31/12/2006 … RICKY GERVAIS and Russell Brand are among the comedy stars peforming a benefit for animal charity WSPCA at London's Hammersmith Apollo on January 21.

So, what brings you here?

Chortle's top stories of 2006

31/12/2006 … Chortle has been visited 4.

Benny's 7ft erection

Statue to Hill 'by 2008'

30/12/2006 … Campaigners planning a statue to commemorate of Benny Hill are hoping to have it in place by 2008.

Margo Leadbetter, CBE

And Hugh Laurie's honoured, too

30/12/2006 … Hugh Laurie and Penelope Keith have been awarded gongs in the New Year Honours.

Where the funny money is

Britain's richest comedians

29/12/2006 … Tracey Ullman has topped a list of the wealthiest British comedians.

Charlie's angles...

The week's comedy trivia

29/12/2006 … Because trivia never takes a holiday.

Tourist information

The acts on the road in 2007

29/12/2006 … Some of the most successful; shows from this year’s Edinburgh Fringe have announced tours in the New Year.

Lee plays Dumb

Evans' latest West End role

28/12/2006 … Lee Evans is to star in Harold Pinter’s play The Dumb Waiter in London’s West End.

Why laughter is contagious

Here's the science bit

28/12/2006 … Scientists believe they’ve worked out why laughter is so contagious.

On the Swiss role of honour

Carrington wins Alpine award

27/12/2006 … Cello-playing comedian Rebecca Carrington has won Switzerland’s equivalent of the Perrier award – becoming both the first English act and the first solo woman…

trotter27

27/12/2006 … DINNER LADY Dawn Tutton and her son David are such fans of Only Fools and Horses they have changed their names to Del Boy and Rodney Trotter.

moose27

27/12/2006 … APPLICATIONS have opened for auditions for the Amused Moose LaughOff contest for new acts.

The next Simon Mayo?

Iannucci: I was offered R1 breakfast show

27/12/2006 … Armando Iannucci has revealed once turned down the chance to be Radio One’s breakfast DJ.

27/12/2006 … A NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM, the family comedy starring Ben Stiller and Ricky Gervais, has topped the Christmas box office in US cinemas, taking $30.

A large figure

Vicar of Dibley tops Christmas viewing

26/12/2006 … The Vicar of Dibley was the most-watched TV programme on Christmas Day, according to overnight ratings.

Goodbye my darlings

Charlie Drake dies at 91

24/12/2006 … Charlie Drake has died at the age of 81 following a long illness caused by two strokes.

My Family 'too dark' for America

Sitcom creator's frustration

23/12/2006 … American TV networks turned down the chance to make My Family – fearing it was ‘too dark’.

Fred Barron on his new sitcom

23/12/2006 … He worked on Seinfeld, then created My Family - now Fred Barron writes about his new BBC One sitcom.

22/12/2006 … BILLY CONNOLLY has been named the Scottish celebrity people would most like to spend Christmas with, followed by Ewan McGregor.

Handbags at dawn...

The week's comedy trivia

22/12/2006 … As frivolous as tinsel, here's this week round-up of pointless comedy stories you may have missedBoy George – who admits to regularly using rent boys and cocaine…

22/12/2006 … THE ONLY Fools And Horses episode with Del Boy and Rodney dressed up as Batman and Robin has been named the best bit of festive TV by UK TV Gold.

Jimmy Carrtoon

Carr to play a 'virtual' gig

21/12/2006 … Jimmy Carr is to be the first major comedian ever to perform a virtual reality gig, Chortle can reveal.

Seeking Mr Nasty

Agent approached over Norton talent show

21/12/2006 … Comedy agent Addison Cresswell has reportedly been approached to be the ‘Mr Nasty’ of yet another new TV talent show.

Last among eQIals

Why Fry wasn't first choice as QI host

21/12/2006 … Stephen Fry was not the first choice to host comedy panel show QI, its creator John Lloyd has revealed.

Iraqi comic slain

Second such killing in a month

20/12/2006 … Another Iraqi comedian has been assassinated in Baghdad.

A Frank exchange

Skinner sitcom heads for the US

20/12/2006 … Frank Skinner’s sitcom Shane is set to be remade for America.

20/12/2006 … BBC ONE’s hopes of making a festive hit of Ben Miller sitcom The Worst Christmas Of My Life have floundered, with the first of three half-hour editions attracting…

Al talks turkey

Pub Landlord fronts food safety ads

20/12/2006 … Pub Landlord Al Murray is to front a safe eating campaign for Christmas.

20/12/2006 … AVID MERRION creator Leigh Francis has answered Chortle readers\' questions.

To Helmand and back

Comics visit troops in Afghanistan

20/12/2006 … Five comics visited Afghanistan’s notorious Helmand Province last week to entertain around 2,000 troops.

What a Dick!

Davidson outwitted by boy Scout heckler

20/12/2006 … Jim Davidson was furious after being put in his place – by a heckling boy Scout.

Comics with X factor

Zane and Manford join XFM

19/12/2006 … Stand-ups Alex Zane and Jason Manford have both landed high-profile new radio jobs, hosting breakfast shows on XFM.

Win Little Britain DVD games

19/12/2006 … Little Britain duo Matt Lucas and David Walliams have released an interactive DVD quiz game this Christmas.

C4 wants Eejits

New sitcom from Arthur Mathews

19/12/2006 … Father Ted creator Arthur Mathews is writing a new comedy for Channel 4.

19/12/2006 … SIMON AMSTELL has been nominated for the 2007 breakthrough award given out by ITV's South Bank Show.

Comedy with added Sparkle

- Advertising feature -

18/12/2006 … Britain’s first media and marketing agency specialising in branded comedy has been launched.

Rooms for improvement

Comic praises Assembly plans

18/12/2006 … Plans that could take Edinburgh’s Assembly Rooms out of action as a Fringe venue have been praised – by one of the comedians who performs there.

Matt marries Prince Charming

Panto party on wedding day

18/12/2006 … Matt Lucas has married his long-term boyfriend Kevin McGee in a civil ceremony in London.

Robin Ince\'s Christmas Book Club 2006

Review by Steve Bennett

18/12/2006 … From modest beginnings, Robin Ince’s Book Club has attracted enough like-minded souls for Edinburgh runs, a national tour and now this Christmas special in a proper…

17/12/2006 … PHIL NICHOL has added to his if.

Bo peeps

Avid Merrion creator Leigh Francis answers your questions

17/12/2006 … Why is your program called 'Bo Selecta'? Neil Courtis It's obviously taken from Craig David's song Rewind.

Happy meals

Club serves up lunchtime comedy

17/12/2006 … An Edinburgh club is to attempt lunchtime comedy shows in a bid to entertain office workers.

Kay's book sets records

The till are alive with The Sound Of Laughter

17/12/2006 … Peter Kay’s autobiography The Sound Of Laughter has beaten all records, bookstores report.

Fat lady doesn't sing

Dawn to make opera debut

15/12/2006 … Dawn French is to star in an opera at Covent Garden.

15/12/2006 … RICKY GERVAIS has submitted plans for an underground swimming pool, golf simulator and gym in his £2.

15/12/2006 … EXTRAS, That Mitchell & Webb Look, Peep Show, Saxondale and Green Wing have all been nominated as best comedy in the Broadcast magazine awards.

Tuck off

Lucas turns down Robin Hood role

15/12/2006 … Matt Lucas has turned down the BBC’s offer to play Friar Tuck in the next series of Robin Hood – saying he’s far too busy.

Racist Rosie?

...and other comedy trivia

15/12/2006 … Matt Lucas will have two best men at his wedding this weekend - but neither will be David Walliams.

Running joke

Pegg to star in marathon comedy

15/12/2006 … Simon Pegg, Dylan Moran and Simpsons star Hank Azaria are to star in a new comedy about the London Marathon.

14/12/2006 … THE BRITISH COMEDY AWARDS attracted an audience of 5 million - 23 per cent of the total - to ITV1 between 9pm and 10.

Goodies ride again

24 tour dates announced

14/12/2006 … The Goodies are to tour the UK – more than 25 years after their TV show ended.

Global domination

Borat up for more gongs

14/12/2006 … Sacha Baron Cohen has been nominated for best comedy actor in the Golden Globes – and Borat is up for best comedy film.

Fry driving ban

Caught on camera at 74mph

14/12/2006 … Stephen Fry has been banned from driving for six months after he was caught speeding.

Six appeal...

BBC Three launches new comedies

14/12/2006 … BBC Three has unveiled six new comedy series as part of its winter/spring schedule.

Writely honoured

Simpsons leads Writers Guild awards

14/12/2006 … The Simpsons and the US version of The Office lead the shortlist for Writers Guild of America awards, with four and three nominees each.

Everybody loved Peter

Sitcom dad dies at 71

14/12/2006 … Peter Boyle, the actor who played the grumpy father in American sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, has died at the age of 71.

A Hill of a night

Harry wins two British Comedy Awards

14/12/2006 … Harry Hill has triumphed at the British Comedy Awards – taking two prizes from favourites Ant and Dec.

13/12/2006 … BILL BAILEY is to headline a charity gig at the Comedy Store on January 15 - whose line-up also includes Alan Carr, Andrew Maxwell and Ricky Grover – in aid of…

What a sell-out

Huge demand for Gervais tour

13/12/2006 … Ricky Gervias tickets sold out within hours at venues across Britain yesterday.

13/12/2006 … THE MIGHTY BOOSH has been named comedy act of the year by Scottish entertainment magazine The List, closely followed by Russell Brand.

£10m 'threat' to Fringe venue

Refit to 'rip the guts' from Assembly Rooms

13/12/2006 … The Edinburgh Fringe could lose one of its leading venues under council plans to overhaul the Assembly Rooms.

Sucker punch

Shore video is a hoax

13/12/2006 … The internet clip of American comedian Pauly Shore being punched on stage has been exposed as a hoax.

Vyle by name...

Jennifer Saunders's latest creation

12/12/2006 … Jennifer Saunders has unveiled her latest comic creation, a daytime TV presenter in the vein of Trisha.

Extra Extras

Gervais plans third series of Extras

12/12/2006 … Ricky Gervais is planning a third series of Extras – and he wants Arnold Schwarzenegger to star in it.

Borat wins DVD lawsuit

...but gets hit by another

12/12/2006 … A judge has rejected a bid by two college students to block the DVD release of Borat.

11/12/2006 … FAUX air hostess Pam Ann has started a blog on Chortle.

Norton lands chat show

BBC2 slot from February

11/12/2006 … Graham Norton is to present a weekly chat show on BBC Two from early next year, the BBC has confirmed.

11/12/2006 … JENNY ECLAIR, Dillie Keane and Linda Robson are to take their Grumpy Old Women tour to Australia in April, with runs in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.

A vote-winner

Yes Minister named top political comedy

11/12/2006 … Yes Minister is greatest political comedy of all time – according to MPs.

'Sadistic and disgusting'

What the BBC thought of Monty Python

11/12/2006 … BBC bosses were secretly appalled when Monty Python's Flying Circus first aired, finding it ‘sadistic’ and ‘disgusting’.

11/12/2006 … JOCELYN JEE ESIEN has been named best new talent of 2006 in an award honouring women in film and TV.

11/12/2006 … SACHA BARON COHEN has been named best actor by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association for his Borat movie.

BBC honours Walliams

Special award for sporting achievement

11/12/2006 … David Walliams has been presented with a ‘special award; at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year for his cross-Channel swim.

Happy day at The Office

Sitcom's Dawn ties the knot

10/12/2006 … Stars of British comedy turned out in force yesterday for the wedding of The Office star Lucy Davis.

09/12/2006 … JOAN RIVERS is to perform during the Glasgow Comedy Festival, with a gig at the Kings Thetare on March 12.

Linda's radio honour

Smith inducted into hall of fame

09/12/2006 … Linda Smith has posthumously been inducted into the UK radio hall of fame.

Shooting Aaaarrrs

Reeves to front pirate documentary

09/12/2006 … Vic Reeves is to present a six-part series on pirates for the History Channel.

Sworn into the record books

Strutter's f-word frenzy

09/12/2006 … Dennis Pennis creator Paul Kay has got into the Guinness World Records for the most swear words in a TV programme.

No Room for Merton

Paul quits Room 101

09/12/2006 … Paul Merton is to leave Room 101 at the end of the next series.

Obsessively bovvered

The week's trivia round-up

08/12/2006 … How have you possibly survived the past seven days without knowing these vital facts?When young, Catherine Tate suffered from an obsessive disorder connected with…

Vegas seeks God

Johhny to investigate fundamental Christians

08/12/2006 … Johnny Vegas is to join fundamentalist Christians in America for a new Channel 4 documentary.

07/12/2006 … THE nominees for the best comedy album in the Grammy awards have been named as: Blue Collar Comedy Tour: One For The Road; The Carnegie Hall Performance by Lewis…

Fame comes your way

Gervais announces 2007 tour dates

07/12/2006 … Ricky Gervais has announced his tour dates for his next live show, Fame.

Bunch of cults

Win a guide to British comedy

07/12/2006 … A new primer to British comedy, written by Independent critic Julian Hall, was published by Rough Guides last month – and we have six copies to give away.

07/12/2006 … DAVID MITCHELL and Robert Webb have nabbed tow of the three nominations for best comedy in the Boradcast awards, with That Mitchell & Webb Look and Peep Show 3…

Christmas baubles

Some comedy stocking-fillers

07/12/2006 … Christmas is the time all the comics release their live DVDs, and almost every showbiz autobiography is published, in the hope that recognition of a celebrity name…

Tuck in

Matt Lucas offered Robin Hood role

07/12/2006 … Matt Lucas has been asked to play Friar Tuck in BBC One’s version of Robin Hood.

Harry up...

Enfield and Whitehouse to be reunited

07/12/2006 … Paul Whitehouse and Harry Enfield are to be reunited for the first time in more than eight years, the BBC has confirmed.

07/12/2006 … STAND-UP Russell Howard is to present ITV2's backstage coverage of next Wednesday's British Comedy Awards with Liza Tarbuck.

Bad call

Brand rapped for phone hoax

07/12/2006 … Russell Brand has been told off for wasting police time after making a hoax call during his live stage show.

John Gordillo – Original Review

Review by Steve Bennett

07/12/2006 … Back on the circuit after a few years’ hiatus, John Gordillo remains a refreshing performer, with a canon of intelligent, provocative material.

