'Indecently funny in every way' – Peter Cook's legacy by Eddie Izzard, Lucy Porter and more
His influence is everywhere – but is the great, groundbreaking comedian being forgotten? Twenty-five years after his death, we reassess his impact
November 2019
I saw Jonathan Miller in Beyond the Fringe – and I'm still dazzled
Michael Billington
The Guardian’s theatre critic was at the sketch group’s first show in 1960. It was the beginning of a friendship … and a satire boom that changed the world
February 2019
Stanley Donen: a Hollywood blueblood treasured for Singin' in the Rain
Donen’s brilliance helped reinvent the Hollywood musical, and he went on to display a tremendous skill for romance and comedy
August 2018
From Beyond the Fringe to Nanette: five shows that changed the face of comedy
With the Edinburgh fringe in full flow, here are the five standup sets that catapulted their creators to fame
June 2018
Brief letters
The worst job one could ever have?
Brief letters: Amazon’s deus ex machina | Women in the boardroom | Good morning, squid | Asterix and the Aztecs | Derek and Clive
January 2018
'Fame proved toxic for the relationship': when comedy double acts split
David Baddiel, Andy Zaltzman, Richard Herring and other comics on fame, failure and friendship
February 2017
The funniest thing
Jon Richardson: ‘The first series of The League Of Gentlemen blew my mind’
The standup and 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown team captain on what makes him laugh the most
December 2016
TV & radio catch up guide
Catch-up and download: from The Path to The Undiscovered Peter Cook
Aaron Paul stars in Amazon’s latest twisty drama, while unseen footage sheds new light on a comedy legend
June 2016
On my radar
On my radar: Jamie Hince’s cultural highlights
The Kills guitarist and singer on Russian animation and photography, inspirational musicians and the poshest bar in Paris
August 2015
Derek and Clive are back – are they too much for the 21st century?
Peter Cook and Dudley Moore’s relentlessly filthy 70s albums anticipated punk, and influenced both alternative comedy and a generation of smutty teenagers. But is this re-release just too offensive for modern ears?
June 2015
Peter Cook played James Last to perfection
Letters: The ladies asked him where his tour was going and Peter, in an almost Hitlerian rant, told them he intended to conquer Europe
May 2015
Comedy heroes
Andy Parsons on Peter Cook: the pure filth that inspired my career
With his brilliant satirical standup, groundbreaking TV sketches and unremitting swearing, Peter Cook set me on the path to a life in comedy
June 2014
Greenslade
Why Alan Bennett's plea for the reform of private education is welcome
Roy Greenslade
Nicholas Lezard's choice
One Leg Too Few: The Adventures of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore – review
September 2013
Bill Wallis obituary
Television and radio character actor with a familiar rich voice
Lewis Morley obituary
Photographer who found fame with his portrait of Christine Keeler, which came to embody the permissiveness of the 1960s
Sir David Frost obituary
Veteran broadcaster who started out in the 60s satire boom and found worldwide fame with his TV interviews
August 2013
The Queen's unused nuclear war speech has a ring of Beyond the Fringe about it
Charles Nevin
Charles Nevin: Perhaps the gags of Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Alan Bennett and Jonathan Miller struck a nerve with Whitehall speechwriters
June 2013
From the Guardian archive
From the archive, 3 June 1983: Cambridge Footlights celebrate 100 years of comedy
Originally published in the Guardian on 3 June 1983: Student revue group helped launch careers of Peter Cook, Stephen Fry and Emma Thompson
November 2012
Food tales of the rich and famous
Margaritas with Peter Cook
The great comedian discussed TV ads and EL Wisty – over a mostly liquid meal – with John Hind in 1989
