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
January 2021
Lockdown culture
'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
December 2020
Best culture 2020
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
September 2020
Tristram Kenton at the Guardian
A funny thing happened: stunning portraits of stellar standups – in pictures
From Ken Dodd and his tickling stick to Nina Conti and her monkey, Guardian photographer Tristram Kenton has snapped a host of superb comedians on stage
April 2020
Maria Bamford: Weakness Is the Brand – a comic totally in command
'I crack up every time': comedians' all-time favourite standup routines
September 2019
Best culture of the 21st century
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
March 2018
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
January 2018
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
December 2017
Best culture 2017
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
August 2017
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
May 2016
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
Lady Dynamite: Maria Bamford’s experimental comedy does meta better
Combining meta humor, flashbacks and riffs on mental illness, Netflix’s newest show is its own mysterious animal that’s unlike anything else
TV & radio catch up guide
This week's best streaming: from Lady Dynamite to The Invisibles
Summer arts preview 2016
High energy: how Maria Bamford made a sitcom out of her hypomania
Stream on
Lady Dynamite and Marseille: new on Netflix in May
June 2015
TV and radio blog
Lady Dynamite: Maria Bamford's Netflix comedy should be a blast
If you have enjoyed her oddball standup and cameos on everything from Arrested Development to Adventure Time, news that Netflix has signed Bamford for her own comedy series will be welcome
April 2015
Comedy heroes
Mae Martin on Maria Bamford: ‘she brings a whole comedy cast to life’
‘Vulnerable and personal but confident: she moves effortlessly between the mundane and the political, the silly and the poignant’
May 2014
The best standups on Spotify: Maria Bamford – Ask Me About My New God!
The US comic's fourth album finds her grappling with religion, anxiety – and an over-enthusiastic audience member
