Leslie Dawson Jr. was an English comedian, actor, writer, and presenter, who is best remembered for his deadpan style, curmudgeonly persona and jokes about his mother-in-law and wife.
Stand-up comedy is a comic style in which a comedian performs in front of a live audience, usually speaking directly to them. The performer is commonly known as a comic, stand-up comic, comedian, comedienne, stand-up comedian, or simply a stand-up. Comedians give the illusion that they are dialoguing, but in actuality, they are monologuing a grouping of humorous stories, jokes and one-liners, typically called a shtick, routine, act, or set. Some stand-up comedians use props, music or magic tricks to enhance their acts. Stand-up comedy is stated to be the "freest form of comedy writing" that is regarded as a fictionalized "extension of" the person performing.
Sir Kenneth Arthur Dodd was an English comedian, singer and occasional actor. He was described as "the last great music hall entertainer", and was primarily known for his live stand-up performances.
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might take many forms including jokes, satirical observations, amusing situations, acting foolish or employing prop comedy. A comedian who addresses an audience directly is called a stand-up comedian. Other practises include the sitcom, sketch comedy and improv genres.
Linda Helen Smith was an English comedian and comedy writer. She appeared regularly on Radio 4 panel games, and was voted "Wittiest Living Person" by listeners in 2002. 2004-06 she was head of the British Humanist Association. She met her partner, Warren Lakin, at university, and they were together for nearly 30 years until her death.
Timothy Mark Vine is an English writer, actor, comedian and presenter, known for his one-liner jokes, and his role on Not Going Out from 2006 to 2014. He has released a number of DVDs of his stand-up comedy and has written several joke books. In 2010 and 2014, Vine won the award for best joke at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. His winning jokes were: "I've just been on a once-in-a-lifetime holiday. I'll tell you what, never again" and "I decided to sell my Hoover ... well it was just collecting dust." He was the runner up in 2011, 2012 and 2013.
Mock the Week is a British topical, satirical celebrity panel show, that was created by Dan Patterson and Mark Leveson, who also co-created the comedy game show Whose Line Is It Anyway?. Performers deliver mostly prepared answers on different subjects under the guise of an improvised gameshow. It is made by independent production company Angst Productions, and made its debut on BBC Two on 5 June 2005, with the show's theme song being "News of the World" by The Jam. The show has featured a variety of different stand-up performers, some being part of the show for several series as a permanent fixture, with host Dara Ó Briain and comedian Hugh Dennis having appeared in every episode since its debut. Old episodes currently air on Dave, which is frequently mentioned on the show.
Ned Arnel Mencia, known professionally as Carlos Mencia is a Honduran-born American comedian, writer, and actor. His style of comedy is often political and involves issues of race, culture, criminal justice, and social class. He is best known as the host of the Comedy Central show Mind of Mencia which produced four seasons before being cancelled in 2008. Around this time, Mencia received several accusations of plagiarism and joke-stealing in his stand-up routines.
Jokers Wild was a British comedy panel game show that originally aired on ITV as a pilot on 15 April 1969 and then as a full series from 9 July 1969 to 20 November 1974. It was hosted by Barry Cryer. The show was based on two American panel game shows: Stop Me If You've Heard This One and Can You Top This?.
Sarah Jane Millican is an English comedian. Millican won the comedy award for Best Newcomer at the 2008 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. In February 2013 she was listed as one of the 100 most powerful women in the United Kingdom by Radio 4's Woman's Hour, and in the same year married fellow comedian Gary Delaney. Her first book, How to Be Champion, was released in 2017, and Millican has performed on various tours mainly throughout the United Kingdom over the years.
Russell Kane is an English writer, comedian, and actor. He was nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Awards at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, winning the main prize in August 2010.
The Museum of Curiosity, formerly titled The Professor of Curiosity, is a comedy panel game on BBC Radio 4 that was first broadcast on 20 February 2008. It is hosted by John Lloyd. He acts as the head of the (fictional) titular museum, while a panel of three guests – typically a comedian, an author and an academic – each donate to the museum an ‘object’ that fascinates them. The radio medium ensures that the suggested exhibits can be absolutely anything, limited only by the guests’ imaginations.
Jon Joel Richardson is an English comedian. He is known for his appearances on 8 Out of 10 Cats and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and his work as co-host with Russell Howard on BBC 6 Music. He is presenter of Jon Richardson: Ultimate Worrier.
Zoe Ann Lyons is a British comedian.
Mark Steel's in Town is a stand-up comedy show on BBC Radio 4, co-written and performed by Mark Steel. The series, which was first broadcast on 18 March 2009, is recorded in various towns and cities in the United Kingdom and occasionally elsewhere. Each episode is tailored to the town in which it is recorded, and the show is performed in front of a local audience.
Charlie Wernham is an English comedian and actor who is known for auditioning on the second series of the ITV talent show Britain's Got Talent and for his role as Robbie Roscoe in Hollyoaks. He also played Mitchell in Bad Education and has appeared in The Inbetweeners, School of Comedy and Some Girls.
Comedy World Cup is a British television comedy panel game produced by Open Mike Productions for Channel 4. It was first broadcast on 15 September 2012 and last broadcast on 27 October 2012. The show is presented by David Tennant and features two teams of celebrities, consisting of a captain and two guests. In each episode the teams compete in seven rounds about British and American comedy. The show is a knock-out tournament with the winners of the first four episodes progressing into the semi-finals, and the winners of each of them compete in the final for the eponymous Comedy World Cup.
Kate Smurthwaite is a British stand-up comedian and political activist. She regularly appears on British television and radio as a pundit, offering opinion and comment on subjects ranging from politics to religion.
8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown is a crossover between the panel games 8 Out of 10 Cats and Countdown. The show follows the format of Countdown, but with hosts and contestants from 8 Out of 10 Cats, and an emphasis on the humour seen on the latter show.
