John Fleming (I)

Elf Lyons: duck flu, Barbarella & a dog in a gimp suit

"I came up with this world..." she told me. "This sitcom idea. I got really excited, then realised all the tangents and all the character layers couldn't really exist in a one hour play, so I've written lots of different episodes. And I'm doing the first 45-minute pilot, as it were, next Thursday for three nights at the Etcetera Theatre in Camden."

What do you say to the organiser of a Jewish comedy day

The organiser of this fine upcoming Jewish Comedy Day is Arlene Greenhouse. We met when she came to see a couple of Grouchy Club shows in Edinburgh last August.

Malcolm Hardee: born 65 years ago today

R.I.P Malcolm Hardee, godfather of alternative comedy. Born 65 years ago today, drowned 10 years ago this month. (5th January 1950 - 31st January 2005).

Comedies can get standing ovations but fail as blogs

I thought I was onto a winner for today's blog. Seeing a show AND comedy news from Germany. It was not to be.

Interview: Jim Davidson

Jim Davidson on being "racist, sexist, homophobic" - and Operation Yewtree.

The improvisers who ended up with scripted success

"I'm not sure it can get much better than this," Charlie Russell told me yesterday. "We're all very early on in our careers and to perform in a show where we have artistic input... AND it's in the West End... AND it's your best mates... That is good. I'm enjoying it while I've got it."

The Play That Goes Wrong opened at The Duchess Theatre this September and has now had its run extended until at least next September.

Comedians: humorous or humorless? Me: terrible audience

I always tend to say all comedians are barking mad. If I were more PC, I might say they were "psychologically interesting". Which they certainly are.

A desperate blog with Matt Roper

"I am a desperate man," I told comedian Matt Roper, who has been living in my spare room for the last few weeks (with my knowledge).

Comedy competitions, awards & reviews: a matter of luck

As any regular reader of this blog knows, I try not to review shows. That just leads to people unleashing verbal abuse on me in later months and years. So I really do not know why I agree to be a judge on award shows. I think I have been on two - it might have been three - this year.

Crowdfunding a UK sci-fi comedy movie

Bob Pipe was talking to me about raising money for his feature film project The Day They Came to Suck Out Our Brains!