I'm going to keep this short because Steve Hall, the zany arse, has provided Beyond The Joke with its longest-ever answer (on the thorny subject of laughter on TV). That's not the only record he... more
Interviews
At last a voice of reason amid the babble of insanity. Will Durst picked up an Edinburgh Comedy Award way back in 1989. He is the epitome of the sharp, eloquent jokesmith who sets out to get laughs... more
Pierre Novellie is undoubtedly the finest stand-up comedian with a degree in Anglo-Saxon Norse and Celtic history to come out of South Africa via the Isle of Man. Scrub that. Forget the sub-clauses.... more
I think it’s got the stage now where we can officially call Brendon Burns a legend. Just have a read of this illuminating interview where the salty stand-up shares his views on his life, his work and... more
Stephen Merchant is used to being noticed. At 6ft 7in tall it is difficult for him to be inconspicuous as he arrives at his publicist’s Covent Garden office. Walking into the conference room... more
Last year Australian comic Bec Hill set out to perform an award-winning show at the Edinburgh Festival. She felt she had to pick up a prize as she had drunkenly told former Superman Dean Cain that... more
John-Luke Roberts' new show Stdad-Up is about the death of his father. But hold on, this one is different. It also features multi-coloured balloons. In fact given that Roberts is a master absurdist... more
Luisa Omielan is the most successful comedian you have never heard of. If you only get your comedy fix from television the name may not mean much. But earlier this year a clip of Omielan notched up... more
Today, June 24, is the 47th anniversary of the death of Tony Hancock. The "lad himself" may be gone but he lives on, however, in various tributes. The latest is The Missing Hancocks, which will be... more
Christian O'Connell is probably best known as the quickfire Absolute Radio DJ, but he harbours a dark secret. Before he got his radio break he was a stand-up comedian. And as if to prove that stand-... more
