rosy-cheeked Devonian Josh Widdicombe is a young man in the pink. The 29-year-old is currently enjoying exposure on Channel 4 in The Last Leg with Adam Hills and his stand up continues to go from strength to strength.

Adam Riches goes from Daniel Day Lewis to Andy Warhol

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 12:20:38 +0000

His Edinburgh Comedy Award-winning show saw him riff on Daniel Day Lewis with hilarious results.

Russell Howard: I am king of the mingers!

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 10:34:13 +0000

Comedian Russell Howard has been awarded the dubious honour of being named the nation's top "weird crush".

Harry Hill: Sausage Time, Oxford New Theatre

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 10:50:28 +0000

Harry Hill's return to the stage after eight years reminds us that he is both a jester and a plate spinner: there are numerous elements to his shows that must simultaneously gather momentum to produce a full effect.

Review: Sarah Silverman, Bloomsbury Theatre, London

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 10:32:11 +0000

Last time Sarah Silverman played in London, in 2008, it was a disaster.

Alan Davies: 'People told me therapy would make me unfunny'

Sun, 10 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0000

I don't feel like a veteran even though I did my first gig at Whitstable Labour Club in 1988. The people I revered when I was young were people such as Dave Allen, who I saw in 1991 when he was around 60. I saw Bill Cosby at the Royal Albert Hall in the early 1990s. He did two-and-a-half hours, just ambled out and started talking and got a genuine standing ovation at the end.

Rufus Hound: One man, two monikers

Sun, 10 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0000

There's something rather disarming about opening the door to Rufus Hound's dressing room and not finding the man with the ginger 'tache. It's not that I'm in the wrong place, but that the facial hair has gone. Swoosh. "It's such a trademark that getting rid of it feels quite significant. The shaving of the moustache is quite ritualistic, Samsonian," says the double-denim wearing kidult in chunky zebra-striped trainers that I appear to be interviewing.

My Secret Life: Alexander Armstrong, 42, comedian

Sat, 09 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0000

My parents are… tremendous adventurers. At every stage of my career, every time I've stepped away from what may have been the sensible path, my parents have said, "Yes, go for it!".

Fresh Meat, Frankie Boyle, Keith Lemon and Rylan in the front running for this year's Laftas

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 13:21:33 +0000

If you tire of melodrama and gushing acceptance speeches, forget about the Baftas and look no further than the Laftas.

David Baddiel's Fame: Not the Musical; and spot-the-famous-scion in No Quarter

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 12:51:31 +0000

David Baddiel is coming out of stand-up retirement, again.

TV comedy: What are you laughing at?

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Take a little racism, throw in a dash of homophobia – definitely do not touch the Holocaust – and finish off with a sprinkle of incest. Voila: you have the perfect dark comedy.

Stewart Lee is not amused at monopoly control of TV comedy

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 22:17:43 +0000

Stewart Lee has accused the makers of Britain’s most popular comedy shows of featuring a “tiny coterie” of acts who are also their clients.

Comedy of the week: Leicester Comedy Festival, various venues, Leicester

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 19:00:00 +0000

With 500 shows over 16 days and the support of the comedy TV channel Dave, Leicester's annual hoodang is becoming a bona fide highlight of the comedy year.

Have you heard one about the comedian performing non-stop stand-up for 25 hours?

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 11:38:31 +0000

It makes sitting in a bath of baked beans look, well, a bit silly. Mark Watson is preparing to perform stand-up for 25 hours non-stop to raise money for the 25th anniversary of Comic Relief.