My editor on the Evening Standard was deciding whether to run a review of Dawn French’s touring show in Brighton last night and asked me who had reviewed it already. I replied that I didn’t really... more
Blog
I was amused to hear Alison Moyet on Desert Island Discs this week saying that she put her foot in it when she met her hero Elvis Costello after one of his storming gigs. She meant to say how... more
I have to say I thought everything by the soon-to-return Monty Python was on the internet by now, but I was reminded of something this morning and went to check and it doesn't seem to be online. Back... more
Never throw anything away. I was reminded of this when I was watching a BBC2 documentary about journalist Lynn Barber recently. At one point interviewer Alan Yentob and Barber visited the north... more
I went to see Ricky Gervais as David Brent fronting his fictional band Foregone Conclusion at the weekend at the Hammersmith Apollo, sorry, Eventim Apollo (lovely venue, terrible name). I’m writing a... more
Children’s writers beware. It seems as if comedians are coming over here taking your bloody jobs. Yesterday it was announced that David Baddiel’s first novel for children, The Parent Agency, is to be... more
A funny thing happened to me when I was watching the penultimate episode of Rev the other week. When Liam Neeson appeared in a shell suit as God and reassured Adam Smallbone that he would always be... more
Well, of course I don't hate sketch comedy. But, heck, it’s a crowded market out there, I’ve got to get you to click on the link somehow. So now I’ve got your attention I’ll explain and expand.... more
Hindsight is a wonderful thing. The news that I Can’t Sing! is to close after only two months has been swiftly followed by people saying that they are not surprised that it did not turn out to... more
A few years ago I wrote a book about the history of comedians, homing in on the “sad clown” phenomenon and wondering why so many comedy greats from Grimaldi to Hancock and beyond seemed to be... more
