Bruce Dessau

London

Evening Standard comedy critic. Author of Beyond A Joke about the dark side of stand-up. Editor of #comedy website https://t.co/6l6J05UX78 Food critic.

Articles

Mathew Horne To Star In Comedy About the Blur vs Oasis Chart Race

3 days ago | beyondthejoke.co.uk | Bruce Dessau

By Bruce Dessau on Mathew Horne is to play influential Britpop music executive,Andy Ross, caught in the crossfire of one of the most notorious rivalries in British music history in new Blue v Oasis comedy entitled The Battle. Opening at Birmingham Rep on Wednesday 11th February ahead of a major UK tour and a West End run, The Battle is an exploration of fame, ego, and the cultural clashes of 1990s Britain.
Tour Dates For Judi Love

3 days ago | beyondthejoke.co.uk | Bruce Dessau

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Suzi Ruffell And Tom Allen's Podcast Like Minded Friends Goes Live

3 days ago | beyondthejoke.co.uk | Bruce Dessau

After last year’s sell out Christmas show Suzi Ruffell and Tom Allen are bringing their podcast Like Minded Friends back to the stage for a run of special Christmas shows. Join Suzi and Tom for an evening of chat about anything from Christmas dinner etiquette to gift giving anxiety and maybe even some Christmas carols. With his signature acerbic wit and riotous storytelling, Tom Allen has cemented himself as a household name and star on both stage and screen.
Tour Dates For Shane Todd

3 days ago | beyondthejoke.co.uk | Bruce Dessau

By Bruce Dessau on Shane Todd – the Northern Irish comic sensation and host of the hit ‘Tea With Me’ podcast - is back with a new show ‘Hold Me Back’ and taking it out on his fourth tour in 2026, which will see him perform 19 dates across venues in the UK and Ireland, from Thursday 12th March – Friday 24th April 2026.
Chloe Petts Announces Biggest Tour Yet After Fringe Run

3 days ago | beyondthejoke.co.uk | Bruce Dessau

After three consecutive sell-out Fringe runs followed by UK tours, Chloe Petts (Live At The Apollo, Have I Got News For You, Hannah Gadsby’s Gender Agenda) announces a new show, Big Naturals. The show debuts in Edinburgh for the full month this August and tours the UK & Ireland from 2026 with 40 dates including Bristol, Brighton, Birmingham, Canterbury, York, Leeds, Cardiff, Liverpool, Salford, Newcastle, Belfast and Dublin.
TV Review: Transaction, ITV2 & ITVX

3 days ago | beyondthejoke.co.uk | Bruce Dessau

Transgender comedian Jordan Gray has already made a splash on television, getting her penis out on the revived variety show Friday Night Live. Now Gray brings those comic chops to the world of sitcom, writing and starring in Transaction, a pretty broad vehicle set in a supermarket called Pellocks. But never mind the Pellocks, this is all about Gray's character Liv, who lives with employee Tom (Thomas Gray).
Stewart Lee at Leicester Square Theatre review: laughs layered within laughs

5 days ago | standard.co.uk | Bruce Dessau

Culture | ComedyThe veteran comedian delivers gags aplenty with his trademark knowing styleSteve UllathorneBruce Dessau2 minutes agoWe all like to get value for money from a show and Stewart Lee has come up with a brilliant buy-one-get two-free concept. Stewart Lee Vs The Man-Wulf is classic liberal Lee stand-up, then a send-up of no-holds-barred shock humour and finally an attempt to merge the two, playing a woke comic with a macho streak.
Live Show For Talking Bottom Podcast With Special Guest

5 days ago | beyondthejoke.co.uk | Bruce Dessau

By Bruce Dessau on The Talking Bottom podcast will host a one-off live show at the Edinburgh Fringe this August joined by a very special guest - actor and comedian Lee Cornes, Bottom’s sneering pub landlord ‘Dick Head’. Talking Bottom (‘Podcast of the Week’ - the Guardian, Metro) began in 2018 to celebrate Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson’s outrageous 90s hit BBC sitcom, Bottom.
First Image And Trailer For New Steve Coogan Film Saipan About Roy Keane And Mick McCarthy

5 days ago | beyondthejoke.co.uk | Bruce Dessau

The trailer first has been released for SAIPAN, the new film about the infamous confrontation between iconic Republic of Ireland football captain Roy Keane (Éanna Hardwicke) and his national team manager Mick McCarthy (Steve Coogan) during the team’s preparations for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. The intense rivalry between these two personalities transcended the game, gripping an entire nation and the sporting world.
Edinburgh Fringe 2025: Rarely Asked Questions - Candace Bryan

5 days ago | beyondthejoke.co.uk | Bruce Dessau

Candace Bryan is an American standup comedian based in London. Her sharp writing and unique persona have seen her shortlisted for Chortle's Hotshots 2025, she's a Soho Theatre Comedy Plus Lab Alum, and in 2024 was endorsed by the UK Arts Council as showing “exceptional promise” as a comedy performer and awarded a Global Talent visa.