Eddie Izzard

Preview: The Week Ahead Dec 1 - 7

It is both pleasing and intriguing when a distinctive comedian that you have liked for years suddenly starts to gain wider acceptance. This has definitely happened to Tony Law since he was nominated for a Foster's Award in 2012. Pleasing because he is brilliant, intriguing because there was a time when I thought that Law was way too left field for television with his surreal riffs and 1908 Arctic explorer chic. But it has all fallen into place and he seems to be perfectly at home next to Noel Fielding on Never Mind The Buzzcocks.

TV Review: Freewheeling, Dave

Ross Noble is one of those genre-busting stand-ups who does not slot naturally into a Live at the Apollo-shaped box. His flights of fancy have been welcome on Have I Got News for You but he has always been a bit constrained by desk-based templates. With Freewheeling he may finally have found the format that suits his spontaneous, people-person style.

Edinburgh Fringe Review: Henry Paker

Underbelly

*** 

Great show, shame about the critic. Henry Paker's set was one of those hours that put me in a difficult position. It is packed full of jokes, wry, offbeat observations and physical humour but somehow I walked out not feeling fully satisfied even though I'd watched most of the audience in fits of laughter.

Review: Latitude

Normally when I go to Latitude I plan my assault on the Festival with the precision of Montgomery planning El Alamein. Spreadsheets and marker pens have been involved. Frankly though this is easier than it sounds as it usually involves simply stocking up on provisions and plonking myself down in the comedy tent for the day and then catching a few bands in the evening and dipping into the Cabaret/Literature and Poetry tents.

Opinion: When Is A Gag Past Its Tell-By Date?

When does a topical gag stop being topical? And, maybe more importantly, when does a topical gag stop being funny? I've been thinking about this a lot lately, partly because nearly a year on I'm still hearing comedians do jokes about the sodden Jubilee Pageant and the sodding Olympics and partly because there are so many outlets for up-to-the-nanosecond satire that old jokes – even good ones that would have once had a few days to shine are in danger of becoming redundant more quickly than ever due to overexposure.

Preview: The Week Ahead May 6 - 12

It's a tale of two Eddies this week. The last time I saw Eddie Izzard in March he was doing a short set at the Altitude Festival in Austria before shooting off to perform his new Force Majeure show in Riga as part of a typically epic Euro-trek. The good news is that judging by his brief flying visit Izzard is back on form, mixing his trademark meandering charm with a pithy history lesson taking in Charles I, the Romans and Edward the Confessor among others.

Picture Story: Altitude Festival 2013

The Altitude Comedy Festival returned to Mayrhofen in Austria last week, offering the perfect holiday for anyone who likes a combination of winter sports and gags. As ever the five-day laugh binge was a terrific opportunity to see Arena stars playing small theatres and clubs. John Bishop and Eddie Izzard both headlined Gala gigs in the relatively intimate - for them – 550-seater Europahaus, but also took the opportunity to get back to their club roots and do some smaller, intimate shows in the bars around town.

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