72 stories by "Julian Hall"
Leicester Square Theatre, London: "J-A-N-E; you know how the story goes." As Pass Notes, the randomly generated introduction by tonight's visiting Jane Austen 'expert…
Soho Theatre, London: Wearing masks fashioned out of plastic bags, young Irish duo Dave Chambers and Bob McGlynn - aka Blindboy Boatclub and Mr Chrome - carry plenty in their heads in terms …
Last year, I was doing a couple of Q&A interviews for the British Comedy Awards magazine and a few of the comedians I was talking to mentioned that they no longer played the comedy club.…
Bloomsbury Theatre, London: A double whammy of boyish North Eastern wit was on offer tonight with the pairing of Carl Hutchinson and Chris Ramsey. Aside from geography, the two are also link…
Ah, the double-edged sword of being on a comedy awards panel. The cut-and-thrust of passionate, involved debate and the disappointment when none of your favourites win. Well, sometimes they …
We’re probably past the point at which it is still socially acceptable to say ‘happy new year’, and looks ahead to 2014 are so last week. However, the comedy world doesn…
I often bang on about how comedians make good ambassadors, last week the case both for and against this assertion was vividly made. The most recent case for the defence: Jerry Sadowitz. The …
So, David Blunkett thinks that Have I Got News For You should be considered as a current affairs show – not a comedy show – so that it gets more rigorously scrutinised. I canR…
Johnny Vegas’ rant at the British Comedy Awards this month caught the imagination of many observers. It was the outburst people seemed to want from the event – a defining moment …
I recently reviewed Sarah Millican’s latest show and noted that her life experience before comedy added value to her observational shtick. It begged the question of whether we should d…
Following the success of its inaugural outing at the Comedy Cafe last month the International Comedy Club reprised the francophone stand up night on Tuesday mixing French comedians with Engl…
Soho Theatre, London: Six years have already passed since Frank Skinner's last return to stand up (a 69-date UK tour that followed an Edinburgh run).
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Leicester Square Theatre, London: It's curious thing that Stewart Lee's annual press outing has, in recent years, come when he starts carving his shows into three half hour segment…
Soho Theatre, London: Halloween is a particularly apt night to see Andrew Maxwell, the former ringmaster of the cult late-night revelry that was FullMooners, once a Comedy Store residency.
R…
Soho, London: The Pajama Men are a dream team of narrative sketch artists from New Mexico who mix cartoon clowning with clever quips.
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Symphony Hall, Birmingham: Kicking off the UK leg of his world tour in Birmingham, Russell Brand confesses to feeling a little disoriented after having spent so much time away from his home …
Cadogan Hall, London: Jeremy Lee Associates' annual comedy jamboree started with a minor hitch with host Russell Kane's mic suffering from a case of the gremlins. However, it wasn&…
Apollo, London: "You're not late, I'm early," Adam Hills says to an audience member searching for their seat. This role reversal occurs because two different times have b…
Cabaret Voltaire, Gilded Balloon, Assembly Roxy, Pleasance Courtyard, Pleasance Dome: At this point in the Fringe people will probably already be thinking of their arrangements for next year…
August 2-26: Even before it starts the Edinburgh Fringe fizzes with what has become the annual bunfight between the big four (aka the self-styled Edinburgh Comedy Festival) and the accusatio…
Edinburgh Festival Fringe: With no competition from any major sporting events this year, the Edinburgh Fringe takes its rightful place as the best thing that you can do in August, barring a …
With no competition from any major sporting events this year, the Edinburgh Fringe takes its rightful place as the best thing that you can do in August, barring a month-long exotic holiday. …
Queen Elizabeth Hall, London: Seventeen years since his last live appearances, author Alexei Sayle's return to stand-up is gathering momentum.
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Hammersmith Apollo, London: Fans of Aziz Ansari's character in the cult US show Parks and Recreation, Tom Haverford, who have not seen Ansari live might not be too surprised to find tha…
Blackheath Halls, London: Not long before he came out on stage, Rich Hall was being crowned, in absentia, the Barry Award winner at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. According to …