06/12/2006 … RICKY GERVAIS is performing four more warm-up dates for his 2007 Fame tour at London's Bloomsbury Theatre from January 3 to 6.

She came from outta Spaced

Stevenson lands Dr Who role

06/12/2006 … Former Spaced star Jessica Stevenson is to appear in the next series of Doctor Who.

Black comic banned

...thanks to racist ranter Michael Richards

06/12/2006 … Michael Richards racist outburst has led to a ban on BLACK comics.

06/12/2006 … MATT LUCAS has had his stag night at London's Soho Revue Bar - spending just one hour, and £200, with 13 friends.

Chris Neill – Original Review

Review by Steve Bennett

06/12/2006 … Had Kenneth Williams and Frankie Howerd fathered a child, chances are he’d have turned out something like Chris Neill, a BBC radio producer and broadcaster turned…

A Noble cause

Ross auctions shirt for charity

05/12/2006 … Ross Noble has given the shirt off his back for a charity auction – and it’s set to raise hundreds of pounds.

Borat lawsuit setback

Claims deemed 'too vague' to succeed

05/12/2006 … A New York judge has ruled that a lawsuit claiming makers of the Borat movie misled residents of a remote Romanian village is too vague to succeed.

05/12/2006 … DAVID LETTERMAN has signed a new deal to host his Late Show on America's CBS network until 2010.

05/12/2006 … I'M GAY, the showstopping tune from the Little Britain tour, has been released as a single, available on iTunes.

gay05

05/12/2006 … CANADIAN Phil Nichol, Scot Janey Godley and Australian Charlie Pickering have been nominated for the best international guest in the New Zealand comedy awards.

Tim Clark – Original Review

Review by Steve Bennett

05/12/2006 … Tim Clark is a near-permanent fixture on the rosters of Jongleurs and the Comedy Store – a long-established act who gives the often intoxicated audiences of the…

Ditzy Boomhaha answers your questions

...or you can just call him Dara O'Briain

04/12/2006 … Just how annoyed are you about the constant mispronunciation of your name? Have you considered changing it yet? Louise LeeDarby Brown, Dazzy B, Dusky Benderson.

Free - thanks to Amnesty

Win a Secret Policeman's Ball DVD

04/12/2006 … The rebirth of Amnesty International's legendary Secret Policeman’s Ball has been released on DVD today – and we have five copies to give away.

Bush brought down to size

Cartoon satire heads for TV

04/12/2006 … America’s Comedy Central network has ordered a new cartoon satire depicting George W.

Jam makes us sick

WI protest over Saunders sitcom

04/12/2006 … Angry Women's Institute members have called on the BBC to scrap the new Jennifer Saunders sitcom Jam And Jerusalem because it ridicules them.

Balloon goes up

Second series for Dee sitcom

04/12/2006 … The BBC has ordered a second series of Jack Dee’s comedy Lead Balloon.

Brand lands the Brits

'I'll bring back the mayhem'

04/12/2006 … Russell Brand has been named as host next year's Brit Awards - and has vowed to make the show controversial again.

04/12/2006 … DAVID WALLIAMS has failed to make the BBC Sports Personality Of The Year shortlist for his Channel swim, despite previously being tipped as a favourite.

Lost Chapman comedy found

Tape unearthed after 30 years

02/12/2006 … A long-lost TV pilot starring late Python Graham Chapman is to get a public screening today – 30 years after it was thought to have been destroyed.

Carrott gold

Jasper nets £11m from Millionaire sale

02/12/2006 … Jasper Carrott has landed an £11million windfall for his stake in quiz show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?The comic and his wife Hazel own a share of TV production…

royal01

01/12/2006 … COMICS Lee Mack and Michael McIntyre have been added to the bill of Monday's Royal Variety Performance, which will be broadcast on BBC One on December 12.

Whore-py birthday

The week's trivia round-up

01/12/2006 … Stuff you may have missed reading in the past seven days - lucky you!Matt Lucas bought fiance Kevin McGee a full-size Tardis for his boyfriend Kevin McGee’s birthdayRussell…

boratban01

01/12/2006 … THE BORAT MOVIE has been banned by censors in every Arab country except Lebanon.

Five buys Whose Line?

88 US episodes to air from January

30/11/2006 … Channel Five has bought the rights to 88 episodes of the US version of Whose Line Is It Anyway?.

More for Leics

1,000 acts head for Leicester

30/11/2006 … The Leicester comedy festival has announced its 2007 line-up, with headliners Russell Brand, Jimmy Carr and Paul Merton.

Lenny snubs home town

Anger that his tour skips Dudley

30/11/2006 … Lenny Henry has disappointed fans in the Black Country by leaving his home town off his latest tour schedule.

Merchant of music

Extras co-creator lands DJing slot

30/11/2006 … Stephen Merchant has landed his own show on BBC 6 Music in the New Year.

Putting on the writs...

Leno sues joke book author

30/11/2006 … Chat show host Jay Leno is suing a joke book author for stealing his material.

hillscop30

30/11/2006 … EDDIE MURPHY has signed up to make a fourth Beverly Hills Cop movie.

Seinfeld sales soar

DVD rush despite racist rant

29/11/2006 … Sales of the new Seinfeld DVD soared by an incredible 7,000 per cent in the week following star Michael Richards’ racist outburst.

It's not easy bein' green

Matt Lucas as Toad

29/11/2006 … This is Matt Lucas as he will appear in a new adaptation of Wind In The Willows – warts and all.

29/11/2006 … IF.

29/11/2006 … RICKY GERVAIS is doing two more work-in-progress gigs for his 2007 tour Fame at the Apollo Theatre in London's West End this Thursday and next Thursday.

Palin: My filming days are over

...but a radio show might be on the cards

29/11/2006 … Michael Palin says he doesn’t expect to make any more movies or TV shows – other than his acclaimed travelogues.

It's about time...

Shooting starts on Brit sci-fi comedy

29/11/2006 … Filming is about to start on a new British sci-fi comedy film.

Look who's talking!

Studio exec slams US comedy

29/11/2006 … American TV comedy has been slammed for lacking originality – by the man responsible for Friends spin-off Joey.

The boy Del

Only Fools prequel planned

29/11/2006 … Only Fools And Horses writer John Sullivan is working on a prequel to his hit show – which could feature David Jason.

League comeback

...but Gents won't be in Royston Vasey

28/11/2006 … The League Of Gentlemen will reunite for a new show next year – but it’s unlikely to be set around Royston Vasey.

Jen Brister – Original Review

Review by Steve Bennett

28/11/2006 … Zany foreign parents are almost a staple of modern stand-up, but the portrayal of the bonkers Spanish mother at the core of Jen Brister’s routine is elevated well…

Ava Vidal – Original Review

Review by Steve Bennett

28/11/2006 … Ava Vidal’s biggest asset is her stage presence.

Who wants Blair's job?

Just 12 audition for B'stard play

27/11/2006 … Rik Mayall today auditioned actors to play Tony and Cherie Blair in the new Alan B’stard play – but just 12 people turned up.

The Very Best Of Linda Smith

27/11/2006 … ‘I can’t remember the point when I realised Linda was unusually talented.

Brand's a turn-off – again

Russell's C4 chat show struggles

27/11/2006 … Russell Brand’s chat show has flopped in the ratings.

Are you an Avid viewer?

Quiz Bo Selecta star and win a DVD

27/11/2006 … Here’s your chance to quiz Bo Selecta creator Leigh Francis – and stand a chance of winning a signed copy of his new DVD in the process.

27/11/2006 … BOB DYLAN has asked Ricky Gervais on to his American radio show.

26/11/2006 … SACHA BARON COHEN is set to release Borat's version of the Kazakhstan National Anthem in time for the Christmas charts.

24/11/2006 … RICKY GERVAIS'S 2007 tour is to be called Fame, he has revealed.

24/11/2006 … REGENT INNS got £1.

Kramer vs KKKramer

The week's trivia round-up

24/11/2006 … Kenny Kramer, the oddball next-door neighbour (pictured) who inspired the Seinfeld character, is getting grief over actor Michael Richards’ racist outburst.

23/11/2006 … PHIL NICHOL and Lucy Porter have announced 2007 tours.

Richards hecklers want cash

Duo seek amends for racist rant

23/11/2006 … Two of the hecklers who prompted Michael Richards’s racist outburst have said they want a personal apology and a payout for the incident.

Ben Hurley – Original Review

Review by Steve Bennett

23/11/2006 … Ben Hurley has won armfuls of comedy awards in his native New Zealand – but then it is a very small country.

Showing a Little too much

Soap star exposed on Little Brtain Live

22/11/2006 … Holby City star Jeremy Edwards accidentally exposed himself to more than 3,000 Little Britain fans at a celebrity edition of their stage show.

Langham in court again

Actor bailed until February

22/11/2006 … Chris Langham made his latest appearance in court today to face eight counts of indecent assault and one of buggery.

22/11/2006 … COMEDIANS are being asked to contribute gags about disability to a new book benefitting charities for the blind and deaf published through the Leicester Comedy Festival,…

Black Country comic dies

'Ayli' fell ill after gig

22/11/2006 … Black Country comic John Plant – who performed as half the Aynuk and Ayli double act - has died at the age of 54.

kazakh22

22/11/2006 … KAZAKH president Nursultan Nazarbayev has forgiven Sacha Baron Cohen for the portrayal of his country, saying in London: 'This film was created by a comedian, so…

Robert Altman dies

MASH director was 81

21/11/2006 … Robert Altman, the acclaimed director of satirical films MASH and The Player, has died at the age of 81.

tonks21

21/11/2006 … STAND-UP Paul Tonkinson has been promoted from XFM Manchester to host the 1pm-4pm weekday slot on its sister London station from January.

Gervais films a 24 scene

– but not for broadcast

21/11/2006 … Ricky Gervais has shot a scene in the new season of 24 – but it will never make it to air.

Borat sued again

This time by Romanian villagers

21/11/2006 … Residents of a remote Romanian village have filed a $30 million claming they were misled into taking part in the Borat film.

21/11/2006 … LITTLE BRITAIN was named best comedy at the International Emmy awards in New York on Monday night.

'Thanks for nothing'

Brand fans left fuming over free gig

21/11/2006 … Russell Brand fans have been left fuming after waiting for hours for a free, semi-secret gig – only to be turned away at the door.

Mark Maier – Original Review

Review by Steve Bennett

21/11/2006 … Mark Maier is as understated as he is underrated; an experienced artisan of observational comedy who, with little fuss or hoopla, simply gets on with the task of…

Seinfeld star: 'I'm no racist'

Richards apologises for outburst

20/11/2006 … Seinfeld star Michael Richards has made a stumbling, awkward apology on national TV after unleashing a racist tirade against black hecklers.

Fox bites back

Right-wing answer to The Daily Show

20/11/2006 … America’s Fox News network is planning a right-wing answer to the Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

Comic killed in Iraq

TV star assassinated in Baghdad

20/11/2006 … An Iraqi comedian has been assassinated in Baghdad today.

20/11/2006 … DAVID WALLIAMS has been named showbusiness personality of the year at the Variety Club awards.

20/11/2006 … SIMON COWELL turned down a role singing karaoke on Extras — because he was embarrassed by his awful voice.

Free Evans

Win Lee's series on DVD

19/11/2006 … The Channel 4 series The World of Lee Evans is out on DVD next Monday – and we have five copies to give away.

Pulling power

Sharon Horgan and Dennis Kelly on their new BBC3 sitcom

19/11/2006 … The cancer patient lies in his hospital, a tube in his arm giving him a blood transfusion.

It's barking...

E4 announces sketch show

18/11/2006 … E4 is to launch a new character-based comedy sketch show next year.

Doctor Doctor

Jo Brand gets second degree

18/11/2006 … Jo Brand has been awarded a second honorary degree - and now says she wants to be addressed as Doctor Doctor.

Spitting mad

The week's trivia round-up

17/11/2006 … Why did Aussie comic Brendon Burns walk from ITV2's I’m A Celebrity…? spin-off.

Mutual Relief

Lucas and Kay join for charity single

17/11/2006 … Matt Lucas and Peter Kay are to record a cover version of Proclaimers hit I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) for Comic Relief.

17/11/2006 … OUR competition to win 8 Out Of 10 Cats DVDs is still open.

by Mike O'Brien, Bruce Dessau

16/11/2006 … The title The Best Stand-up And Comedy Routines really ought to come with an asterix and the footnote: ‘…provided it was released on Laughing Stock.

The clip joint

10hrs of stand-up goes online

16/11/2006 … A new website has been set up, offering more than ten hours of stand-up comedy.

I'm a comic, get me out of here

Burns leaves I'm A Celeb

16/11/2006 … Brendon Burns has left the ITV2 I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here spin-off after just three days.

pamann16

16/11/2006 … SPOOF air hostess Pam Ann has announced a 41-date tour of the UK next spring.

16/11/2006 … LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN star Mark Gatiss has joined the cast of BBC One's high-profile drama series Jekyll, which is currently filming - and due to air next year.

More glamour and drugs...

BBC Three reorders comedies

16/11/2006 … BBC Three has commissioned new series of both Drop Dead Gorgeous and Johnny Vegas’s Ideal.

Comedy news

BBC1 plans local paper sitcom

16/11/2006 … Perrier-winner Laura Solon is to star in a new BBC One sitcom set in a local newspaper office.

15/11/2006 … SCOTTISH stand-up comic Janey Godley has landed a US publishing deal for her serious autobiography Handstands In The Dark.

ABC picks Thick

US network invests in political comedy

15/11/2006 … The BBC is to make a pilot episode of political comedy The Thick Of It for American network ABC.

Shuffle the jokers

BBC Three's new comedy showcase

15/11/2006 … Rob Rouse is to host a new BBC comedy showcase mixing stand-up performances with home-made clips of the type seen on YouTube.

The B'Stard's back

New Statesman to tour again

15/11/2006 … Rik Mayall is to go on the road again with a second Alan B’Stard play.

maxwell15

15/11/2006 … RUSSELL BRAND will appear at Maxwell's Full Mooners late-night show at the London Comedy Store this Thursday (16).

Comedy addicts

Brand lands role in rehab sitcom

15/11/2006 … Former heroin junkie Russell Brand has landed a role in a new ITV1 sitcom set in a rehab clinic.

family15

15/11/2006 … THE ROYLE Family have been voted Britain’s favourite TV family ahead of the Trotters, from Only Fools and Horses, and The Simpsons.

