Maria Bamford

Theatre, dance and comedy to book in 2022 – from Alan Partridge to Tennessee Williams

Amy Adams makes her West End debut, immersive dance confronts mental health and Steve Coogan’s alter ego embarks on a rare live UK tour

Arifa Akbar, Lyndsey Winship and Brian Logan

27, Dec, 2021 @6:00 AM

'It was like Avengers Assemble!' Standups unite for sitcom to save comedy club

When venues were closed by the pandemic, James Acaster, Maria Bamford and other top comics got to work on a web series to rescue The Bill Murray in London

Brian Logan

21, Jan, 2021 @6:45 AM

What a joke: the 10 funniest comedy shows of 2020

There wasn’t a lot to laugh about as venues closed and gigs were cancelled. But standups still delivered silly, edgy and heartfelt gags. Our critic picks his favourite new material

Brian Logan

21, Dec, 2020 @9:00 AM

Maria Bamford: Weakness Is the Brand – a comic totally in command

Therapy, foreplay and the nature of standup all fall into the crosshairs of a scattergun show that never fails to find its target

Brian Logan

23, Apr, 2020 @7:00 PM

'I crack up every time': comedians' all-time favourite standup routines

Top comics pick the routines that make them howl with laughter, from Eddie Murphy on Rocky to Eddie Izzard on penknives and Michelle Wolf on women’s worst enemies

Interviews by Ben Williams

06, Apr, 2020 @4:00 PM

The 50 best comedians of the 21st century

From apocalyptic standup Frankie Boyle to the many hilarious faces of Tina Fey, Steve Coogan, Sharon Horgan and Kristen Wiig, we present the funniest people of the era

Hannah J Davies, Paul Fleckney, Harriet Gibsone, Brian Logan and Stuart Heritage

18, Sep, 2019 @2:45 PM

Maria Bamford review – hard-won hilarity redefines quirky

The celebrated standup mines her self-doubt and general bafflement with life in a fine hour of extreme idiosyncrasy

Brian Logan

23, Mar, 2018 @12:50 PM

I Love Dick, Lady Dynamite and the death of 'quirky' comedies

By axing their most off-kilter sitcoms, Amazon and Netflix have shown that the era of experimentation is over. Now, they are morphing into traditional broadcasters

Stuart Heritage

24, Jan, 2018 @6:00 AM

Lady Dynamite to BoJack Horseman: how mental health on TV got real

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Lady Dynamite and BoJack Horseman pulled no punches with portrayals of the differing, complex sides of mental health disorders

Maggy van Eijk

19, Dec, 2017 @10:00 AM

Tears of clowns: who are the saddest of TV's sad comedians?

Television shows built around standup comics have taken a turn for the despairing. Louis CK has a lot to answer for

Simon Miraudo

25, Aug, 2017 @6:58 AM

People will be talking about Lady Dynamite 50 years from now

Maria Bamford’s strange sitcom is like being hit by a hurricane: it’s got talking dogs, claymation songs about semen and issues coming out of its ears. It’s exhausting … but stick with it and you’ll be rewarded in spades

Stuart Heritage

31, May, 2016 @11:35 AM