Rory Stewart, Jeanette Winterson and Marlon James announced for Hay festival 2024
The UK literary festival unveils 29 taster events next year and plans to focus on ‘global themes and the impact of issues on the world’
September 2023
Weirdo by Sara Pascoe review – astute observational comedy
Weirdo by Sara Pascoe review – the standup’s bravura debut
November 2022
Sara Pascoe: Success Story review – family beats fame for warm hilarity
Comedy Q&A
Sara Pascoe: ‘I got told not to wear skirts on stage – but you can be hysterical and wear a nice dress’
August 2022
Flashback
Sara Pascoe looks back: ‘I often tell myself I am funnier the uglier I look’
The comedian recreates a photo of her first time on stage and looks back at her shaky path to stardom
July 2022
‘It comes down to taste’: how the Edinburgh comedy awards find tomorrow’s funniest stars
Nica Burns, driving force of the festival’s comedy prize, talks about the winners and losers in 40 years of the hugely influential event
June 2022
TV review
Backstage With Katherine Ryan review – there are laughs, but why does it feel so cringemaking?
Ryan and fellow standups from Jimmy Carr to Desiree Burch are filmed behind the scenes, but no one really lets rip. What a wasted opportunity
May 2022
Sunday with Sara Pascoe: ‘Coffee at home gives us energy to walk to the coffee shop’
The comedian tells Katherine Hassell about walks with her dog, Mouse, getting up five times with her baby boy and fantasising about being a police officer
March 2022
TV review
The Island review – this nautical panel show is so laugh-free it’s a wreck
Four comedians spend an hour sitting around a table, imagining they’re on a cruise ship that has run aground. How is this going to stretch to five episodes?
November 2021
New organisation launched to tackle sexual harassment in live comedy
TV tonight
TV tonight: Jo Brand delivers a very funny lecture about growing old
December 2020
Sara Pascoe: ‘Quizzes are best when you assume you know the answer but you’re wrong’
The comedian on playing board games with her sister, being overcompetitive – and the link between feminism and quizzing
November 2020
Lockdown culture
Hoard: Rediscovered review – treasure tales from Sara Pascoe, Isy Suttie and more
TV tonight
TV tonight: Talon the sorceress fights for freedom in The Outpost
October 2020
Observer TV reviews
The week in TV: Roadkill; DNA; The Same Sky; Out of Her Mind and more
David Hare’s political thriller had too many implausibilities to be truly enjoyable
TV review
Out of Her Mind review – intricate comedy gets into Sara Pascoe's head
Continuing the recent surge of strong, female-led series, this six-parter highlights the distressing side of long-term singledom, via sharp, fourth wall-shattering observations
TV tonight
TV tonight: Sara Pascoe charms in a tale of thirtysomething angst
The comedian plays a fictionalised version of herself in a meditation on failed relationships. Plus: Frank Skinner and Denise Mina conclude their Scottish odyssey. Here’s what to watch tonight
September 2020
Greenwich Comedy festival review – starry lineup relishes return of live banter
Tristram Kenton at the Guardian
A funny thing happened: stunning portraits of stellar standups – in pictures