French and Saunders plan tour

Duo 'too old for silly sketches'

14/11/2006 … French and Saunders are planning a nationwide tour next year.

Men behaving unpredictably

Morrissey to front TV improv show

14/11/2006 … Neil Morrissey has been lined up to star in a new improvised comedy for channel Five.

Arrested again...

Barschak held at Jacko's hotel

14/11/2006 … ‘Comedy Terrorist’ Aaron Barschak has been arrested again.

Extra competitive

Gervais and Merchant vie for best actor

14/11/2006 … Extras co-creators Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant are to go head-to-head for the best comedy actor accolade at the British Comedy Awards.

Ready to tour again

Gervais previews new live show

14/11/2006 … Ricky Gervais is planning a new national stand-up tour next year – and is ready to preview it.

Club comedian Oates dies

...as does comic actor Stevens

14/11/2006 … Veteran comedy actor Ronnie Stevens and clubland comic Chubby Oates have both died in the past few days.

MTV drops Brand

Chat show ends after 9 months

14/11/2006 … MTV is dropping Russell Brand's chat show 1 Leicester Square.

Donna Spence – Original Review

Review by Steve Bennett

14/11/2006 … Donna Spence takes forever asking all the men in the room to make some noise, all the women in the room to make some noise, all the single men in the room to make…

Annette Fagon – Original Review

Review by Steve Bennett

14/11/2006 … Livewire Annette Fagon has bags of appealing confidence and a natural energy that doesn’t really need all her chivvying of the audience to ‘give me some noise’…

Game on

Still Game scoops Scottish Bafta

13/11/2006 … BBC sitcom Still Game has been named the best programme to come out of Scotland – by the viewers themselves.

13/11/2006 … STEPHEN FRY and Alan Bennett have both made a viewers' list of the top ten British icons in a poll for BBC2’s The Culture Show.

Tube says no to 'Niggas'

Reg Hunter's posters banned

13/11/2006 … London Underground has banned adverts for Reginald D Hunter’s West End run, fearing the word ‘Niggas’ would cause offence.

Win 8 Out Of 10 Cats DVDs

13/11/2006 … A compilation of the funniest moment from Channel 4 panel show 8 Out Of 10 Cats is released on DVD on Monday – and we have six copies to give awat.

Book review: Box 18 - The Unpublished Spike Milligan

Edited by Norma Farnes

13/11/2006 … On the inside flap of Box 18 is the usual publishers’ biographical blurb: ‘Spike Mulligan was born in 1918 to a British military family… He wrote and performed…

Very Magnernamious

Cider firm to sponsor Glasgow fest

13/11/2006 … Irish cider firm Magners has stepped in to sponsor the Glasgow Comedy Festival.

13/11/2006 … A NEW trailer has been released for next year's Simpsons movie.

boratbo13

13/11/2006 … THE BORAT film has topped the US box office for a second week, grossing $29million (£15million), which is more than it took in its opening weekend.

Diagnosis Mirza

Shazia's passage to India

13/11/2006 … Shazia Mirza has performed her bridge-building gigs in India, attracting hundreds of fans but a mixed critical response.

rove11

11/11/2006 … AUSTRALIA'S top chat show, Rove Live, has been put on hold indefinitely after Belinda Emmett, the 32-year-old wife of comic-turned-host Rove McManus died following…

Americans get IT

C4 sitcom latest for remake

10/11/2006 … The IT Crowd has become the latest British comedy to be picked up for a US remake.

Kay joins The Producers

'It's a dream come true'

10/11/2006 … Peter Kay is joining the cast of the smash hit Mel Brooks musical The Producers - after using his autobiography to ask for a role.

10/11/2006 … ANGLO-IRANIAN stand-up Shappi Khorsandi is to appear on Question Time next Thursday (16th).

10/11/2006 … ACTRESS Diana Coupland, best known for her role in Seventies sitcom Bless This House opposite Sid James, has died in Coventry's University hosptial at the age of…

Reunited...

Lee & Herring return for one night

10/11/2006 … Stewart Lee and Richard Herring are perform as a double act for the first time in more than seven years.

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10/11/2006 … FRINGE regular Reggie Watts, who combines comedy with musical beat loops created on the fly, has won the Andy Kaufman award, which honours acts that break the barriers…

David Walliams goes straight

Drama role fort Little Britain star

10/11/2006 … David Walliams is to take a major straight acting role in two new BBC films by writer and director Stephen Poliakoff.

As recommended by the Messiah…

And other unlikely comedy trivia

10/11/2006 … The weekly GagSlag round-up of comedy trivia.

Borat sued

...by drunk sexist frat boys

10/11/2006 … Two frat boys who made a barrage of sexist and racist comments in the Borat film are suing its producers.

Funny face

The perfect face for comedy

10/11/2006 … This is the perfect face for comedy, scientists claim.

09/11/2006 … LITTLE BRITAIN is to be released as a PC and Playstation game in January, with chracters such as Lou and Andy, Vicky Pollard adn Daffyd Thomas voiced by Matt Lucas…

Justifying Judas

Lee takes on Christianity... again

09/11/2006 … Jerry Springer The Opera creator Stewart Lee is to risk further enraging the Christian right with a new show about Judas.

A starry night

Celeb gala for Little Britain

09/11/2006 … Matt Lucas and David Walliams have invited a host of stars to join the Little Britain live show for a one-off charity gala.

09/11/2006 … RUSSIA has banned the Borat film, which mocks Moscow's close ally Kazakhstan, after licensing officials ruled it could humiliate different ethnic groups and religions.

Is Adam the first man?

People's Choice nominees out

09/11/2006 … Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell and Robin Williams are to battle it out for the title of funniest male star at America’s People’s Choice Awards in the new year.

Russ vs Ross

Brand lands Friday night chat show

09/11/2006 … Russell Brand is to go head-to-head with Jonathan Ross after landing his own Channel 4 chat show.

They're Ron form

Corbett praises younger comics

08/11/2006 … Ronnie Corbett has praised modern comedians, saying they are braver and brighter than in his day.

Cosby strikes a deal

...over sex assault claim

08/11/2006 … Bill Cosby has settled a lawsuit filed by a woman who said he drugged and sexually assaulted her.

David Brent on tour?

Gervais vetoes live Office show

08/11/2006 … Ricky Gervais has turned down an offer to make a stage show based on The Office.

08/11/2006 … DAVID WALLIAMS was voted the country's most inspirational public figure in the Daily Mirror Pride of Britain awards on Tuesday night.

Springing into America

US gets its Jerry Springer moment

08/11/2006 … Jerry Springer: The Opera is to receive its American premiere in the chat show host’s home town of Chicago.

By Royal appointment...

Byrne gets a mainstream break

08/11/2006 … Omid Djalili, Jason Byrne and Ken Dodd are the comedians booked for this year’s Royal Variety Performance.

C4 gets Ugly

Return to comedy to combat ratings slump

08/11/2006 … Channel 4 is to return comedy to its Friday-night schedules in an attempt to counter freefalling audience numbers.

07/11/2006 … POLICE have arrested US comedian Katt Williams at Los Angeles International Airport on suspicion of carrying a concealed stolen weapon.

Doing frighteningly well

Strong sales for comedy DVDs

07/11/2006 … Channel 4’s DVD arm is boasting impressive sales figures for its Green Wing and Garth Marenghi releases, after both titles smashed their in-house targets.

My miraculous recovery

Terry Jones: 'I feel great'

07/11/2006 … Terry Jones has spoken of his 'miraculous recovery' after his operation to combat bowel cancer.

Mack attack

Lee lays into DVD exec

07/11/2006 … Lee Mack launched an attack on a DVD company last night for not releasing his stand-up show before Christmas.

Hill be back...

Harry pilots topical show

07/11/2006 … Harry Hill is working on a new TV show mocking the week’s news.

Win Peep Show DVDs

06/11/2006 … The third in the series of the award-winning sitcom, Peep Show is released on DVD this week, featuring all six episodes plus a wealth of exclusive extras.

by Jimmy Carr and Lucy Greeves

06/11/2006 … A lot of very serious people have written a lot of very serious things about the humble joke.

06/11/2006 … EDDIE IZZARD has let his voice to the TomTom satellite navigation device, which users can download for £4.

If the shoe fits...

From League Of Gents to Cinderella

06/11/2006 … League Of Gentlemen writer Jeremy Dyson is to adapt the Cinderella fairytale for a ‘contemporary’ BBC drama series.

06/11/2006 … ENTRIES have opened for the Laughing Horse new act competition, with a £1,000 first prize up for grabs.

Borat No1 movie film in U of K

Box office triumph at home, too

05/11/2006 … Sacha Baron Cohen's Borat movie has matched its American success in the UK, topping the British box office in its opening weekend.

Too much Branding

Russell rapped for DVD plugs

05/11/2006 … Russell Brand has been told off by his BBC bosses for plugging his products on air.

Merchant of mirth

Stephen plans return to stand-up

05/11/2006 … Stephen Merchant is planning a return to stand-up.

04/11/2006 … CHRIS ROCK has reportedly begun divorce proceedings against his wife of nearly ten years, Malaak Compton-Rock.

04/11/2006 … THE VICAR OF DIBLEY will get married in the 'conclusive' Christmas specials, it hsa been reported.

Hear, here

Chortle's new download store

04/11/2006 … Another month, another Chortle face-lift!Today we unveil a new download store, offering a much larger range of comedy shows to listen to on your PC or on the move…

We've gone PC mad

Comic hits back in racism row

04/11/2006 … The comic at the centre of a racism row has complained he is the victim of rampant political correctness.

Lee Hurst's dad dies

... just days after comic's suicide threat

04/11/2006 … Lee Hurst’s dad has died, just days after the distraught comic threatened to kill himself over his hospital treatment.

03/11/2006 … RICKY GERVAIS is to appear on Channel 4 Radio's new topical comedy programme, The Weekly Show, which will be recorded at London's Soho Theatre at 5pm tomorrow (Saturday)…

Is Meat funny?

GagSlag gossip round-up

03/11/2006 … Some trivia sparklers for your bonfire weekend.

aristo03

03/11/2006 … THE ARISTOCRATS, Paul Provenza's documentary about a singe offensive joke, is to get its British TV premiere on Film 4 on November 13.

omid02

02/11/2006 … OMID DJALILI has announced a new run of dates for his No Agenda show in early 2007.

Paper books 'racist' comic

Walkouts at corporate gig

02/11/2006 … A corporate gig for the Hull Daily Mail ended in chaos after the comedian they booked started telling allegedly racist jokes.

Banned, for the kids' sake

BBC governors rap French & Saunders

02/11/2006 … A French and Saunders sketch has been banned for exploiting children.

Tory boy

Smith lands Thick Of It role

02/11/2006 … Stand-up Will Smith has landed a role in the Christmas special of The Thick Of It.

The full Fawlty

Hotels offer the Basil experience

02/11/2006 … A hotel group is offering guests the full Fawlty Towers treatment.

Russell transplant

6 Music to swap comics

01/11/2006 … Russell Howard is poised to take over from fellow stand-up Russell Brand on BBC 6 Music.

Chosen at random...

Win Ross Noble's Randomist DVD

01/11/2006 … Ross Noble’s new four-disc DVD set, Randomist, is released on Monday – and we have three copies to give away.

01/11/2006 … JOSIE LAWRENCE and Jim Sweeney have landed a new improvised Radio 4 comedy show, The Lawrence Sweeney Mix, to be recorded in London later this month.

A bad day...

Izzard lasts 24hrs on 24

01/11/2006 … Eddie Izzard has left the cast of hit drama 24 after just one day of filming.

Lee Hurst suicide scare

'Cry for help' over dying father

01/11/2006 … Lee Hurst has been detained under the Mental Health act after threatening to kill himself.

nta01

01/11/2006 … LITTLE BRITAIN has been named most popular comedy at the National Television Awards, while David Walliams won a 'landmark TV' award for his cross-Channel charity…

Brendan Riley – Original Review

Review by Steve Bennett

01/11/2006 … Brendan Riley’s biggest asset is his instant affinity with his audience.

Andy Brough – Original Review

Review by Steve Bennett

01/11/2006 … Andy Brough is a hard-to-like open spot whose mind is so jumbled, it’s near-impossible to follow his train of thought or discern any obvious jokes.

Burns nightly

Burns lands I'm A Celebrity... job

31/10/2006 … Brendon Burns is to present the ITV2 coverage of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here.

BBC defends Langham play

Complaint over 'inappropriate' broadcast

31/10/2006 … The BBC has defended its decision to air a radio play starring Chris Langham while he awaits trial for alleged child sex offences.

Prophet warning

Sketch group portray Mohammed

31/10/2006 … Sketch group Dutch Elm Conservatoire have caused controversy for depicting Mohammed with the voice of Gerry Adams.

atta31

31/10/2006 … VINCE ATTA was named North-West Comedian Of The Year at the annual City Life awards that closed the Manchester Comedy Festival on Monday night.

Vince Atta – Original Review

Review by Steve Bennett

31/10/2006 … Despite his relative inexperience, Vince Atta instantly proves himself an unstoppable force, forging a brilliant rapport with the audience through every performance…

The 1 Like Fish – Original Review

Review by Steve Bennett

31/10/2006 … The oddly named The 1 Like Fish is basically just vicious and unpleasant, with a set that – at the risk of sounding like a stick-in-the-mud conservative – simply…

City Life Comedian Of The Year final 2006

Review by Steve Bennett

31/10/2006 … The magazine may have closed, but the City Life comedian of the year competition is still alive and kicking, with another batch of ten newish north-west acts vying…

30/10/2006 … BILL ODDIE'S 21-year-old daughter Rosie has won the women-only Angelic Music singer-songwriter cometition, with a composition called Genni's Song.

America gets Thick

Arrested Development team rework satire

30/10/2006 … The Thick Of It is being reworked for American audiences, by the team behind the acclaimed comedy Arrested Development.

roylerating30

30/10/2006 … SUNDAY night's one-off return of the Royle Family after a six-year absence attracted an estimated 7.

by Julian Hall

30/10/2006 … The best way to describe The Rough Guide to Cult British Comedy is that it’s kind of like Chortle - but in book form.

Pennis enlargement

New series for Dennis Pennis creator

30/10/2006 … Dennis Pennis creator Paul Kaye has landed his own MTV show in the guise of foul-mouthed New York comedian Mike Strutter.

