Smart stories? Check. Smart suit? Check. Household name? Why not? The eloquent, erudite Tom Allen has been on the cusp of breaking through for most of the decade and it finally looks as if he is... more
Interviews
In February Abi Roberts gigged at the Moscow Comedy Club. Eddie Izzard and Dylan Moran have appeared in the Russian capital, but Roberts claims to be the first English-speaking comic to gig there in... more
Al Porter is definitely going places. Probably that primetime household name shiny-floored place. He certainly looks the part in his sharp suit and Leslie Crowther hairstyle. And he has the... more
Ventriloquism looks like it is having what you might call its rock and roll moment. Paul Zerdin won America’s Got Talent and in London Nina Conti is about to embark on what must surely be the longest... more
Maybe it's when you don't give a toss about winning awards that you produce your best work. Seymour Mace has been delivering a particularly North-Eastern brand of offbeat nonsense (see also R Noble,... more
Jos Houben is returning to the London International Mime Festival with two shows in January 2016. His classic solo show The Art of Laughter and the world premiere of Marcel, in which he reunites with... more
2015 was Sam Simmons’ breakthrough year. He had always had a loyal cult following and had regularly picked up award nominations for his screwy comedy shows, but Spaghetti for Breakfast found him... more
Cariad Lloyd was nominated for a Foster’s Best Newcomer Award in 2011 and since then has also made a name for herself on the live scene, most notably with Austentatious, the highly skilled troupe who... more
Luisa Omielan has always done things her own way. She put on her first show What Would Beyonce Do?! without a manager and turned it into a huge hit. She followed it up with Am I Right Ladies?! and... more
John Early has been described as "endearingly honest and absurdly funny" by The New York Times, "a cross between Dennis the Menace and Christopher Guest" by PAPER Magazine and "cute and young... more
