Bruce Dessau
- Journalist and reviewer
Press clippings Page 279
Preview: Heroes Grotto of Comedy
I've been slightly intrigued and slightly obsessed with Bob Slayer for the last few years.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 3rd December 2014Review: Mark Thomas, Tricycle Theatre
Mark Thomas's persuasive performance straddles stand-up and storytelling, with comedy at its heart.
Bruce Dessau, Evening Standard, 2nd December 2014Mark Thomas, Tricycle Theatre - comedy review
'Thomas's persuasive performance straddles stand-up and storytelling, with comedy at its heart'
Bruce Dessau, Evening Standard, 2nd December 2014TV preview: The Life Of Rock With Brian Pern, BBC Two
You don't often get surprises in TV comedy. But it was a genuinely brilliant surprise when Peter Gabriel pitched up on a segway in the final episode of Brian Pern: A Life in Rock on BBC Four earlier this year. All the critics had been suggesting during the series that Gabriel might be livid if he thought that Simon Day's spoof prog rocker was based on him. In fact he clearly wasn't livid, he loved it.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 2nd December 2014Interview: rarely asked questions - Simon Evans
Simon Evans is one of the country's most stylish stand-up comedians. And I'm not just talking about his bespoke suits.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 1st December 2014Interview: rarely asked questions - Alfie Brown
Q&A with stand-up Alfie Brown.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 29th November 2014TV Review: Live at the Apollo, Episode 2, BBC1
The second edition of the tenth, yes, tenth, series of Live At The Apollo was hosted by Jason Manford, who is about as safe a pair of hands as you can get on TV. And I mean that in a good way. Some comedians are good live but don't seem able to make the smoothest of trnaditions to the small screen. Manford makes comedy on TV look like a doddle.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 28th November 2014DVD review: Harry Hill - Sausage Time
I don't often see live comedy shows twice but I made an exception with Sausage Time. I enjoyed it so much when I reviewed it I returned with family and friends and it didn't disappoint me, even though I knew what was coming.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 28th November 2014TV review: Puppy Love, episode 3, BBC4
Right, I'm sticking with this like a dog with a bone. The third instalment of this dodgy doggy sitcom finds Nana V (Joanna Scanlan) more hard up than ever and Naomi Singh (Vicki Pepperdine) more snobby than ever.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 28th November 2014What do Lewis Hamilton & Lee Evans have in common?
It's nothing to be bashful about if a comedian works with someone else. It is not often that comedians actually buy jokes from a production line by the metre. It is more like a sitcom writers room, with gags and topics being workshopped until something stage-worthy emerges.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 25th November 2014