Bruce Dessau
- Journalist and reviewer
Press clippings Page 235
For Little Alan, comedy review
Last night's tribute to Matt Bradstock-Smith beautifully evoked the childlike surrealism of his days playing Harry Hill's son Little Alan, in the Nineties.
Bruce Dessau, Evening Standard, 17th May 2016Live Review: Alex Edelman, Soho Theatre, London
You've got to have an angle when you do a full length Edinburgh Fringe show. Well, it's maybe not compulsory but when putting together a string of stories it can help to stitch the narrative together and excite the judges. Alex Edelman's 2015 show, which has finally transferred to London, has an angle but the young Bostonian is so skilful this would be a hugely enjoyable set even without one.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 15th May 2016Why do comedians make such good actors?
It is both a hard question to answer and an easy one. I think the best comedians are natural performers which would be suited for taking on a script. But they can also be uncontrollable show-offs, which might not go down too well with a hard taskmaster. By all accounts Ken Loach loved Dave Johns from day one.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 15th May 2016Preview: Upstart Crow, episode 2
It's great to report that the first episode of Upstart Crow was not a fluke. Writer Ben Elton repeats the trick again in the second episode. In fact if there is a problem here it isn't so much that this week's episode is like Blackadder, it's more a case that it is too much like last week's episode.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 13th May 2016Preview: Mum, BBC2
One of BBC3's epic fails was axing the relationship sitcom Him & Her. Now at least BBC2 has gone some way towards making amends by commissioning writer Stefan Golaszewski to pen a new comedy, Mum. It's in the same chatty, conversational vein but much more mature. Imagine Him & Her 30 years on with 'Him' dead and this could be the result.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 13th May 2016Great Yorkshire Fringe returns in July
Comedians already confirmed include Henning Wehn, Tony Law and Simon Munnery. Richard Herring will pick his favourite routines from his 12 previous shows and cram them into 60 minutes. He also brings his award-winning podcast to York. Star of The Chase on ITV1, Paul Sinha returns to stand up comedy after a 4-year break with Postcards From The Z-List. Other big hitters include Jerry Sadowitz, Glenn Wool, Tom Stade and Sammy J and Randy.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 12th May 2016Live review: Amused Moose Laugh Off Final 2016
The Amused Moose Laugh Off Final has a pretty good track record at discovering future stars. Previous winners include Sarah Millican and Jack Whitehall. Everyone has their say in the vote - from audience members to industry representatives. The balcony at the Hippodrome was crammed with agents, journalists and movers and shakers. Interestingly we weren't asked to pick the best act, we were asked to pick the one we thought would be a star. A subtle difference to me, but let's leave that aside for now. Or maybe not.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 12th May 2016Opinion: mainstream v alternative - is the gap closing?
We live in interesting times for comedy. I never thought I'd see Sara Pascoe on The Graham Norton Show. Maybe the gap is closing between what we describe as alternative and what we describe as mainstream. Maybe one of the legacies of Comedy Vehicle is that it did attract comedy fans to more cerebral notions of the nature of comedy. Sadly not enough for BBC2's beancounters.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 11th May 2016Nigel Ng wins Amused Moose Laugh Off final 2016
UK-based Malaysian stand-up Nigel Ng is the winner of this year's Amused Moose Laugh Off Final that took place at the Hippodrome in London.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 11th May 2016C4 Comedy Gala, review
Rattling through a conveyor belt of more than twenty comedians, this marathon event had one-liners flying so thick and fast it started to become exhausting, says Bruce Dessau.
Bruce Dessau, Evening Standard, 9th May 2016