The man who sent a thousand weird theatre kids to clown school
03/05/2024 … Reviewer Tim Harding gives a rundown of the best comedy he's been watching in London this past fortnight.
2024 Features
Interviews with comedians, comedy reviews, Perfect Playlists and other comedy features, all collected in one place.
Fri 03 May 2024
Beyond compere...
Ben Heal says the three-acts-and-an-MC formula has had its day
03/05/2024 … If an award laden long-format Edinburgh Fringe show is the critical high-water mark and the killing floor gong shows the lowest ebb of UK stand-up comedy –…
Thu 02 May 2024
© Chortle John Cleese: The literal-minded are the enemy of comedy
Comedy legend speaks at the launch of the Fawlty Towers play
02/05/2024 … John Cleese says he has a problem with ‘the literal-minded’ responding to his comedy, as they don’t get the jokes.
Wed 01 May 2024
This 1970s sitcom deserves the same respect as Rising Damp and Porridge
Comedy writer Tim Reid's Perfect Playlist of comedy favourites
01/05/2024 … Tim Reid is the co-writer of Peter Kay’s and currently hosts the podcast Fist Of Firsts, in which comedy names talk their backstories and their creative process.
Tue 30 April 2024
© BBC/Objective Fiction What do you know about Matt Berry?
Try our weekly trivia quiz marking his 50th birthday
30/04/2024 … Test your comedy knowledge with our weekly multiple-choice trivia quiz, compiled – as always – by broadcaster and comedy historian Hayden Parker.
© BBC/Vico Films 'They mess up, but they've got a good heart'
The cast of Young Offenders on the comedy's return
30/04/2024 … After a three-year hiatus, The Young Offenders returns to BBC One next Friday, May 10, catching up with loveable rogues Conor (Alex Murphy) and Jock (Chris Walley),…
Thu 25 April 2024
'Succession's dialogue is at once the funniest and saddest thing I’ve ever heard'
Avital Ash picks her Perfect Playlist of comedy favourites
25/04/2024 … Avital Ash returns to the UK next month to reprise her 2023 Edinburgh Fringe show Avital Ash Workshops Her Suicide Note.
Tue 23 April 2024
© BBC What's the name of the butcher in The League Of Gentlemen?
23/04/2024 … Test your comedy knowledge with our weekly multiple-choice trivia quiz, compiled – as always – by broadcaster and comedy historian Hayden Parker.