John Cooper – Original Review

Review by Steve Bennett

30/10/2006 … John Cooper has the audience smiling almost immediately, looking every inch the part of a comic, and he deliberately plays on his distinctively Middle Earthy features.

Jo Dakin – Original Review

Review by Steve Bennett

30/10/2006 … Jo Dakin is definitely different in her approach.

Jonathan Paylor – Original Review

Review by Steve Bennett

30/10/2006 … Jonathan Paylor is a gay Arsenal fan from Yorkshire – none of which is a particularly fascinating fact, but still they form the basis for about half his material:…

Rodney Marques – Original Review

Review by Steve Bennett

30/10/2006 … Rodney Marques mines his own life for inspiration for his set, which makes for an appealing confessional atmosphere, even if some of the routines didn’t quite…

Martin Tapley – Original Review

Review by Steve Bennett

30/10/2006 … Newcomer Martin Tapley can’t quite solidify his ideas into a solid set.

Felix Dexter: On The Edge

Review by Steve Bennett

30/10/2006 … It’s hard to believe that The Real McCoy was 15 years ago, but its memories, plus appearances in the likes of Grumpy Old Men, mean Felix Dexter can still fill…

Amadeus Martin – Original Review

Review by Steve Bennett

29/10/2006 … As a comic, Amadeus lacks soul and passion, delivering his material with cold detachment and little sign of joy in his slow, measured delivery.

28/10/2006 … UKTV GOLD is making two 90-minute Only Fools And Horses documentaries to air this Christmas, including a run-down of viewers' top 40 favourite moments.

28/10/2006 … BBC TWO has ordered a second series of That Mitchell And Webb Look, which will be filmed next summer.

Brooks heads for London

...but tickets will cost you £150

28/10/2006 … Mel Brooks is to appear on the West End stage for a one-off ‘Audience With…’ interview.

Catherine the great

Tate wins 4.7m viewers

27/10/2006 … Catherine Tate attracted 4.

Hot property

Hollywood bids for Borat follow-ip

27/10/2006 … Hollywood studios have reportedly been involved in an intense bidding war for Sacha Baron Cohen's follow-up to Borat.

The only gay down under...

Matt Lucas lands Kath & Kim role

27/10/2006 … Matt Lucas has landed a role in Australian sitcom Kath And Kim.

Barbed comments...

GagSlag gossip round-up

27/10/2006 … ‘It's not a plus that makes you a comedian, it's a genetic flaw.

Men of the year

Comics make Debrett's top 100

26/10/2006 … Russell Brand and Ricky Gervais are among the top people of the year, according to society bible Debrett’s.

26/10/2006 … MATT LUCAS and David Walliams will be signing copies of the new Little Britain Live DVD at HMV, 150 Oxford Street, London, on Monday November 13 from 6pm.

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26/10/2006 … TIM MINCHIN has announced a tour for early in 2007, in addition to a run of dates in London next month.

6 appeal

Brand boosts radio audience

26/10/2006 … Russell Brand is being credited for giving digital radio station 6 Music a 40 per cent ratings hike.

I don't like your tone...

Dom Joly ringtones 'stolen'

26/10/2006 … A website claims to have stolen foul-mouthed ringtones Dom Joly made for his friends and posted them on the internet.

Adam Crow – Original Review

Review by Steve Bennett

26/10/2006 … Experienced stand-up Adam Crow has a calm, measured approach to his act that disguises the harshness of some of his material.

25/10/2006 … THE FINAL heat of the Student Comedian of the Year award run by Chortle will be held at Manchester's XS Malarket on March 12.

25/10/2006 … JANEY GODLEY has missed out on being named Scotswoman Of The Year to heart disease researcher Prof Anna Dominiczak.

Ricky won't shut up

New podcasts just weeks after he 'quit'

25/10/2006 … Ricky Gervais has announced that he’s making more podcasts – just a month after he said he was quitting for good.

Blow for Borat

US film release slashed back

25/10/2006 … It is the most-hyped comedy film this season – but Borat is having its American release slashed back because studio executives fear few people have heard of it.

Bethany Black – Original Review

Review by Steve Bennett

25/10/2006 … Now here’s a phrase you won’t hear that often.

Phil James – Original Review

Review by Steve Bennett

25/10/2006 … Phil James adopts that rigidly deadpan attitude many newer acts do as defence from exposing the real them, even if it means a harsher environment for their jokes.

The Two Faces Of Mitchell And Webb

Review by Steve Bennett

25/10/2006 … Robert Mitchell and David Webb have been teetering on the brink of the big time for a very long time, but their TV shows have tended to underperform.

Beat The Frog World Series 2006

Review by Steve Bennett

25/10/2006 … It’s often easy to dismiss large, lively audiences; to assume they would prefer straight-down-the-line mainstream comedy over than anything too challenging.

Comic attacked after gig

Devlin needs jaw surgery

24/10/2006 … Stand-up Bruce Devlin has undergone major surgery on a fractured jaw today after he was battered unconscious by teenage thugs in Edinburgh.

jasonalex24

24/10/2006 … SEINFELD star Jason Alexander is to turn his hand to stand-up, performing four shows at Melbourne's Crown Casino from December 13.

Ray Kane – Original Review

Review by Steve Bennett

24/10/2006 … Although a relative newcomer Ray Kane, is undeniably skilled at working a room, confidently launching his set with some compere-like call-and-response shenanigans…

Susan Hanks – Original Review

Review by Steve Bennett

24/10/2006 … A couple of years into her stand-up career, and there’s still little substance to Susan Hanks’s breezily conversational set.

Mirza sent to India

Taxpayer-funded trip to 'build bridges'

23/10/2006 … Shazia Mirza is to tour India, courtesy of the British taxpayer.

Manchester Comedy Festival 2006

Reviews

23/10/2006 … Beat The Frog World SeriesFrog and BucketOctober 23Frank SidebottomDancehouse TheatreOctober 22 The Unbroadcastable Radio ShowComedy StoreOctober 22.

Jones has cancer op

Python star 'in good spirits'

23/10/2006 … Terry Jones is said to be ‘in good spirits’ following an operation to combat his suspected colon cancer.

23/10/2006 … COMIC RELIEF is hosting six fundraising previews of Borat's movie across the UK on November 1.

All you need is spoof

Beatles 'loved Rutles parody'

23/10/2006 … The Beatles gave their seal of approval to parody group The Rutles, Eric Idle has claimed.

America imports Stupid

BBC sitcom set for NBC remake

23/10/2006 … BBC Three sitcom I’m With Stupid, set in a home for the disabled, is to be adapted for American TV by the Farrelly brothers.

Is it coz I is Welsh?

Davidson accused of racism... again

23/10/2006 … Jim Davidson has been branded racist again – this time for refusing to be served by the Welsh.

Frank Sidebottom – Original Review

Review by Steve Bennett

23/10/2006 … In these Big Brother days anyone, it seems, can become a celebrity.

Unbroadcastable Radio Show

Review by Steve Bennett

23/10/2006 … The Unbroadcastable Radio Show is a live show staged like a radio show.

Series 2 out next week

22/10/2006 … The second series of the Catherine Tate show is released on DVD next week – and we have three copies to give away.

Book review: Ricky Gervais, The Story So Far

by Michael Heatley

22/10/2006 … For all his vocal dislike of the cult of celebrity, Ricky Gervais has never been shy about giving interviews.

The deal's on the bus

Edinburgh 'venue' for sale

22/10/2006 … One of the more unusual comedy venues at the Edinburgh festival is being put up for sale.

Terry Jones 'has cancer'

Python in hospital

21/10/2006 … Monty Python’s Terry Jones is fighting bowel cancer, according to press reports.

21/10/2006 … JIMMY TARBUCK, 66, has pulled out of Strictly Come Dancing on doctors' orders, saying: 'I'm absolutely devastated.

Is that a biro in your pocket...

GagSlag gossip round-up

20/10/2006 … Slim pickings in our gossip round-up this week.

19/10/2006 … THE SECRET Policeman's Ball will be shown on Channel 4 at 10pm on October 31, the broadcaster announced today.

19/10/2006 … WE HAVE a complete Yes Minister box set to give away.

Ginger? Is that like Nigger over here?

Interview with Doug Stanhope

19/10/2006 … As Doug Stanhope gathers critical acclaim for his London run, he reveals in a previously unpublished interview how he’s bored of stand-up, how he hates Curb Your…

Pester power

QI fans force DVD release

19/10/2006 … Fans of QI have won their campaign to get the show released on DVD – after an internet petition convinced distributors there would be a market for it.

Modern comedy is rubbish

Dad's Army star slates writers

19/10/2006 … Dad's Army star Bill Pertwee has slammed modern TV comedy for being ‘too aggressive’ and sweary.

Breaking the curses

Comedy club bans swearing

18/10/2006 … A London comedy club has banned its stand-ups from swearingThe Funny Side Of Covent Garden is to offer a clean night of comedy, promising punters cash back if any…

18/10/2006 … MICHAEL PALIN, Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam joined Eric Idle on stage following the first night of Idle's Spamalot in the West End yesterday.

Kay's funny money

Company accounts reveal £8m fortune

18/10/2006 … Peter Kay is sitting on an £8million fortune, after netting £1.

Satire will save us, says Iannucci

Why comedy's a serious business

18/10/2006 … Comedy is becoming vitally important because politicians and the media are failing to treat anything seriously, Armando Iannucci has said.

Gypsies sue Borat

Film 'endorses violence'

17/10/2006 … A group of German gypsies is suing Sacha Baron Cohen, saying his new Borat film makes promotes intolerance.

A cunning plan...

Am dram group wins Blackadder rights

17/10/2006 … Blackadder is to be put on stage for the first time – thanks to a small amateur dramatics group.

Mack puts off tour

Dates rescheduled for 2007

17/10/2006 … Lee Mack has cancelled his autumn tour.

Kumars leave No 42

Comic team could defect from the BBC

17/10/2006 … The BBC has lost The Kumars At No 42, with the fictional family considering a move to a rival broadcaster.

17/10/2006 … LITTLE BRITAIN, My Family, The Catherine Tate Show and Will & Grace have been nominated for best comedy in the National Television Awards, to be handed out on October…

Germany hails Borat

Award for Baron Cohen

17/10/2006 … Sacha Baron Cohen has been named the funniest man not to come from Germany.

Spamalot

Review by Steve Bennett

17/10/2006 … Spamalot stamps its mark on the West End with the subtle grace of a giant animated foot squashing a renaissance angel, complete with coarse raspberry.

A political backhander

Win a Yes Minister box set

16/10/2006 … The BBC has today released the complete Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister on a seven-disc box set.

The lost laugh

Hunt is on for missing TV classics

16/10/2006 … ITV is launching a search for classic shows by the likes of Tommy Cooper, Kenny Everett and Morecambe and Wise that were never archived.

britox16

16/10/2006 … LITTLE BRITAIN have added new dates to their Australian tour: Brisbane Conference Centre (Jan 22-26), Melbourne Vodafone Arena (Jan 30-31) and Sydney Hordern Pavilion…

Award for what Simon says

Playwright Neil lands humour prize

16/10/2006 … Playwright Neil Simon has collected America’s most prestigious award for humor, the Mark Twain Prize.

15/10/2006 … CATHERINE TATE plans to tour next year as a 'full-stop' to her existing comic characters.

On the Ball...

Amensty benefit hailed a success

15/10/2006 … The first Secret Policeman's Ball benefit show for 17 years has been hailed a success with the likes of Eddie Izzard, Chevy Chase and Russell Brand sharing the Royal…

A cutthroat business

Cohen set for Sweeney Todd film

14/10/2006 … Sacha Baron Cohen is set to appear in Tim Burton's new Sweeney Todd movie.

13/10/2006 … WE HAVE six Marx Brothers box sets to give away in a new competition.

Book review: The Sound Of Laugher

by Peter Kay

13/10/2006 … Kay’s already made his name – and considerable fortune – from the very ordinariness of his life, so it comes as no surprise that his autobiography offers…

Rev Brand

GagSlag gossip round-up

13/10/2006 … The weekly round-up of utter trivia gleaned from the grubbier end of the week’s news: Matt Lucas says he fancies a night with the resolutely heterosexual Samuel…

Beast of Hollywood

Vet sitcom gets US makeover

13/10/2006 … The Americans have raided Britain to remake yet another sitcom.

It's strife, Jim...

Davidson in hot water again

12/10/2006 … Jim Davidson is in the midst of another controversy after a cancer sufferer stormed out of his show over his jokes about cancer patients, blind people, the disabled…

Calls of the wild

C4 orders phone prank series

12/10/2006 … Channel 4 has ordered a series of a prank phone call programmes on the back of a Comedy Lab pilot.

Tate bovvers the OED

Catchprhase named word of the year

12/10/2006 … Catherine Tate's ‘bovvered’ catchphrase has been named the word of the year by the compilers of the Oxford English Dictionary.

Just Idle speculation

Eric dismisses Python reunion

11/10/2006 … Eric Idle has quashed any ideas of a Monty Python reunion.

Komedia takes a Bath

New site for Brighton venue

11/10/2006 … Brighton’s Komedia venue is to open a new comedy room in Bath.

Hammer time...

Arkwright sign to be auctioned

11/10/2006 … The sign from Ronnie Barker’s shop in Open All Hours is to be put up for auction.

Marxism today...

Win classic movies on DVD

10/10/2006 … A new box set of Marx brothers movies is released on DVD on Monday – and we’ve got a handful to give away.

wright10

10/10/2006 … DEADPAN American comic Stephen Wright has recorded his first hour-long TV special in 16 years.

10/10/2006 … MICHAEL PALIN's forthcoming travel series New Europe is to air in Australia after the Seven network bought the rights.

Russell Brand: Shame

Review by Steve Bennett

10/10/2006 … If you want a perfect example of celebrity culture gone bonkers, look at Russell Brand.

09/10/2006 … AMERICAN comic and actor Tim Allen has married his girlfriend of five years, actress Jane Hadjuk.

The heats are on

More dates for student awards

09/10/2006 … Three more heats have today been confirmed in Chortle’s annual hunt for the best new student comedian.

Ronnie 'retired too soon'

Corbett talks of his partner

09/10/2006 … Ronnie Barker retired from comedy too early, his partner Ronnie Corbett has said.

Circus freak

Ninia joins Sky's big top show

09/10/2006 … 3 Non-Blondes star Ninia Benjamin is one of the celebrities learning terrifying circus skills for a new Sky One reality show, it was announced today.

