Bruce Dessau
- Journalist and reviewer
Press clippings Page 276
News: Midlands Comedy Awards full results
Birmingham comedian Andy Robinson beat stiff competition to be voted Best Act and Best Compere of 2014 at the Midlands Comedy Awards. The Glee Club was awarded Best Club, while Nottingham's Fowl Humour was given the prize for Best Open Mic Show.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 16th January 2015TV preview: Catastrophe, C4
Channel 4's new sitcom Catastrophe starts with a bang. Not the nuclear variety as in ITV2's Cockroaches though. Here the bang is the sex between the two characters Sharon and Rob (Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney) who have just met in a bar. It's a fast and furious shag and one of many that punctuates the hilarious first episode.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 16th January 2015Mark Thomas presents first Linda Smith Lecture
Comedian Mark Thomas is to present the inaugural Linda Smith Lecture at the Gulbenkian Theatre in Canterbury on May 12. The talk is being put on by The British Stand-Up Comedy Archive as part of a series of events this year.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 14th January 2015Opinion: never make friends with a comedian
After I posted a story yesterday about Stewart Lee standing in for Stuart Maconie on BBC6 Music's Freak Zone, it was pointed out to me that Lee had previously been critical of Maconie in his 2008 show 41st Best Stand-Up Ever. Lee was putting the boot into talking head pundits-for-hire and mentioned that Maconie, for a fee, can recall any aspect of human experience.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 13th January 2015TV review: Cockroaches, ITV2
It won't be the end of the world if you miss Cockroaches, but future episodes promise appearances from Alexander Armstrong and Nigel Planer and it certainly feels worth sticking with.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 13th January 2015Trygve Wakenshaw, Soho Theatre - comedy review
This show, part of the London International Mime Festival, is not exactly weighty with existential meaning. It is merely something to watch and cherish.
Bruce Dessau, Evening Standard, 12th January 2015Trygve Wakenshaw: Kraken, Soho Theatre - comedy review
This strong, silent type is in the zone with his new show Kraken.
Bruce Dessau, Evening Standard, 12th January 2015Tony Law, Soho Theatre - comedy review
Tony Law's show, Enter the ToneZone was a fast-paced romp of oddball comedy, taking in subjects as diverse as the Trojan Wars and the death of his sausage dog, Cartridge Davison.
Bruce Dessau, Evening Standard, 8th January 2015Opinion: what is a comedian?
I wouldn't claim to know every gigging comedian by any means. But when it was announced in the press that Stephen Fry was to marry stand-up comedian Elliott Spencer my ears pricked up. I'd not come across Spencer and couldn't find any mention of him on any reputable comedy websites. Is it possible that he had slipped under my radar?
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 8th January 2015Bec Hill, Soho Theatre - comedy review
It is Bec Hill's effervescent personality that carries Ellipsis, a corny but very funny show about how one should never give up hope.
Bruce Dessau, Evening Standard, 7th January 2015