Bruce Dessau
- Journalist and reviewer
Press clippings Page 229
Fringe preview: Dominic Frisby
Dominic Frisby was due to preview his Edinburgh show on June 27 but the gig was cancelled, presumably because the promoter thought everyone would be watching England playing Iceland. In retrospect I think everyone would have rather have been watching Dominic Frisby, despite him being one of the few comedians who advocated leaving Europe.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 28th June 2016No Such Thing As A Fish, review
This intelligent quartet serve as a welcome reminder that comedy does not have to be dumb.
Bruce Dessau, Evening Standard, 28th June 2016Moses Ali Khan wins Liverpool Comedy Competition
Stand-up comedian and blogger Moses Ali Khan won the Hot Water Comedy Club New Comedian of the Year competition last night in Liverpool.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 27th June 2016Fringe preview: Max & Ivan
Sketch group The Beta Males recently announced that this year's Edinburgh show would be their last. Along with their bombshell announcement there was an underlying hint that maybe sketch comedy was in not as popular as it once was. Tell that to Max Olesker and Ivan Gonzalez, whose popularity has grown dramatically, or should that be comically, over the last five years.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 26th June 2016Fringe preview: Mark Watson
I'm not quite sure why Mark Watson isn't a bigger star.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 25th June 2016Fringe preview: Tony Law
Tony Law was always a funny comedian. But it was when he started messing with his facial hair that things really took off. It was in 2012 when he was rocking his pre-hipster 1908 arctic explorer facial hair that he was nominated for an Edinburgh Comedy Award for the freewheeling Maximum Nonsense.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 24th June 2016How do you write jokes about a sad story?
It's Pete Sinclair that I feel sorry for. Among others of course. He is one of the writers of C4's Power Monkeys and as if it wasn't hard enough already to write a whole sitcom episode in a day, he now has to write funny jokes about a situation that I suspect he doesn't find very funny.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 24th June 2016Fringe preview: James Acaster
I think this is what they call a "no brainer".
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 23rd June 2016BBC appoints new entertainment commissioning controller
Kate Phillips has been appointed Controller, Entertainment Commissioning. The role replaces Mark Linsey, who is now Director of BBC Studios.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 23rd June 2016Fringe preview: Spencer Jones
I will be honest. The first time I saw Spencer Jones I didn't get it. He was in the New Act of the Year final and I thought he must be a mate of the promoter or just someone who had wandered in from the pub next door, pausing only to put on a pair of stupid white tights. The second time I saw him it was at a Malcolm Hardee tribute gig. He did pretty much the same slapstickish, childlike set, mucking around with props, hardly saying a word, but it suddenly made sense. He really is a gifted clown with genuine funny bones. And since then other people have got it too. Jones was one of the hits of 2015's Fringe.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 22nd June 2016