Taking on the world

Little Britain up for an Emmy

09/10/2006 … Little Britain is to go head-to-head against Channel 4’s The IT Crowd for the International Emmy award for best comedy.

Ricky's US debut

First stand-up gig in the States

09/10/2006 … Ricky Gervais is to perform his first stand-up gig in America this weekend.

Teenage kicks

Amstell pens E4 comedy-drama

09/10/2006 … Former Popworld presenter Simon Amstell and award-winning stand-up Josie Long are to write a new teenage comedy-drama for E4.

Peter Kay, thief

Comic admits to light-fingered past

08/10/2006 … Peter Kay has admitted stealing from a string of dead-end jobs before he became famous.

Jim Jefferies – Original Review

Review by Steve Bennett

08/10/2006 … Something is very wrong with Jim Jeffries’ moral compass, that’s for sure.

Mike Gunn – Original Review

Review by Steve Bennett

08/10/2006 … Experienced stand-up Mike Gunn takes world-weariness to almost morose extremes, with laziness and disappointment pervading his listlessly deadpan set.

Norton: Drugs are great

Storm over E and coke comments

07/10/2006 … Graham Norton has landed in controversy after boasting how much he enjoyed cocaine and ecstasy.

I'll gut your mother

Comic guilty of harassment

06/10/2006 … A stand-up comic has been found guilty of harassing Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan with an avalanche of text messages and phone calls.

06/10/2006 … STEPHEN FRY has stepped down as host of the Bafta Film Awards after a 'tremendous' six years, saying: 'I look forward to watching it without nerves in the future.

Was Peter Cook gay?

...and other dubious stories

06/10/2006 … Strap in.

xtralittlebrit06

06/10/2006 … EIGHT extra London dates went on sale at 9am today for the Little Britain tour - at the Hammersmith Apollo on Nov 21, Dec 11 and 13-16, and the Brixton Academy on…

Praise be to Godley

Janey up for Scotswoman gong

06/10/2006 … Stand-up Janey Godley has been nominated for the Scotswoman Of The Year award.

That's all right, Jack

Dee's sitcom sets BBC4 record

05/10/2006 … Jack Dee’s new sitcom has become the most-watched comedy on BBC Four.

Withnail play 'a crap idea'

... says the cult film's star

05/10/2006 … Actor Richard Griffiths has branded the planned stage version of Withnail And I as ‘a crap idea’.

Card sharp

Green Wing duo plug Barclaycard

05/10/2006 … Green Wing stars Julian Rhind-Tutt and Stephen Mangan are to front a new advertising campaign for Barclaycard.

Bring me Lafta

Carr, Brand scoop Loaded awards

04/10/2006 … Russell Brand and Jimmy Carr have been named the kings of comedy in the Loaded Lafta awards.

Winging its way to you...

Win Green Wing DVDs

04/10/2006 … The second series of Bafta-winning Channel 4 comedy Green Wing has been released on DVD this week, featuring all eight episodes plus 100 minutes of extras.

Rock, solid

Chris gets festival honour

03/10/2006 … Chris Rock is to be honoured with the top award at a Las Vegas comedy festival.

03/10/2006 … JOE PASQUALE is to be the voice of Nine, the lead character in BBC's new children's animation Frankenstein's Cat, which starts next year.

Langham trial date set

Actor in court over indecent images

02/10/2006 … Chris Langham has appeared in court charged with 15 counts of making indecent images of children.

izzardwarmup

02/10/2006 … EDDIE IZZARD is doing two warm-up gigs for the Secret Policeman's Ball in London's Soho Theatre next week, which sold out within three hours, despite little publicity.

A new chapter

Peter Kay starts podcasting

02/10/2006 … Peter Kay is jumping on the podcast bandwagon, by charging fans up to £1.

Too many Cooks?

Another Pete & Dud play...

01/10/2006 … A new play about Peter Cook and Dudley Moore is to be performed on the site of The Establishment Club Cook established in 1961.

01/10/2006 … RUSSELL BRAND's E4 show is continuing its ratings slump, now attracting just 83,000 viewers.

30/09/2006 … KAZAKHSTAN'S largest chain of cinemas, Otau, has banned Sacha Baron Cohen's Borat movie, saying: 'We consider this movie offensive, a complete lie and nonsense.

Oh, Brother...

BB Pete's stand-up plans

30/09/2006 … Big Brother winner Pete Bennett is planning to become a stand-up comic.

Fruit fancy...

Our weekly GagSlag gossip round-up

29/09/2006 … Has Russell Brand found God? That’s the opinion of at least one gossip columnist leapt to as the sinful one was spotted leaving the Hinde Street Methodist Church…

29/09/2006 … CHARLIE SHEEN is to become the highest-paid comedy star on TV after securing a $350,000-a-show deal for his sitcom Two And A Half Men.

Little Britain down under

Tour to visit Sydney

28/09/2006 … Matt Lucas and David Walliams are taking their Little Britain stage show to Australia.

Shooting stars

US to remake Suburban Shootout

28/09/2006 … Channel Five comedy Suburban Shootout is to be remade for American TV.

Vegas in Benidorm

Johhny to front new ITV1 sitcom

28/09/2006 … Johnny Vegas is to star in ITV1’s new sitcom, Benidorm.

Live from New York...

ITV buys SNL

28/09/2006 … American comedy institution Saturday Night Live is to air in Britain.

27/09/2006 … RUSSELL BRAND has admitted he auditioned for boy band 5IVE when he was aged about 20.

TV deal for YouTube duo

Comics' viral sketches wow NBC

27/09/2006 … Two college students have signed a comedy deal with America’s NBC network after posting their sketches on You Tube.

Underpants opening

UK premiere for Steve Martin play

26/09/2006 … A century-old German farce rewritten by Steve Martin is to be performed in Britain for the first time.

domjoly

26/09/2006 … DOM JOLY is to travel the world for a new six-part Sky One series looking at the social aspects of alcohol, Dom Joly’s Happy Hour, due to air in November.

Are you a funny student?

Win £2,500 in our annual contest

26/09/2006 … Today Chortle launches the fourth annual hunt for the best student comedians in Britain – and this time we’ve teamed up with REVELS, the unpredictable bite-sized…

Chortle gets a makeover

How the site has been improved

26/09/2006 … Welcome to your new-look Chortle.

garthdvd

26/09/2006 … GARTH MARENGHI's Darkplace is finally to be released on DVD - after much reported changing of the release date - on October 16.

26/09/2006 … NEWCOMER Mark Nelson was named Scottish Comedian Of The Year following a final at Glasgow's Merchant City Festival On Sunday night.

Zip-a-dee Doo Dah

Comics help cult band reform

25/09/2006 … The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band are to reform – with Phill Jupitus and Adrian Edmondson taking lead vocals.

Blue blazes

Fire destroys movie church

25/09/2006 … The church where James Brown preached in The Blues Brothers has been destroyed by fire.

On the House

Win Rik Mayall DVDs

24/09/2006 … The complete series of both The New Statesman and Rik Mayall Presents are to be released on DVD next Monday (October 2) And to celebrate, we have two copies…

The Tate escape...

Catherine to star in Cold War drama

24/09/2006 … Catherine Tate is to headline her first film, playing a real-life Cold War heroine.

Neil McFarlane – Original Review

Review by Steve Bennett

24/09/2006 … Looking somewhat like a young Eric Idle, Neil McFarlane sometimes announces himself as a ‘posh Glaswegian’, as if such a thing was previously unheard-of, but…

Obie – Original Review

Review by Steve Bennett

24/09/2006 … Obie is a relaxed comic, but a bit too much so.

Paul Pirie – Original Review

Review by Steve Bennett

24/09/2006 … Paul Pirie is an impressive act, with a brisk, energetic delivery.

Mark Nelson – Original Review

Review by Steve Bennett

24/09/2006 … Though relatively inexperienced, 2006 Scottish Comedian of the Year Mark Nelson has the energy to invigorate a sluggish room and knows enough to started with a proper…

Book review: As Used On The Famous Nelson Mandela, by Mark Thomas

23/09/2006 … You don’t have to look far to see the fruits of the arms industry.

Book review: That Peter Kay Book

23/09/2006 … This is the unauthorised biography that got Peter Kay so furious he was compelled to write his own version of his life story, admitting he was driven by anger at…

Book Review: Fringe, by James Aylett and James Lark

23/09/2006 … Around 17,000 performers will swarm to Edinburgh next month, and most of them won’t have a clue what they’re doing.

by Rik Mayall

23/09/2006 … Rik Mayall wasn’t messing around when he gave his supposed autobiography a title like Bigger Than Hitler, Better Than Christ.

Review: The Authorised Biography of Ronnie Barker

23/09/2006 … Among today’s generation of comedy fans,  Ronnie Barker is considered more a bit passé.

Howerd's way

Review: Frankie Howerd: Stand-up Comic by Graham McCann

23/09/2006 … By the end, Frankie Howerd was almost a parody of himself, the awkward, arched stance and unconvincing Brillo pad hairpiece as much as an overexposed trademark as…

Book review: Eric Morecambe Unseen, edited by William Cook

23/09/2006 … ‘The lost diaries, jokes and photographs,’ reads the cover line on Eric Morecambe Unseen, promising to unearth a buried treasure trove of the great man’s…

Book review: And Now For Something Completely Digital

23/09/2006 … Amazon currently lists 142 books about Monty Python.

Book review: Getting The Joke by Oliver Double

23/09/2006 … Comedy, unlike some other art forms, is enjoyed more the less you know about how it works.

Book review: Bill Hicks, Agent Of Evolution by Kevin Booth

23/09/2006 … As the prologue to this personal memoir of his lifelong friend Bill Hicks, Kevin Booth recalls one of the many times they were tripping on mushrooms on his family’s…

Book review: Laughing Matters, by Steven Jacobi

23/09/2006 … Every so often, usually around Edinburgh Fringe time, some journalist – and frustrated performer – hits upon the idea of trying their hand at stand-up,…

Book review: Pryor Convictions by Richard Pryor

23/09/2006 … It’s something of a surprise that Richard Pryor gets his entire life into just the one book; after all he’s lived more in one week that most of us live…

Book review: Ken Dodd: The Biography

23/09/2006 … Ken Dodd is a fascinating comic – a throwback to the days of variety, to this day performing a gruelling schedule of five-hour shows, mixing puns, surreal whimsy…

by Dave Gorman

23/09/2006 … Had all gone to plan, this would be a review of Dave Gorman's debut novel.

Book review: Comic Insights, by Franklyn Ajaye

23/09/2006 … It's a cliché that comedy is a serious business.

by Bill Hicks

23/09/2006 … Since you're reading this site, you probably don't need telling of Bill Hicks's status as one of the greatest stand-ups of all-time.

EizzardLA

23/09/2006 … EDDIE IZZARD is to perform three low-key gigs at LA’s Coronet Theatre on October 5-7 as a ‘work in progress’.

brand as adam ant

23/09/2006 … RUSSELL BRAND is in line to play Adam Ant in a biopic of the troubled Eighties icon, at least according to the Daily Star.

23/09/2006 … THE BBC has announced the winners of its Funny Hunt competition for internet sketches.

The big O

Dara pilots BBC One chat show

23/09/2006 … Dara O’Briain has recorded a primetime comedy chat show for BBC One.

by Ben Thompson

22/09/2006 … The enticing, if unfashionable, premise of Ben Thompson's expansive book is that the golden age of TV comedy is not some far-off memory, but here and now.

22/09/2006 … Spike Milligan was such a comedic colossus, bringing so much laughter to so many people, that it's almost impossible to think ill of him.

by Rich Hall

22/09/2006 … Rich Hall's no stranger to the printed word.

Edited by Malcolm Hardee and John Fleming

22/09/2006 … Take 18 comics, give them carte blanche to write a short story on whatever takes their fancy and this is the result.

by Mark Lewisohn

22/09/2006 … This second edition of the definitive guide to TV comedy comes with a raft of statistics: it has more than a million words in 960 pages, covering 3,000 more than…

by Dominic Holland

22/09/2006 … After setting his debut novel in the glamorous world of the Hollywood movie mogul, Dominic Holland has chosen a more down-to-earth environment for his follow-up…

Book review: Nineteen Seventy-Nine

by Rhona Cameron

22/09/2006 … This isn't exactly one of those books you approach with feverish glee.

by Mark Steel

22/09/2006 … Vive La Revolution is, very possibly, a first - a comedian tackling a serious subject seriously, adding jokes only to lighten the read.

by The Pythons

22/09/2006 … The most obvious thing about this glossy coffee-table tome - which threatens to be the last book the Pythons will write together - is its sheer beauty.

Stewart Lee's debut novel reviewed

22/09/2006 … For a while, it seemed that every comedian who ever appeared on TV would make a leap onto the publishing bandwagon, using whatever fame they had as a springboard…

by Dominic Holland

22/09/2006 … Dominic Holland's first attempt at swapping the gladiatorial arena of the stand-up circuit for the tranquil dignity of a novelist's career is a breezy 21st century…

by Gary Morecambe

22/09/2006 … What can you say about Eric Morecambe that hasn't already been said? The answer, it seems, is very little - even from the mouth of his own son.

Book review: Goodbye Again - The Definitive Peter Cook And Dudley Moore

22/09/2006 … Reading a book of comedy scripts is never going to be as satisfying or as funny as watching them being performed, that much is obvious.

Book review: Dudley Moore: An Intimate Portrait

by Rena Fruchter

22/09/2006 … The rise and fall of Dudley Moore is, by now, a well-known story.

Book review: The Book What I Wrote

Eric, Ernie and Me, by Eddie Braben

22/09/2006 … Morecambe and Wise was a double act with three members: Eric, Ern and Eddie Braben.

by Richard Asplin

22/09/2006 … Comedians, as a species, are a funny bunch.

by Martin Kelner

22/09/2006 … As anyone who's ever glanced through the small ads that fill the back pages of actors' newspaper The Stage will be aware, there is a vast showbusiness netherworld…

by Dave Gorman

22/09/2006 … After a successful string of live gigs and a six-part BBC2 series, what can a book tell us that we don't already know about Dave Gorman's obsessive quest to track…

The Complete Peter Cook

22/09/2006 … For one of the most influential and inspirational figures in British comedy, it comes as some surprise to find that so little of Peter Cook's material has been published…

The Club That Changed Comedy, by William Cook

22/09/2006 … Without The Comedy Store, the most famous stand-up venue in the country, would we have the live circuit we have today?The answer, of course, is yes.

by Mark Watson

22/09/2006 … It would be very easy to be envious of Mark Watson's success.

