I don’t know how nervous performers get but I get pretty nervous sitting in the audience. Particularly when it is a relatively unknown comedian doing a free gig in a large venue that they hadn’t... more
Previews
One of the most memorable shows in Edinburgh last summer was Beth Vyse’s As Funny As Cancer. Or maybe that should be mammarable. The show was about Vyse’s experience of breast cancer. Ho hum, you... more
These are dark days indeed. David Bowie dead, Brexit and the BBC not recommissioning Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle. It is precisely at times like this that we need Lee on a major mainstream platform.... more
Dominic Frisby was due to preview his Edinburgh show on June 27 but the gig was cancelled, presumably because the promoter thought everyone would be watching England playing Iceland. In retrospect I... more
Sketch group The Beta Males recently announced that they were quitting live sketch comedy. Along with their bombshell announcement there was a passing remark that maybe the multi-person genre was not... more
I’m not quite sure why Mark Watson isn’t a bigger star. He is a classic, nervy, neurotic stand-up enraged by life's little things and also a master improvisor who is great at spontaneous crowd banter... more
Tony Law was always a funny comedian. But it was when he started messing with his facial hair that things really took off. It was in 2012 when he was rocking his pre-hipster 1908 arctic explorer... more
I think this is what they call a “no brainer”. James Acaster has notched up four consecutive Edinburgh Comedy Award nominations and a version of his new show, Reset, has already received glowing... more
I will be honest. The first time I saw Spencer Jones I didn’t get it. He was in the New Act of the Year final and I thought he must be a mate of the promoter or just someone who had wandered in from... more
I think I laughed more when I was at the Edinburgh show by Adam Hess than at any show last summer. I have to qualify that, however, by saying that I couldn’t remember many of the actual jokes... more
