Bruce Dessau
- Journalist and reviewer
Press clippings Page 241
Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle preview - Patriotsm
The most interesting point Stewart Lee makes in the third episode of his current series, subtitled 'Patriotism', comes at the start when he talks about the biggest problem the modern satirist faces. The news is in such flux, says Lee, it is hard to get a handle on it for comedy. And if Lee is having that problem, spare a thought for lesser mortals out there trying to monetize their social commentary.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 16th March 2016Review: Glasgow Comedy Festival, Romesh Ranganathan
I hadn't seen Ranganathan onstage for a while now and it was interesting to see how his stage style has evolved. Perhaps it was no surprise that he went down so well at last night's Glasgow International Comedy Festival performance as the two comedians he reminded me of the most were local heroes Frankie Boyle and Kevin Bridges.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 15th March 2016Whose Line Is It Anyway? live show returns
Influential improvisation show Whose Line Is It Anyway? is to return to London's West End for 14 performances only. It will run at the London Palladium from 9-19 June 2016.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 15th March 2016TV preview: Stag, BBC2, episode 3
It is so hard to write about this excellent comedy thriller without giving something away. Needless to say the final episode in which the loose ends have to be tied up - probably around one of the cast's necks - is the toughest to discuss. One slip and the game may be given away.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 12th March 2016Preview: Comedy Playhouse, Stop/Start, BBC1
Stop/Start is the sort of sitcom which would prompt the Daily Mail/Express to say "At last, a BBC sitcom that is actually funny." Yes, Stop/Start is pretty broad and pretty old fashioned but it is also genuinely funny, thanks to great performances from a quality cast and a script which mostly stays on the acceptable side of politically incorrect old hat.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 11th March 2016Paul Zerdin postpones UK dates to plays Vegas
America's Got Talent winner Paul Zerdin has postponed his UK dates in September and October. He will, however, be appearing on The Las Vegas Strip in an all-new, headlining production from April 30th.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 8th March 2016TV preview: Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle, episode 4.2
Warning. This episode contains skipping. Sure enough, Lee suckered his TV viewers in last week with a relatively benign look at the nature of modern comedy and a few cheeky swipes at his fellow entertainers. This week he goes for the jugular, addressing the more tricky question of the rise of Islamophobia and the acceptability of jokes about religion. The skipping, inevitably, comes in a section about a different rise - the rise of observational comedy.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 7th March 2016TV review: Stag, BBC2, episode 2
I'm not sure how much it qualifies as a comedy now that it has got proper scary, but I'm really enjoying Stag.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 5th March 2016Felicity Ward, comedy review
Gutbustingly funny... and very personal.
Bruce Dessau, Evening Standard, 4th March 2016Latitude line-up announced
The first batch of names for this year's Latitude Festival has been announced today.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 3rd March 2016