The A-Z Of Living Together by Jeff Green

22/09/2006 … Ah, the differences between men and women.

Living With Billy Connolly by Pamela Stephenson

22/09/2006 … In the bestselling biography of her husband, Pamela Stephenson brilliantly charted the Billy Connolly's incredible life from an abused child from the desperately…

Book revew: Attitude: Wanna Make Something Of It?

by Tony Allen

22/09/2006 … Tony Allen has a unique place in modern stand-up.

Funny how?

Edmonds, Jordan up for comedy awards

22/09/2006 … Loaded magazine has announced the shortlists for its annual Laftas comedy awards – with Jordan, Big Brother’s Nikki Grahame, Noel Edmonds and Chris Moyles among…

GagSlag #4

Hilton's reservations...

22/09/2006 … Paris Hilton, who refused to let Steve Coogan into her Hollywood home despite him banging on the door for an hour, dismissively refers to the Alan Patridge funnyman…

The divine comedy

Vicar of Dibley goes to the US

22/09/2006 … The Vicar of Dibley is to become the latest British sitcoms to be remade for America.

21/09/2006 … DYLAN MORAN, Sarah Silverman, Jo Brand and Leigh Francis have all been added to the bill of Amnesty International’s Secret Policeman’s Ball at the Royal Albert…

21/09/2006 … ACCLAIMED Hollywood comedy Entourage, shown on ITV2 in the UK, has been commissioned for a 12-episode fourth series – even though there are still eight installments…

21/09/2006 … MEL BROOKS is developing an animated TV series based on his 1987 movie Spaceballs.

Walliams takes on 007

Little Britain star to host Bond tribute

21/09/2006 … David Walliams is to front an hour-long ITV1 show about his passion for James Bond.

Jason John Whitehead – Original Review

Review by Steve Bennett

21/09/2006 … This laid-back Canadian may project the insouciant demeanour of an unfocussed wastrel - but that’s just camouflage, allowing him to spin some very funny yarns…

Gervais shuts up...

Podcasts to cease after 8m downloads

20/09/2006 … Ricky Gervais is to quit making podcasts ‘before everyone hates us’.

Payout for Carr's dad

Compensation in family feud case

20/09/2006 … Jimmy Carr’s estranged father has been awarded compensation from police after being cleared of harassing the comic and his brother, his law firm claims.

Dyl or no Dyl?

Moran to star in BBC One pilot

20/09/2006 … Dylan Moran could be starring in a new prime-time BBC One sitcom.

Craig's crack caution

Dwarf star admits habit

20/09/2006 … Craig Charles has escaped a court hearing for crack-cocaine possession after admitting he used the drug.

A world apart...

BBC's new sci-fi comedy

20/09/2006 … Kevin Eldon, Ben Moor and Richard Herring are to star in a new sci-fi comedy on BBC7.

The voice of Rhod

Gilbert lands radio series

19/09/2006 … Stand-up Rhod Gilbert has been signed up to host a weekly radio show on BBC Radio Wales.

Funny business

Brand plans kinky comedy club

19/09/2006 … Russell Brand is reportedly planning to open a kinky comedy venue based around the ideas of a sex club.

Borat exclusive

See his film six weeks before it's out

19/09/2006 … MySpace are hosting an exclusive screening on Sacha Baron Cohen’s new Borat film tomorrow (Wednesday) – and we have five pairs of tickets to give away.

Cut it out...

Jewish fury over 'scissors' gag

19/09/2006 … The ‘rock-scissors-paper’ gag about the Second World War that was at the centre of a plagiarism row last year has hit the headlines again, after it offended…

Dom Carroll – Original Review

Review by Steve Bennett

19/09/2006 … If anyone still believes the myth that alternative comedy saw off the practice of comics lazily sharing around the same generic jokes, Dom Carroll should be just…

You old romantic

Gervais plans rom-com movie

17/09/2006 … Ricky Gervais is planning to take on Hollywood by writing a mainstream romantic comedy.

Russell Kane – Original Review

Review by Steve Bennett

17/09/2006 … Russell Kane almost visibly fizzes with nervy, bubbly energy, zipping around the stage like a caffeine-soaked toddler, demanding our attention with his unquenchable…

Angelo Tsarouchas – Original Review

Review by Steve Bennett

17/09/2006 … He may be Greek and Canadian, but Angelo Tsarouchas evokes a rather different transcontinental hybrid: the non-nonsense New York-Italian wiseguy.

Extras' 3.5m viewers

...but it's down on last series

16/09/2006 … The return of Ricky Gervais's sitcom Extras attracted 3.

The secret's out

Amnesty line-up revealed

16/09/2006 … The line-up for this year’s Secret Policeman’s Ball has been announced – with Chevy Chase heading the bill Comics performing at the Amnesty…

A Lotte of aggro

GagSlag #3, in which Vegas gets drunk...

15/09/2006 … You might have thought they’d seen this one coming: inviting Johnny Vegas onto the inexperienced Charlotte Church’s chat show – then plying…

Jeff Innocent – Original Review

Review by Steve Bennett

15/09/2006 … As evangelists for the ethical, eco-friendly movement go, Jeff Innocent must be the most unlikely.

Book review: Vic Reeves - Me Moir

14/09/2006 … Back in the day, comedians had colourful pasts to mine for their memoirs – if not the extreme emotions of war,  there would at least be triumph-against-adversity…

Langham in court

'No unsupervised access to under-16s'

14/09/2006 … Chris Langham has appeared in court today, charged with nine child sex offences and 15 counts of making indecent images of children.

It'll be a blast

Vic Reeves to host Brainiac

14/09/2006 … Vic Reeves is to be the new presenter of Sky One’s show Brainiac: Science Abuse.

The end? My arse

Tomlinson predicts more Royle sagas

14/09/2006 … Next month’s Royle Family special could open the door for more episodes, star Ricky Tomlinson claims.

New charges for Langham

Thick Of It star accused of sexual offences

13/09/2006 … Chris Langham has been charged with eight counts of indecent assault and one other sexual offence.

What a turn-off...

Russell's ratings malaise

13/09/2006 … Russell Brand may be all over the tabloids, but his new E4 show has failed to pull in the viewers.

Bush in talks on Borat

Kazahh president fumes over movie

13/09/2006 … Sacha Baron Cohen's character Borat is to be the subject of high-level talks between George Bush and the president of Kazakhstan.

4 by 4

BBC4 orders one-off comedies

12/09/2006 … BBC4 has ordered a series of themed comedy one-offs from up-and-coming writers including if.

The last blast

Blaster Bates dies at 83

12/09/2006 … Blaster Bates, who used his experiences as an explosives expert to forge a stand-up career has died at the age of 83.

Book review: Yeah But No But: The Biography Of Matt Lucas and David Walliams, by Neil Simpson

11/09/2006 … The runaway success of Little Britain means you can flog just about anything from keyrings to beanie hats if it’s got Matt Lucas or David Walliams’ face on it.

A Little competition

Little Britain DVDs up for grabs

11/09/2006 … Series three of Little Britain is out on DVD today – and we have five copies to five away.

Conchords take off

American TV deal for folk parody duo

11/09/2006 … Folk parody duo Flight Of The Conchords have landed their own American TV series.

More in Store

Paramount orders new stand-up series

11/09/2006 … The Paramount Comedy Channel has ordered another series of its Comedy Store stand-up shows.

GagSlag #2

Baby oil and batons

08/09/2006 … The gossipy and trivial, as reported over the past seven days.

Brand new shows

25 extra dates confirmed

08/09/2006 … Russell Brand has today confirmed all 25 new dates in his Shame tour for 2007.

It's all Cohen wrong...

Borat premiere turns to chaos

08/09/2006 … The world premiere of Sacha Baron Cohen’s Borat movie turned to chaos last night when the film jammed, causing the screening to be abandoned.

Ed's up

Green light for US TV show

07/09/2006 … Eddie Izzard’s American TV career is taking off, as his new crime drama has been commissioned for a 13-episode series.

ITV buys US Office

Series 2 to air this month

07/09/2006 … ITV is to air the US version of The Office after buying the rights to two series of the award-winning show.

Top honour for Lewis?

Jerry in line for Congress medal

07/09/2006 … Jerry Lewis has been put forward for America’s Congressional Gold Medal – the same honour previously bestowed on George Washington, Martin Luther King…

And it's £300,000 from me

Details of Ronnie Barker's will published

07/09/2006 … Ronnie Barker left £92,000 to his fugitive son Adam, a suspected paedophile.

Documentary examines the Comedy Terrorist

06/09/2006 … Can there be anyone who’s still interested in Aaron Barschak? His sister Tamara certainly hopes so.

Bill Bailey shares his philosophy

06/09/2006 … He's won a British Comedy Award, toured the world with his stand-up and had a major role in a hit movie - but Bill Bailey's current pride and joy is more modest:…

BBC New Comedy Finalists 2001

06/09/2006 … Entrants to the BBC New Comedy Award had to fill in a questionnaire.

Brendon's back, and he's making no excuses

06/09/2006 … Brendon Burns is back with a new stand-up show - and this time it's no more Mr Nice Guy.

Graham Fellows on why he's killing his most famous creation

06/09/2006 … John Shuttleworth is being pensioned off because the character's becoming too close to home for creator Graham Fellows.

06/09/2006 … There's something missing from Steve Gribbin's new CD In Bulk.

...but as not as we know it

06/09/2006 … It's one of the hottest days of the year and I'm driving, roof down, stereo up, across rolling Dorset landscape towards the seaside.

Andy Kindler interview

06/09/2006 … In the shark-infested waters of Hollywood, networking, schmoozing and, crucially, brown-nosing to executives is the only way to get on.

Back on the road after four years...

06/09/2006 … I've been off doing telly and films, but I don't kid myself: My job is stand-up.

Making his Marc

BBC Two show for Wootton

06/09/2006 … Marc Wootton, the man behind spoof medium Shirley Ghostman, is to make his own BBC Two sketch show.

Win an iPod

And help with some market research

06/09/2006 … If you’re a student in tertiarty education, you could win a 1GB iPod Nano worth £99.

Me old China

Merton to front travelogue series

06/09/2006 … Paul Merton is to front a major travel documentary series about China.

Bigmouth strikes again

Now Brand's in trouble with Rod Stewart

06/09/2006 … Russell Brand has become embroiled in a public row with Rod Stewart after boasting he had slept with the rocker's daughter.

Local hero

Comic Foster lands radio nomination

05/09/2006 … Comic Toby Foster has been nominated for the most prestigious prize in BBC local radio.

Rape police to quiz Brand

Claims of an Edinburgh party assault

04/09/2006 … Russell Brand is to be quizzed by police after a 20-year-old woman claimed she was raped at the flat where he was staying.

Little Britain, big stars

Christmas special line-up revealed

04/09/2006 … Peter Kay, Steve Coogan, Dawn French, Julia Davis and Paul McKenna will all appear in Little Britain’s Christmas special.

Roy Hudd collapses

Health scare on Corrie set

04/09/2006 … Veteran comic Roy Hudd collapsed on the set of Coronation Street yesterday.

I'm spitting!

Kay's dismay at Blackpool backtrack

03/09/2006 … Peter Kay was dumped as the celebrity turning on the Blackpool illuminations on Friday – in favour of Dale Winton.

Charlie Williams dies

One of Britain's first black comics

03/09/2006 … Charlie Williams, one of the first black comedians to appear on British TV, has died at the age of 78 The comic, who had suffered Parkinson's disease and dementia…

It's not Respectable

Protest at Five's brothel sitcom

02/09/2006 … A women’s charity has blasted new channel Five sitcom Respectable for glamorising prostitution.

The full Monty?

Palin plans final Python album

02/09/2006 … Michael Palin wants to reunite with his former Monty Python colleagues to produce one last comedy album.

Comedy Gold

UKTV Gold buys hit US sitcom

02/09/2006 … Acclaimed American sitcom The New Adventures Of Old Christine has been bought by UKTV Gold.

Begging for Mersey

Jongleurs to open in Liverpool

01/09/2006 … Jongleurs is to open its 17th comedy club – in Liverpool.

Soap to stand-up

Street star to play a comic

01/09/2006 … Coronation Street star Sally Lindsay is to appear in a new play about stand-up comics.

GagSlag #1

Our new weekly trivia round-up

01/09/2006 … Welcome to our new weekly round-up of gossipy and utterly trivial press cuttings that we couldn't find any other place for over the past seven days.

Demo mode

Thomas organises Westminster protest

01/09/2006 … Mark Thomas has organised a protest against the no-demo zone imposed around Parliament About 100 people, all staging individual protests, gathered in the half-mile…

Get naked with Russell

Brand wants volunteers for TV streak

31/08/2006 … Russell Brand is appealing for scores of people prepared to get naked with him.

Dame on...

Edna set for TV return

31/08/2006 … ITV1 is planning to bring Dame Edna Everage back to British TV.

Carr's the star

Alan lands his own varierty show

31/08/2006 … The Friday Night Project’s Alan Carr is to make his own variety show for Channel 4.

Funny money

Comedy firm set for £10m sale

30/08/2006 … Scotland’s leading independent comedy TV production company is set to be sold for about £10million.

Pretty Polly

Evans goes straight in new ITV1 drama

30/08/2006 … Lee Evans is to star in a new two-hour ITV1 period drama.

Double the fun

Abbott & Costello collection to be won

30/08/2006 … This year marks the 70th anniversary of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello’s enduring comedy partnership.

...and he can act, too

Eddie winner Nichol scoops Stage award

29/08/2006 … Phil Nichol has topped winning comedy’s biggest prize – by scooping a prestigious acting award.

Monty Python speak!

Team unite in South Bank Show

29/08/2006 … All the surviving members of Monty Python are to appear on a South Bank Show documentary about the musical Spamalot.

Win, jus' like that

Tommy Cooper DVDs up for grabs

29/08/2006 … A new Tommy Cooper DVD,  The Very Best Of And The Missing Pieces, is to be released on September 4.

Best fest yet

Fringe sells record 1.5m tickets

29/08/2006 … The Edinburgh Fringe has sold a record-breaking 1.

In good spirits

More Fringe awards...

