Andi Osho | Edinburgh comedy review by Brian Logan

Arj Barker | Comedy review by Brian Logan

Henning Wehn - review by Brian Logan

Frankie Boyle’s Election Autopsy is too hot for TV – so much the better by Brian Logan

Comedy that takes a stand with a coherent set of convictions is more compelling than satire that ridicules everybody equallyThere was doom and gloom among comedy lovers when it was announced…

Paul Merton’s Impro Chums review – this stuff couldn’t be written by Brian Logan

Richmond theatre, LondonIt follows a well-worn format, but what the show lacks in jeopardy it gains in camaraderie and offers the audience, and improvisers, a unique brand of fun“Try not t…

Reginald D Hunter review – charisma and curveballs from self-mythologising standup by Brian Logan

Richmond theatreHunter’s mercurial logic takes him into territory other comics don’t occupy … but sometimes leads him astray Continue reading...

Lee Nelson review – suited, booted and peddling sexist gags by Brian Logan

Bedford Corn ExchangeSimon Brodkin’s cheeky-chappy cliches about class, immigrants and women are arduous and screamingly predictable Continue reading...

Eddie Pepitone: What Rough Beast review – a howl of despair at life’s vacuity by Brian Logan

Soho theatre, LondonThe New York comic’s rants against corporate culture and modern America are vivid and amusing – even if he does keep interrupting to say so himself Continue reading...

Heard the one about the Pakistani standup? Finding the funny in ethnicity by Brian Logan

Sami Shah jokes about being a Karachi-based funnyman in his entertaining act. But often playing on your cultural heritage can be a lazy way to get a quick laughThere’s an old Stewart Lee r…

Live at Parliament Square review – Liam Williams hosts a night of political impotence by Brian Logan

Parliament Square, LondonWilliams does a fine job as MC at Occupy London’s comedy gig, alongside cracking gags from Ahir Shah and dark sketches from Gein’s Family Giftshop Continue readi…

Sami Shah review – slick standup is ‘an atheist defending Islam from racists’ by Brian Logan

Soho theatre, LondonThe Pakistani comedian riffs on prejudice, Isis and existentialism in a series of cynical routines Continue reading...

Peter Kay’s Car Share puts the comedian back in the driving seat by Brian Logan

Kay’s new un-hyped TV show is big-hearted and silly and reminds us what a terrific comic actor he can beHe was on stage recently with a live version of Phoenix Nights, which gave a reminde…

Keith Harris, Orville and the lost age of oddball comedy by Brian Logan

TV was once just a step away from musical hall – then along came alternative comedy and the standup boom. Do we now prefer authenticity to eccentricity? Continue reading...

Jonny and the Baptists review – jokes about the election, equality ... and willies by Brian Logan

Firestation, WindsorThese are comedy songs to make you vote – but too often Jonny Donahoe and Paddy Gervers sing the line of least offence Continue reading...

The wild west world of standup comedy by Brian Logan

Theatre-makers often develop their craft under the wing of caring venues. Comedians learn theirs by finding out how bad it feels to not be funny on stageI was struck by how many comedians li…

Tim Vine review – high-class Christmas-cracker gags by Brian Logan

Fairfield Halls, CroydonThe current Edinburgh’s funniest joke incumbent proves his mastery of the obscure pun – but doesn’t seem to have much personal stake in his material Continue re…

Count Arthur Strong review – the deluded Doncastrian just gets funnier by Brian Logan

Hexagon, ReadingFrom a sermon about the garden of Edam to hilariously inept ventriloquism, Steve Delaney’s alter ego is as entertaining as ever Continue reading...

Laughing all the way to the ballot: comedy’s role in a general election by Brian Logan

There’s little in this campaign’s comedy roster to suggest comedians will forcefully express any opinions about politicians – which is a missed opportunity Continue reading...

Is Trevor Noah really proof of US comedy's soft power? by Brian Logan

Apparently US comedy is so powerful and pervasive that people all over the world want to, and can, fit its template. I have some problems with that Continue reading...

Dylan Moran review – storming set from a soothsaying standup by Brian Logan

Orchard, DartfordMoran shows off his highly quotable brand of crackpot lyricism in routines about midlife travails, hipster scorn and feeling like a ‘jelly baby with money’Most standups …

Stewart Lee, Russell Howard and TV's alternative comedy experiences by Brian Logan

Comedy Central has axed Lee’s programme and will broadcast a new one by Howard – leading critics and comedians to debate standup’s future on the tellyThe state of standup on the telly …

Too cosy for comedy: James Corden's TV show could learn from Simon Amstell by Brian Logan

Corden’s US TV debut is a success, but the mutual back-slappery of such chatshows is almost unwatchable – all the more so when the hosts are comediansDid you ever watch Simon Amstell on …

Mel Brooks review – convivial reminder of what makes his best work great by Brian Logan

Prince of Wales, LondonA rose-tinted reminiscence of a life distilled into two hours isn’t among Brooks’s iconoclastic best but engenders a warm glow Continue reading...

Is the pen ever mightier than the mic for comedians? by Brian Logan

Sara Pascoe, Bridget Christie and Luisa Omielan all have books in the pipeline. Which standups rule the page as well as the stage?This week, it was announced that comedian Luisa Omielan has …

What can ‘chin-strokey’ theatre learn from raw standup? by Brian Logan

Comedian Tom Parry and indie theatre-maker Hester Chillingworth are exploring what would happen if performance art and standup swapped audiences Continue reading...

The Producers review – Jason Manford and Phill Jupitus in crass meisterwork by Brian Logan

Churchill theatre, BromleyMel Brooks’s comedy about a Nazi-themed musical is revived in a charming, gleefully disrespectful steamroller of a production Continue reading...

John Shuttleworth review – a novelty deficit by Brian Logan

Wyvern, SwindonWith his provincial patter dragging and his songs light on laughs, it feels like Graham Fellows’ long-running comic persona needs a rest“I can’t do John Shuttleworth for…

Ruby Wax: Sane New World review – mirth and mindfulness in standup’s seminar by Brian Logan

St James theatre, LondonIs it a showbiz tale or a workshop for the audience? It’s hard to tell but the comic’s interactive stage show does feel therapeuticI’ve seen a lot in comedy, bu…

Henning Wehn review – German comedy ambassador’s devilish reception by Brian Logan

Leicester Square theatre, LondonWehn dials down the Teutonic stereotypes to launch into material other comics might find too weighty – such as the farce of the London housing market Contin…

Matt Lucas’s Pompidou: why are we so snobbish about silent comedy? by Brian Logan

The BBC’s new sitcom, like Mr Bean before it, has been called cynical and childish – but family entertainment shouldn’t be dismissed as unsophisticatedOuch. There’ve been some stinki…

Milton Jones review – pun-loving comedian's desert island adventure by Brian Logan

The Hawth, CrawleyThe shock-haired master of wordplay unearths some terrific one-liners in a comedy quest to revive his archaeology career Continue reading...