Jordan Brookes

Beyond The Comic Strip: what does ‘alternative comedy’ mean in 2022?

A scene that started as a counter to straight standup at the end of the 1970s is still hard to peg – but it’s much more than just weird stuff that doesn’t work on telly

Rachael Healy

29, Jun, 2022 @11:11 AM

Edinburgh fringe 2022: 20 theatre, comedy and dance shows you shouldn’t miss

In the first of our festival previews, we round up some of the best offerings we’ve already reviewed – including Tim Key, Liz Kingsman, La Clique and Hungry

Brian Logan, Catherine Love, Mark Fisher, Anya Ryan, Rachael Healy, Kate Wyver, Claire Armitstead, Arifa Akbar and Lyndsey Winship

08, Jun, 2022 @7:00 AM

Jordan Brookes review – a disconcerting deep-dive into existential morality

The comedian’s latest show is quarried from the darker subsoil of a disturbed soul, delivered by a man whose warmest smile still stirs a tincture of unease

Brian Logan

01, Jun, 2022 @9:22 AM

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

Best Medicine Gala review – uplifting stream of health consciousness

Comedians led by Jordan Brookes and Tim Key turn lockdown worries into riffs on parenting, personality and body hair in a night of infectious live fun

Brian Logan

28, Mar, 2021 @12:52 PM

Edinburgh Unlocked review – a carnival of comedy from the festival that never was

Penguin’s fine pandemic audio festival delivers hours of laughs from comics including Jordan Brookes, Glamrou, Mo Amar, Michelle de Swarte and Sheeps

Brian Logan

23, Aug, 2020 @3:10 PM

August without Edinburgh fringe: 'the heart has been pulled out of my year'

Covid-19 has cancelled the annual jamboree, leaving performers – and our comedy critic – bereft. What does the festival mean to them and how will it change?

Brian Logan

07, Aug, 2020 @7:40 AM

Pass the green screen, granny! The comics pushing homemade videos to new heights

Comedians’ old YouTube skits are enjoying a revival in lockdown. And now standups are returning to online video – to push its possibilities even further

Rachael Healy

12, Jul, 2020 @2:00 PM

'It's like the wild west!' – inside Cardiff's heckle-heavy comedy scene

How do you make audiences laugh in a town that hates show-offs and loves to hassle performers? Our writer gets some hot tips as she continues her comedy tour

Rachael Healy

02, Jun, 2020 @2:58 PM

Top 10 comedy shows of 2019

A double dose of Stewart Lee, Hannah Gadsby’s follow-up to Nanette and London Hughes’ uproarious blue humour tickled the comedy circuit this year

Brian Logan

16, Dec, 2019 @6:00 AM

Jordan Brookes: 'I wanted to be the existential Michael MacIntyre'

After years working in bars and call centres, Brookes’ absurdist show netted him the Edinburgh comedy award. So why does he want to want to blow the whole thing up?

Brian Logan

27, Aug, 2019 @1:54 PM