28/08/2006 … Comics Andy Zaltzman, Owen O’Neill and The 4 Noels are among the winners of the annual ‘spirit of the Fringe’ awards handed  out by Edinburgh…

Office scoops Emmy

...And 'Seinfeld curse' is lifted

28/08/2006 … The US version of The Office has been named best comedy in America’s top television awards.

Ben's back on TV

New ITV show 'is not a sitcom'

28/08/2006 … Ben Elton is to star in his own TV series for the first time in 12 years.

'Racist' wins the Eddie

Nichol's show triumphs in Edinburgh

26/08/2006 … Phil Nichol has won Edinburgh's top comedy award for his show The Naked Racist.

Mason sues Christians

Comic's fury over religious cartoons

26/08/2006 … Jackie Mason is suing Christian evangelical group Jews For Jesus over a pamphlet spreading their message.

Y Viva Espana

ITV1 orders Benidorm sitcom

25/08/2006 … ITV has ordered its first new sitcom in three years.

Little America

Comedy set to be remade for HBO

25/08/2006 … Little Britain is poised to be remade for American TV.

Wes is best

Packer wins new act contest

24/08/2006 … New stand-up Wes Packer has won the So You Think You’re Funny? talent competition at the Edinburgh Fringe.

A Peep into celebrity

New comedy for Channel 4

23/08/2006 … The makers of Peep Show have written a new six-part series about the world of celebrity.

Big Mouth silenced

Russell Brand cancels gigs

23/08/2006 … Russell Brand has cancelled some of his shows at the Edinburgh Fringe due to severe laryngitis.

Ready for Eddie

Awards shortlist out

23/08/2006 … The nominees for the first if.

Most amoose-ing

Chanda wins new act title

23/08/2006 … New comedian Arnab Chanda has beaten more than 500 rivals to win the Laugh-Off award run by London’s Amused Moose comedy award.

Too hot for radio?

BBC shelves 'tasteless' sketch show

23/08/2006 … A Scottish radio comedy series has been shelved by the BBC amid ‘anxieties over taste and decency’.

Out of the Park

Animation duo plan live-action movies

22/08/2006 … South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone are to make two live action films next year.

Scrubbed out?

Star Braff to quit hospital sitcom

22/08/2006 … The future of American sitcom Scrubs is in doubt after star Zach Braff revealed he is quitting at the end of the current series.

No offence

Bailey urges comics to be cautious

22/08/2006 … Bill Bailey has urged fellow comedians to be more careful about causing offence – and says that Jerry Springer: The Opera overstepped the mark.

Amstell lands Buzzcocks gig

Simon to be pop quiz's permanent host

22/08/2006 … Simon Amstell is to be the new host of Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Chortle can reveal.

Funny Brummie

Midlanders have the best accent for jokes

21/08/2006 … The best accent for telling jokes is Brummie, according to new academic research.

Late and live

BBC4's spoof news show returns

20/08/2006 … BBC Four has ordered another series of its tropical comedy show The Late Edition – but this time it will go out live.

'I know nothing about any rape'

Brand's statement over alleged assault

20/08/2006 … Russell Brand has denied any knowledge of an alleged rape said to have occurred at the flat he rented during the Edinburgh Fringe.

Correspondents, coarse

BBC plans foreign reporters' sitcom

20/08/2006 … The BBC is making a sitcom about the bad behaviour of its own foreign correspondents.

Eddie joins 24

Izzard to play villainous sidekick

20/08/2006 … Eddie Izzard is to join the cast of 24.

Gimme Five

Kane to be face of new TV channel

20/08/2006 … Eddie award nominee Russell Kane has landed a deal to be the face of new digital TV channel Five US.

A victim of terror

BBC drops controversial satire

20/08/2006 … The BBC has been accused of lacking ‘backbone’ after pulling a controversial episode of Time Trumpet.

Hmmm controversy...

Simpsons triumph over South Park

20/08/2006 … The Simpsons has triumphed in the Emmy awards after voters shied away from honouring a South Park episode lampooning Scientology and Tom Cruise.

Hard lines

Sir Ian's bid to rewrite Extras script

20/08/2006 … Sir Ian McKellen has admitted trying to alter the script for his guest appearance on Extras to make him look less pompous.

Acting up

Comics in line for Stage awards

19/08/2006 … Daniel Kitson and Phil Nichol have been shortlisted for acting prizes at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Brand in terror scare

Comic's fake sword sparks alert

18/08/2006 … Russell Brand sparked a security alert when he tried to jump on to a London Tube brandishing a sword.

Doing all write

Comics shortlisted for writing award

17/08/2006 … Reginald D Hunter, Mark Watson and the team behind The Receptionists have been nominated for the leading writing award at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Canada remakes The Office

...and the lead character's called Gervais

17/08/2006 … Canada is to make its own French-language version of The Office, renaming David Brent as David Gervais.

In with the new

BBC replaces its stand-up contest

17/08/2006 … The BBC will today launch a new talent hunt to replace its New Comedy Awards.

Do comics hate Jews?

Anti-semitic row hits Edinburgh

15/08/2006 … A major row has broken out over claims an anti-semitic sentiment is rife among comedians at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Shuttleworth star ill

Fellows cancels Fringe run

15/08/2006 … John Shuttleworth creator Graham Fellows has pulled out of the Edinburgh Fringe after being struck down by a mystery illness.

Hours of fun

Watson launches his marathon gig

14/08/2006 … Mark Watson has launced his attempt for a new world record for the longest stand-up gig – with a 36 hour performance.

Pegg loses friends

Simon to star in film of bestseller

14/08/2006 … Simon Pegg is to star in a film adaptation of the bestseller How to Lose Friends and Alienate People.

First in lines

Kay tops TV one-liner poll

13/08/2006 … Peter Kay’s ‘garlic bread’ catchphrase has been named the best comedy one-liner in British TV history.

Camp as Christmas

See Little Britain for free

13/08/2006 … Little Britain is to record a Christmas special in London next month.

Making movie magic

Peep Show team embark on their film

11/08/2006 … Shooting starts next Sunday on the first movie from the team behind Peep Show.

Craig Charles arrested

Comic faces drug probe

11/08/2006 … Craig Charles has been arrested on suspicion of possession of a class A drug.

Cufflinks & Jolly Ranchers for Dummies

10/08/2006 … Ranney's stand-up inspiration is poor indeed ­ evil Bush, oral sex, farting, even an extended Star Wars routine revolving about the mandatory Yoda impression.

Over the Moon

Demetri lands movie deal

10/08/2006 … Demetri Martin has landed a major film deal.

How unchristian...

BBC drops blasphemous comic

10/08/2006 … Australian comic Jim Jeffries has been axed from appearing on a BBC One religious show after a run-in with the hardline Christian Voice.

It's Fawltless...

Scales to relauch Fawlty hotel

09/08/2006 … Fawlty Towers star Prunella Scales is to relaunch the hotel whose appalling service and surly manager inspired the hit sitcom.

Swearing 'was OK'

Tiernan cleared by TV watchdogs

09/08/2006 … Ireland’s broadcasting watchdogs have rejected a complaint about Tommy Tiernan’s bad language on a prime-time chat show.

Sobering news

Williams seeks booze treatment

09/08/2006 … Robin Williams has started treatment for alcoholism after falling off the wagon.

The wrath of pod

Brand's anger over BBC podcast

09/08/2006 … The BBC has dropped a regular Russell Brand podcast after the comedian refused to allow them to edit out contentious material.

Renew your enthusiasm

Larry David agrees to sixth series

09/08/2006 … Larry David is to make a sixth series of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Versed among equals

Comics publish poetry book

08/08/2006 … More than 30 comics, including Arthur Smith, Russell Brand, Stewart Lee and Harry Hill, have contributed poems to a new anthology in aid of a homeless charity.

No question...

Pegg's pub quiz comedy isn't happening

08/08/2006 … Simon Pegg has denied reports he’s working on a new comedy set around a pub quiz team.

Where are all the girls?

French's fears for new female comics

08/08/2006 … Dawn French has said she is worried that too few new female comedians are breaking through into the big time.

Only fools and horses

Secrets of the first stand-up

08/08/2006 … A clown’s joke book from 1871 has been unearthed, casting new light on the history of stand-up comedy.

Taking a stand...

Comics back U Win Tin campaign

07/08/2006 … Comics including Bill Bailey, Ross Noble, Ed Byrne and Daniel Kitson have given their backing to a campaign to release Burmese dissident U Win Tin.

How to stop gag theft

Comics given free legal advice

04/08/2006 … Comedians at the Edinburgh Fringe are to be offered free legal advice on how to stop their material being stolen.

'Ban this sick sketch'

MPs' outrage at Iannucci show

03/08/2006 … MPs are calling on the BBC to pull Armando Iannucci’s new comedy show because it features spoof footage of Tony Blair being assassinated and terrorists crashing…

Date with destiny

Welsh stand-up to host a live TV ad

03/08/2006 … Welsh stand-up Chris Corcoran is to host a unique live advert for an internet dating site on prime-time ITV.

Eddie's really cooking...

Izzard to star in Five's Kitchen drama

03/08/2006 … Eddie Izzard is to play a drunk, fiery chef in a new miniseries commissioned by Five.

Karl goes it alone

Geravais's sidekick to star in short films

03/08/2006 … Ricky Gervais’s sidekick Karl Pilkington has been commissioned to make four short films for Channel 4.

It pays to be a Coward

Sketch group land Radio 4 series

03/08/2006 … Sketch group Cowards have landed a six-part Radio 4 series on the back of a successful pilot episode.

Making his Mark

MPs praise Thomas over arms trade exposé

03/08/2006 … Mark Thomas has been praised by a parliamentary committee for his undercover work exposing the arms trade.

After Rodney

New sitcom for Lyndhurst

02/08/2006 … Only Fools and Horses actor Nicholas Lyndhurst is to star in a new sitcom from My Family creator Fred Barron.

From Oz to you

BBC Two buys Kath and Kim movie

01/08/2006 … BBC Two has brought the rights to air the spin-off film from hit Australian comedy Kath & Kim.

The third way

If.comeddies announce another award

01/08/2006 … The replacement for the Perrier awards will this year hand out a third prize to celebrate the show that ‘best captures the comedy spirit of the Edinburgh Fringe’.

'Daily' news

John Oliver signs up for the Daily Show

01/08/2006 … British stand-up John Oliver has been signed to appear on acclaimed US satire The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

Josh Howie – Original Review

Review by Steve Bennett

01/08/2006 … Cleary taking his cue from Woody Allen, Joshua Howie – another bespectacled, bookish insecure Jewish man in therapy – offers a rewardingly cerebral brand of…

Ginger and Black – Original Review

Review by Steve Bennett

01/08/2006 … Although newcomers, Ginger and Black are a polished, circuit-ready act.

The Trivial Pursuits of Martin Mor

Review by Steve Bennett

01/08/2006 … Martin 'Bigpig' Mor has been around a bit and it shows.

Omid Djalili: No Agenda

Review by Steve Bennett

01/08/2006 … Before bounding down the showbiz stairs of his vast Pleasance Grand room, Omid Djalili announced himself as ‘the Les Dennis of the Middle East’.

Sue Perkins: Spectacle Wearer Of The Year 2006

Review by Steve Bennett

01/08/2006 … The most obvious question on seeing Sue Perkins name in the Fringe programme is: why? She’s already had the TV series – and with radio’s 99p Challenge proved…

WitTank: Pop goes the iCulture

Review by Steve Bennett

01/08/2006 … The fully choreographed fight/dance scene between two competing groups of 'charity muggers' that opens Wit Tank instantly demonstrates the skill of the performers,…

Nick Doody: Before He Kills Again

Review by Steve Bennett

01/08/2006 … Nick Doody starts his show behind a keyboard, singing a whimsical little ditty about clowns.

Brendon Burns: Sober Not Clean

Review by Steve Bennett

01/08/2006 … Some people will do anything to get material for their Edinburgh show.

Jim Jeffries: The Second Coming

Review by Steve Bennett

01/08/2006 … Don't judge a show by its poster.

Scott Capurro: Yankee Dog Pig

Review by Steve Bennett

01/08/2006 … Capurro is no stranger to opening his mouth and telling ithow he sees it.

Vladimir McTavish: A Brief History Of Scotland

Review by Steve Bennett

01/08/2006 … Vladimir McTavish is a character ably played by Paul Sneddon, although it's only really the silly name that give this away as the character is fairly simple and…

Russell Kane\'s Theory of Pretension

Review by Steve Bennett

01/08/2006 … Review Russell Kane is an impressive comedy performer, a spirit, energetic presence who's quick on his feet and able to work the medium-sized…

Jason Byrne: Sheep For Feet And Rams For Hands

Review by Steve Bennett

01/08/2006 … It's an inauspicious start for any comedy show, keeping your audience waiting in the elements for more than half an hour.

Robin Ince Isn\'t Waving

Review by Steve Bennett

01/08/2006 … Robin Ince is a compulsive hoarder of all things he likes; snapping up armfuls of obscure French DVDs from Fopp, rummaging through charity store bookshelves in the…

Best Newcomer: Michael Piper

Review by Steve Bennett

01/08/2006 … Best newcomer? Only if about 87 other debut Fringe comics die from some freak virus first.

Jane Bussmann: Bussman\'s Holiday

Review by Steve Bennett

01/08/2006 … Wow.

James Sherwood: I Know What You Did Last Sunday

Review by Steve Bennett

01/08/2006 … Many middle-class comedians try hard to obscure their backgrounds, but James Sherwood makes a virtue of it.

Rhod Gilbert: Knocking On Heaven\'s Door

Review by Steve Bennett

01/08/2006 … Hasn't he changed? Most people, having garnered a best newcomer nomination at the Fringe would come back with more of the same, maybe sharper, maybe tighter, but…

Lucy Porter: The Good Life

Review by Steve Bennett

01/08/2006 … You can't go wrong with Lucy Porter; now such a familiar, sweetly smiling face on the Fringe, and a stand-up you can always rely on for an upbeat hour about her…

The Growing Pains of Amos Phineas Klein Age 33 And A Third

Review by Steve Bennett

01/08/2006 … When a comedy show is free, you have to expect an audience that isn't 100 per cent focused on the show.

Stephen Grant: Life\'s Too Short

Review by Steve Bennett

01/08/2006 … A pedant he may be but it's Grant's keen sense of the particular that make his gags so well crafted and precisely written.

Olé

Review by Steve Bennett

01/08/2006 … You would have to be dead not to enjoy this show.

