Press clippings Page 23
Is comedy infectious to doctors?
A white coat is often a sign of funny bones, as periodic outbreaks of medically trained comedians demonstrate.
Brian Logan, The Guardian, 8th February 2017Live at the Chapel
When the pioneering Invisible Dot organisation closed down in 2016 there was a fear that the regular Union Chapel gigs promoted by ID might come to an end too. There have been lots of memorable nights at this Islington church over the years and luckily for the comedy world promoter Will Briggs has picked up the baton.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 5th February 2017The new comedy agents steering stand-ups' careers
An alternative style of artist management is helping talents such as James Acaster and Dane Baptiste take a long-game approach. Rule No 1? Be nice.
Ben Williams, The Guardian, 31st January 2017We Have Been Watching review
So this is a bit of fluff; an attempt by Gold to refresh its catalogue of the same old shows. Sadly it's rather disrespectful of those classics to treat them like this.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 4th January 2017Best in comedy: 2016
We needed something to laugh at. Here's who helped...
Veronica Lee, The Arts Desk, 27th December 2016James Acaster to write a book
Stand-up comedian James Acaster is to publish a book in 2017 titled James Acaster's Classic Scrapes.
British Comedy Guide, 23rd December 2016Bruce Dessau's top comedy gigs for 2016
Having been spoilt for choice when it came to picking TV highlights the live highlights felt thinner on the ground this year. The Edinburgh Fringe featured a lot of very good shows but few really great ones. Maybe comedians were a little knocked sideways by the Brexit vote. but two did respond well - see below. Elsewhere there were a few excellent big gigs and small gigs and it was nice to see some West End runs rather than bank raid arena one-offs. These shows are listed in absolutely no particular order.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 21st December 2016Some pretty good standups say some quite funny things about Christmas, in a talking-heads show that covers all the obvious topics, from shopping to sprouts. The stronger performers, such as Nish Kumar, Kerry Godliman and Tom Price, can dredge up a bit of tone or timing to make obvious observations worthy of a laugh, while in this low-impact environment, James Acaster's deadpan fancy seems positively dangerous.
Jack Seale, The Guardian, 17th December 2016James Acaster: Reset - The Lowry, Salford review
The premise of Reset centres on Acaster and a rather ingenious honey selling scam. However, things go sour and as the business grows he needs to employ more staff to help with this elaborate scam. This turns out to be a big mistake and in a bid to save his own skin he 'grasses' on his business partners in the hope of a new life.
Matt Forrest, The Reviews Hub, 28th November 2016Leicester Comedy Festival line-up announced
Next year's Leicester Comedy Festival will have as many events as ever, despite the headline sponsorship deal coming to an end.
Tom Mack, Leicester Mercury, 7th November 2016