Bruce Dessau
- Journalist and reviewer
Press clippings Page 232
Review: Mum, episode 6, BBC2
Well, we say final episode but as anyone who has been following this brilliant series by Stefan Golaszewski will probably know by now there is going to be a second series. A good decision from the BBC, flying the flag for a quality comedy that may not be laugh a minute but has bags of nuance and excellent performances from its ensemble cast.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 19th June 2016Fringe preview: Seymour Mace
Sometimes overnight success takes years. Seymour Mace has been bouncing around on the comedy circuit for well over a decade now, but it was only last year that he picked up an Edinburgh Comedy Award for a show that tied together all the madness of his previous outings in one neat package.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 19th June 2016Edinburgh Fringe preview: Bilal Zafar
I spotted the very talented Bilal Zafar about a year ago and earlier this year he won the New Act of the Year competition, which is the most prestigious of the umpteen newbie competitions you can enter.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 18th June 2016Edinburgh Fringe preview: Rob Auton
Daniel Kitson has called Rob Auton "entirely compelling to watch". What more recommendation do you need?
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 17th June 2016Edinburgh Fringe preview: Abandoman
This show is a departure for the quickfire Dubliner, who can pretty much riff about anything suggested by the audience.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 16th June 2016Preview: Murder In Successville, BBC3
There is certainly a lot of improvisation about at the moment. We reviewed this yesterday and there is this show at the Soho Theatre. But there is nothing quite like BBC Three's Murder In Successville, which features real celebrities winging it to crack a fictional killing alongside comedians playing it for laughs.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 14th June 2016Review: Jack Dee's Referendum Helpdesk, BBC2
Nobody seems to have told the person that did the opening credits for this comedy version of Question Time that it is about the EU. Instead subject titles such as "relationships" and "money"Romesh Ranganathan rolled past as if our host, serial cynic Jack Dee, was any old agony aunt.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 14th June 2016Review: Whose Line Is It Anyway?... Live
At over two hours the show does become a little repetitive towards the end, but it's not the performers or the format that are at fault, just the desire to offer value for money. It's amazing to think that there were no live versions of this in the UK for two decades. The producers must be thinking of all those full houses they missed out on over the years as they count up the takings for this limited run.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 13th June 2016Interview: rarely asked questions - Milton Jones
It is hard to believe there was a time when one liners and wordplay were not particularly popular. These days there are one liner comedians everywhere. There is even a UK Pun Championship. As far as I know Milton Jones has never entered but then if he did there would be no point anybody else turning up.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 11th June 2016Lewis Schaffer: 'Do I have to talk about the show?'
Lewis Schaffer is grumpy. The London based New Yorker would return to the states if only someone would pay for him to go. In a 15 minute chat with Martin Walker he explains why his new show is not new at all.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 10th June 2016