Kevin McAleer: Chalk & Cheese

Review by Steve Bennett

01/08/2006 … Stewart Lee, that reliable barometer of all that is wonderful and interesting in comedy, is a big cheerleader for Irish comic Kevin McAleer; a cast-iron…

Little Britain's US assault

Duo sign with showbiz guru Fuller

31/07/2006 … Matt Lucas and David Walliams have reportedly signed up with showbiz mogul Simon Fuller in the hope of cracking America.

Ricky the fence

Gervais films cameo in De Niro movie

31/07/2006 … Ricky Gervais is to make a cameo appearance opposite Robert De Niro in a new fantasy film.

A new Cook book

Peter's first wife breaks her silence

31/07/2006 … Peter Cook’s first wife Wendy is to publish her memoirs, breaking her 35-year silence over their tempestuous marriage.

Getting a head

Cooper statue campaign gathers pace

30/07/2006 … A clay sculpture of Tommy Cooper's head has been unveiled, which fans hope will be cast in bronze as part of a full statue.

Going it alone

Montreal's solo series a success

30/07/2006 … Montreal’s Just For Laughs festival has vowed to bring back more full-length solo shows next year.

24 Carrott gold

Comic to net £15m from Millionaire sale

29/07/2006 … Jasper Carrott is set to make around £15m from the sale of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? to a Dutch media company.

It's all one big lie

Exposed: Comic who uses bogus Fringe reviews

29/07/2006 … Irish stand-up Dave McSavage has been exposed for fabricating a complimentary review to promote his Edinburgh Fringe show.

OPINION: The London Comedy Festival

27/07/2006 … P>There's a comedy festival every day in London.

How Britain's most racist comedian fared in the comedy clubs of Bombay

27/07/2006 … P>Talk about a tough gig.

Mel Giedroyc

27/07/2006 … With a little over a week to go before their West End show, their first full-on theatre performances for three years, you might expect Mel and Sue to be putting…

An interesting Development

The Bluths to go online

27/07/2006 … Every episode of American sitcom Arrested Development is to put online for free.

Chortle goes to Canada

26/07/2006 … Canada has produced some of the finest movie comedians of modern times - even if they are forever destined to be mistaken for Americans.

A week on the New York comedy scene

26/07/2006 … P>Day One   Ah, New York, New York.

CD review: Earl Okin - Musical Genius And Sex Symbol

26/07/2006 … Anyone who’s seen Earl Okin on the comedy circuit knows that he’s a true, eccentric original.

DVD review: Richard Pryor - Live In Concert

26/07/2006 … The single most significant thing to note about this seminal Richard Pryor DVD is tucked away in the small print next the copyright notice.

What made Lenny Bruce so special

26/07/2006 … Lenny Bruce is widely acknowledged as the man who changed the face of stand-up; the pioneer who made comedy an artform in which comics could tackle social and personal…

Robin's return

Williams goes back to stand-up

26/07/2006 … Robin Williams is planning a return to stand-up, with a tour of the US.

I'm quitting sitcoms

Gervais plans to write drama instead

26/07/2006 … Ricky Gervais plans to quit writing comedy.

Syked up

Eric back on TV

25/07/2006 … Eric Sykes is to return to TV.

Making a splash

Walliams is Sports Personality favourite

25/07/2006 … David Walliams has become favourite to win the BBC’s prestigious Sports Personality of the Year award for his cross-Channel swim.

Welcome to Springfield

Simpsons guest stars named

25/07/2006 … Natalie Portman, Kiefer Sutherland, the White Stripes and Dr Phil will be among the guest voices on the next season of The Simpsons.

Three's comedy crowd

Autumn line-up revealed

24/07/2006 … BBC Three has unveiled its autumn schedules, including pilots from Chris Addison, Mark Watson and Ben Willbond.

Critics' choice

The Office wins more awards

24/07/2006 … The American version of The Office has scooped two more awards – one for best comedy and another for star Steve Carell.

Gallic bred?

France finally gets stand-up

23/07/2006 … Stand-up comedy has been introduced to French TV audiences for the first time.

From net to network

YouTube hit to become TV sitcom

21/07/2006 … A sitcom about making sitcoms that was turned by the networks has been picked up after NBC – after becoming a hit on the YouTube website.

Pitch fest

TV execs sold sitcom ideas

21/07/2006 … Eight comics – including two Brits – yesterday pitched their sitcom ideas to a panel of top industry executives from America, Canada and the UK.

Past talking

Dara's chat show guests unveiled

21/07/2006 … Vic Reeves, Johnny Vegas and Terry Jones have all been confirmed as guests on Dara O'Briain's new BBC Two chat show, Turn Back Time.

Stunted up

McGuinness's new role

20/07/2006 … Peter Kay sidekick Paddy McGuinness is to star as washed-up stuntman Chuck Stryker in a new sitcom.

Case adjourned

More delays for Langham's hearing

20/07/2006 … Chris Langham’s child pornography case has been adjourned yet again.

My suicide bid

Stephen Fry speaks up

20/07/2006 … Stephen Fry has spoken in depth for the first time about his battle with manic depression.

Having another ball

Amnesty benefit is back

20/07/2006 … Amnesty International is to hold another Secret Policeman’s Ball, Chortle can reveal.

History is bunk

Cleese: 'I'm not writing a comedy book'

19/07/2006 … John Cleese has admitted he’s grown bored with comedy – but denied reports he plans to write a book on its history.

History is bunk

Cleese: 'I'm not writing a comedy book'

19/07/2006 … John Cleese has admitted he’s grown bored with comedy – but denied reports he plans to write a book on its history.

What a slur!

Rod's girl sues over Brand claims

18/07/2006 … Rod Stewart’s daughter is complaining her reputation has been damaged – by reports she slept with Russell Brand.

Harry's visa problems

Simpsons star loses BBC work

18/07/2006 … Simpsons star Harry Shearer has been forced to cancel an appearance on a Radio 4 comedy show because of problems with his work permit.

Fools' gold

Del Boy gets his own museum

18/07/2006 … A fan of Only Fools And Horses is opening a museum dedicated to the BBC sitcom.

Little Britain, big deal

BBC secures Lucas and Walliams for three years

18/07/2006 … Matt Lucas and David Walliams have signed an exclusive deal to continue working at the BBC - including making a new show.

Iranian revolution

Omid Djalili lands BBC One show

17/07/2006 … Omid Djalili is to star in his own BBC One sketch and stand-up show.

Friends reunited?

Aniston fuels comeback rumours

17/07/2006 … Jennifer Aniston has fuelled rumours that the cast of Friends will reunite for a one-off special.

Fireman Johnny

Vegas films BBC One pilot

17/07/2006 … Johnny Vegas is to play a fireman in a new sitcom currently being made for BBC One.

It's the same old story...

Cleese moans about TV execs

17/07/2006 … TV comedy is being driven by marketing rather than original ideas, John Cleese has claimed.

Hardy survivors

Lost Stan and Ollie tapes unearthed

16/07/2006 … Rare Laurel and Hardy recordings lost by the BBC have been unearthed for a new radio documentary.

Send me to Iraq!

Lee's plea to military chiefs

16/07/2006 … Lee Hurst has flown out to Iraq to entertain the troops – after begging military entertainment bosses to send him.

Blowing his Trumpet

Details of Iannucci's new show revealed

15/07/2006 … More details have emerged about Armando Iannucci’s long-awaited new TV show, Time Trumpet.

Clary's back catalogue

Julian to host archive comedy weekend

15/07/2006 … Julian Clary is to interview stars of Carry On films and Fawlty Towers for a UKTV Gild Britcom weekend.

Red's dead

Veteran Borscht Belt comic dies at 87

14/07/2006 … Veteran Catskills comedian turned actor Red Buttons had died at the age of 87.

Iranian Omid Djalili talks of the challenge after terrorist outrages

13/07/2006 … Imagine it.

Interview: Omid Djalili

13/07/2006 … Nine months ago, British stand-up Omid Djalili was appearing in front of 15 million Americans a week, courtesy of Whoopi Goldberg’s high-profile sitcom.

DVD review: Richard Pryor - Live In Concert

13/07/2006 … The single most significant thing to note about this seminal Richard Pryor DVD is tucked away in the small print next the copyright notice.

Track-by-track review of Mitch Benn's CD

13/07/2006 … 1.

Rich Hall reminisces

13/07/2006 … How Rich Hall faked his own death, became involved in donkey basketball and supported the Talking Heads on his road to comedy fame.

Magic moments with Jerry Sadowitz

13/07/2006 … There are many words you expect from the mouth of Jerry Sadowitz.

Painful viewing

McGuinness to host sadistic panel show

13/07/2006 … Patrick McGuinness is to front a new TV show subjecting celebrities to painful ordeals in the name of charity.

I still back Labour

Izzard's support amid funding scandal

13/07/2006 … Eddie Izzard has publicly thrown his support behind Labour amid the funding scandal engulfing the party.

Helpless?

Langham comedy 'put on hold'

13/07/2006 … A second series of the BBC Two comedy Help has reportedly been shelved because of the child pornography case facing star Chris Langham.

A snapshot of topical comedy

12/07/2006 … With Rory Bremner just starting a five-week West End run, and Mark Thomas and Robert Newman both road-testing material at the Soho Theatre, fans of topical and political…

Mark Thomas on the humour in activism

12/07/2006 … State-sponsored murders, the hysterical hatred of asylum-seekers, a racist, torturing regime forcing thousands of people out of their homes - most people would hardly…

Silly plucker

Skinner to learn banjo on TV

12/07/2006 … Frank Skinner is to learn to play the banjo for a new BBC One reality show.

Comedy audiences grow

Ratings boost for BBC2 shows

11/07/2006 … Audiences for BBC Two’s Monday-night comedy line-up are growing in the face of a glut of reality TV shows.

Office outing

UK stars to appear in US version

11/07/2006 … British stars of The Office are to make an appearance in the hit US version.

No butts

'Bill Hicks' is victim of smoking ban

11/07/2006 … His chain-smoking may have been legendary, but producers of a Fringe show about Bill Hicks have been warned not to let their star light up on stage.

Wisdom has heart op

Pacemaker fitted at 91

10/07/2006 … Norman Wisdom is recovering after undergoing heart surgery.

United States of Boosh

NBC deal for British comedies

10/07/2006 … Saxondale and The Mighty Boosh could be remade for American audiences, thanks to a new international deal.

Exporting horror

Garth Marenghi sold to the US

10/07/2006 … Horror spoof Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace has been sold to America.

I'm not naturally funny

Ben Elton's confession

10/07/2006 … Ben Elton has admitted: ‘I don't see myself as naturally amusing.

Comic trio give their tips for the top

09/07/2006 … At the launch of Jongleurs and J2O's Last Laugh talent hunt, Jasper Carrott, Rhona Cameron and Dave Spikey talk about how they got started in comedy, their influences,…

Chortle goes to Canada

09/07/2006 … Canada has produced some of the finest movie comedians of modern times - even if they are forever destined to be mistaken for Americans.

Tate boards the Tardis

Catherine set for Dr Who Christmas special

09/07/2006 … Catherine Tate is to appear in the Doctor Who Christmas special.

No funny business

BBC admits comedy failings

08/07/2006 … The BBC has admitted it desperately needs to find new comedy hits for its two main TV channels.

Dylan does London

11,000 tickets go on sale

07/07/2006 … Dylan Moran has announced three dates at London’s Hammersmith Apollo.

Meet the Mrs

Stiller directs wife's sitcom

06/07/2006 … Ben Stiller is working on a US sitcom with his wife, Christine Taylor.

Up for an Emmy

Gervais and Merchant's writing honour

06/07/2006 … Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant have been nominated for an Emmy award for Extras.

It's Don French

Dawn to star in college comedy

06/07/2006 … Dawn French is working on a new comedy, set in an Oxbridge college.

Davidson goes bust

Tax bill forces bankruptcy

06/07/2006 … Jim Davidson has been declared bankrupt after failing to keep up payments on a £1.

Bigger laughs

BBC seeks big-screen comedies

05/07/2006 … The BBC is making a concerted effort to make blockbuster comedy movies.

Comics killed the sitcom

Producer slams stand-ups who act

05/07/2006 … British TV comedy is suffering because stand-ups mistakenly think they can act, a leading producer has claimed.

The queen of comedy

Funny Women winner crowned

04/07/2006 … New comic Suzy Bennett last night triumphed in the final of the Funny Women new act hunt.

'I feel like death'

O'Grady leaves hospital

04/07/2006 … Paul O'Grady left hospital yesterday after surviving his second heart attack in four years – and immediately vowed to give up cigarettes The Liverpudlian…

Doctor Two

Connolly gets second honorary degree

04/07/2006 … Billy Connolly is to pick up a second honorary degree.

Done it!

Walliams completes Channel swim

04/07/2006 … David Walliams has swum the Channel, in an impressive time of ten and a half hours The Little Britain star set off onhis 21-mile journel from Shakespeare beach…

Isma Almas – Original Review

Review by Steve Bennett

04/07/2006 … Isma Almas knows how to make an entrance, coming on stage in full burkha.

Hugh Dennis interview

03/07/2006 … Over the past six years, Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis have pretty much cornered the market in mass-appeal topical comedy, what with 13 series of The Now Show and 11…

Free 'Cock'

Win A Cock And Bull story on DVD

03/07/2006 … British comedy A Cock and Bull Story, the spoof on the moviemaking process inspired by attempts to film the ‘unfilmable’ novel The Life and Opinions…

A Monte Carlo winner

Langham named best comedy actor

02/07/2006 … Chris Langham has been named best comedy actor at the Monte Carlo TV Awards.

O'Grady on the mend

Comic 'comfortable' after heart scare

02/07/2006 … Paul O'Grady is expected to make a full recovery after his suspected heart attack on Friday.

O'Grady heart scare

Comic in hospital with chest pains

01/07/2006 … Comic turned daytime TV host Paul O'Grady has suffered a suspected heart attack.

Jo Enright – Original Review

Review by Steve Bennett

01/07/2006 … Tiny Jo Enright is a brilliantly gifted caricaturist, skilfully able to bring to life the exaggerated characters that inhabit her painstakingly polished stand-up…

Virgin mirth

The Fringe comic with NO experience

29/06/2006 … An aspiring comedian is to perform an hour-long stand-up show every night of the Edinburgh Fringe – despite having just five minutes stage time to his name.

Another Peep?

New sitcom from Peep Show creators