This low-budget oddity, which is performed entirely in rhyming couplets, starts with a drenched, stark naked salesman, Victor (Iain Robertson), and a ripe Simon Callow voiceover explaining why this poor unfortunate has ended up in this predicament.

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Heard the one about the posh comedian? You will

The new wave at the Fringe don't hide where their best lines came from

Helen Lederer: 'I've been called the supply teacher of comedy. It could be worse'

Edinburgh-bound for the first time in eight years, comedy's nearly woman says she's just glad she still has a role to play. Andrew McCorkell meets Helen Lederer

Vintage Festival, Southbank Centre, London<br/>Ed Sheeran, The Duchess, York

Music festivals aren't what they were &ndash; except when they are better

Holmes and Watson double winners at Baftas

BBC1's Sherlock was a double winner at tonight's TV Bafta Awards, including the prized best drama series title.

DJ Taylor: Ain't what you got, it's the way you use it

Identifying hard truths on class and union disputes... and knowing when to die and when not to wave your wallet

J R Hartley remix taps a new generation

It has been nearly three decades since the fictional author J R Hartley first enchanted the nation with his televised search for a copy of his own book, Fly Fishing. Now the classic TV advert is being remade for the digital age.

DVD: World's Greatest Dad (15)

Lance Clayton (Robin Williams) is a failed author who scrapes by teaching a handful of uninterested kids how to write poetry.

The Eighties: Another country

From the Falklands and the miners' strike to Diana and Live Aid, it was a decade that changed our world. And the legacy of the Eighties lives on, argues Andy McSmith

Caroline Quentin: 'I'm canny, but not very bright'

Caroline Quentin doesn't often get recognised these days. Occasionally, a cab driver might ask, "where have I seen you before?", or she'll get talking to a woman, in the loos of a restaurant, who will recall, with great conviction, that she was at their sister's wedding .

Launch Of The Week: My name is Charles Saatchi and I am a party pooper

The reclusive art collector Charles Saatchi famously never turns up to his own parties. And the launch of his new book was no exception. There were, though, plenty of signed copies of My Name is Charles Saatchi and I am An Artoholic scattered around the Saatchi Gallery in London's Chelsea for guests to peruse. These invitees included Richard E Grant, Zadie Smith, Alan Yentob, Trevor Eve, Kathy Lette, Graham Norton and Harry Enfield who mingled in the first-floor galleries among the canvasses.

How we met: Harry Enfield & Mick Perrin

'We had a great invention: an electronic golf-ball finder. But it was about 25 metres by four'

Clarkson's prostitute joke did not breach code

Jokes by Jeremy Clarkson on BBC2's Top Gear about murdering prostitutes did not breach the Broadcasting Code, Ofcom ruled today.

Police seek new evidence on death of comedy guru Geoffrey Perkins

Traffic police investigating the death of comedy producer Geoffrey Perkins are reviewing footage from CCTV cameras to see if he had collapsed before being hit by a lorry. The BBC's former head of comedy died in Marylebone High Street in central London early on Friday.

Lorry crash kills comedy producer

One of the leading figures in British television and radio comedy was killed in a road accident yesterday. Geoffrey Perkins, a former head of comedy for the BBC, had written and produced shows for comedians including Harry Enfield, Catherine Tate and Angus Deayton.

Career Services

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Nothing's sacred: the illegal trade in India's holy cows

Nothing's sacred: the illegal trade in India's holy cows

Andrew Buncombe reports from Kaharpara on a bloody war between rustlers and border guards
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Mogul grounded: Desmond gives up his jet deal

Media tycoon's company pays £1m to cancel his order for a £36m private jet after drop in profits
How Ai Weiwei built a pavilion in London – by remote control

How Ai Weiwei built a pavilion in London – by remote control

The artist tells Clifford Coonan how he used Skype to escape confinement in Beijing
Nature, nurture... or neither? The new twist in an age-old argument

Nature, nurture... or neither?

The new twist in an age-old argument
Radio 4 to shed its cosy image with a 'sexy' Ulysses drama

Radio 4 to shed its cosy image with a 'sexy' Ulysses drama

New station controller wants to reflect the current period of 'turmoil and uncertainity'
Alcohol: I drink therefore I am

Alcohol: I drink therefore I am

New guidelines warn Britons to drastically reduce their boozing. But is a life without liquor worth living? Hell no, says John Walsh
The Cable News Nightmare: CNN (and Piers Morgan) in audience crisis

The Cable News Nightmare

CNN (and Piers Morgan) in audience crisis
Like a barbie, but better: The Big Green Egg can griddle, roast, and smoke food - and even make pizza

The Big Green Egg: Like a barbie, but better

It can griddle, roast, and smoke food - and even make pizza...
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The 10 Best chopping boards

Whether you want to dice veg, chop meat, or just slice up a salad, there’s a surface here to suit every culinary need.
Flat and fabulous: From wraps to foccacias, our appetite for new and exotic breads knows no limits

Flat and fabulous: Exotic breads

Lucy McDonald visits the bakeries of Tel Aviv to to find out what we'll be eating next.
Brendan Rodgers: Just like Mourinho... only different

Brendan Rodgers: Just like Mourinho... only different

Obsessive, ambitious, eager to learn and with no playing career; can the Northern Irishman be Liverpool's Special One?
Gary Lewin: Players need winter break

Gary Lewin: Players need winter break

The England physio tells Patrick Barclay that this spate of injuries is due to the non-stop demands of the Premier League

Countdown's rudest ever moments

Yesterday a contestant spelt the word 'minge'.
Special report: Tamil asylum-seekers to be forcibly deported

Special report

Tamil asylum-seekers to be forcibly deported