1+ hour, 51+ min ago  (324+ words) The traditional sitcom had a certain format: set-up then joke, three per page. The problem with rolling jokes, however, is that it creates a weight of expectation. We, the audience, are expecting to laugh. Every second that we don’t, the…...

1+ mon, 2+ week ago  (727+ words) The Spectator Australia Caroline Aherne’s comedic genius is much missed No one today can unmask pomposity and self-obsession as devastatingly as Aherne did in the guise of the faux-naive Mrs Merton Manchester University Press, pp.216, 16.99 Who do we have on…...

1+ mon, 2+ week ago  (125+ words) King’s Head Theatre, until 6 June Hampstead Theatre, until 13 June When Rachel Reeves became Chancellor she found a lavatory in her private suite which had been used by Churchill in the 1920s. She vowed to remove it. ‘Smashing glass ceilings and urinals…...

1+ mon, 3+ week ago  (256+ words) Everything on offer is a small plate because the girls are the main course Sadly, Spearmint Rhino lives up to none of its erotic or comedic possibilities. The interior is knock-off Ritz: fake crystal chandeliers, fake gold-framed pictures, fake leather…...

2+ mon, 5+ day ago  (449+ words) For Competition 3448 you were invited to supply a joke in verse form.Apologies for an ambiguous brief; I was actually after an existing joke retold in verse form rather than expecting you to invent a new joke, but either approach…...

3+ mon, 1+ week ago  (255+ words) People generally used to become comedians because they were born funny or learned to be funny, and found that they could make people laugh at an early age; from Dave Allen to John Finnemore, they had a talent to amuse....

3+ mon, 2+ week ago  (530+ words) The biggest surprise was that SNL UK was quite an upbeat, silly, jolly affair And the trailer released last week felt like the death of hope. I didn’t think it was possible to make Tina Fey (SNL veteran and host…...

4+ mon, 18+ hour ago  (404+ words) Noël Coward Theatre, until 30 May Menier Chocolate Factory, until 2 May Interest in Dracula seems to go on for ever. Kip Williams has chosen Cynthia Erivo to star in his new version of the yarn about a clique of blood-quaffers who…...

4+ mon, 3+ week ago  (689+ words) Jim Hacker is back in the West End. I’m Sorry, Prime Minister, written by Jonathan Lynn (who co-wrote the original… Dazzling: I’m Sorry, Prime Minister at the Apollo Theatre reviewed Apollo Theatre, until 9 May Almeida Theatre, until 21 March Jim Hacker…...

7+ mon, 2+ week ago  (722+ words) There were times watching Radiohead’s first UK show for seven years when Ricky Gervais came to mind. As Thom Yorke… Thom Yorke reminds me of David Brent: Radiohead reviewed Sebright Arms, and touring until 30 January 2026 There were times watching Radiohead’s…...