Showing titles in Performing Arts

Spike Milligan's legendary war memoirs are a hilarious and subversive first-hand account of the Second World War, as well as a fascinating portrait of the formative years of this towering comic genius, most famous as writer and star of The Goon Show. They have sold over 4.5 million copies...

The brand new memoir from James Acaster: cult comedian, bestselling author of Classic Scrapes, undercover cop, receiver of cabbages. PERFECT SOUND WHATEVER is a love letter to the healing power of music, and how one man's obsessive quest saw him defeat the bullshit of one year with the beauty of...

The master of adult comedy for over 30 years, Roy Chubby Brown finally hangs up his famous helmet! Recorded live in front of thousands of his fans, 'Chubby' delivers a show bursting with gags and outrageously offensive laughs!

The complete ninth series of BBC Radio 4's award-winning sketch show 'One of our best sketch writers' Observer John Finnemore returns with his multi-award-winning sketch show, but this series is very different to the previous eight. There are still sketches and songs, and it's still written and...

All 16 episodes of the BBC radio comedy about the dysfunctional Burbage siblings: Brothers Nigel and Michael share everything - home, work and acute neuroses. Several years ago, they gave up respectable careers to set up a website design company in Nigel's living room. That was their first mistake....

Join comedian Roisin Conaty as she dissects all the action and backstage gossip from the new series of the smash-hit comedy, ‘Last One Laughing UK’ in this official listen-along companion show from Audible Originals. Laughing allowed!

With its brilliant blend of the silly, the serious and the satirical, The News Quiz has been a must-listen for comedy fans since it started 46 years ago. Recorded in front of an audience, these three series see Andy Zaltzman presiding over a motley crew of comedians and journalists as they trawl through the biggest (and smallest) news stories of 2024 to provide comedy, commentary, irony and irreverence.

Fern showcases three stand-ups per episode, mixing festival headliners with fresh talent hand-picked by Fern herself. You’ll hear exclusive performances from the likes of Alan Davies, Nish Kumar, Rosie Jones, and Bridget Christie, alongside the upcoming comedians critics and comedy fans are buzzing about - so you can catch the rising talent before they hit the big time. It's like having a comedy insider guide you to the best shows at the Fringe.

Award winning stand-up comedian Alan Carr’s long awaited second stand-up show Spexy Beast Live. recorded in front of a sold out crowd of 13,000 fans at the Manchester Evening News Arena as part of his 33 date UK and Ireland arena tour, Spexy Beast Live sees Alan back on stage and follows on from where his debut best-selling release Tooth Fairy left off.

For the last two years, Frank Skinner has managed to squeeze in a weekly column for The Times. Without fail, he sat down every week and wracked his brain to think of something to write 900 words about. This is the brilliant result.

A brilliant recording from his 2019 stand up tour. Ed again sees his own world and the world around him through the prism of a razor sharp brain and a comic vision which is quite unique.

Join professional comedy writer Joel Morris on a hilarious journey into the hidden world of shared laughter, where he reveals the mechanisms that make jokes work and what comedy can teach us about ourselves. Offering astute analysis of everything from stand-up to slapstick and sitcom to spoof, Morris examines comedic patterns, rhythms, and dynamics to uncover the algorithms that secretly underpin comedy. 

Ed Patrick is an anaesthetist. Strong drugs for his patients, strong coffee for him. But it's not just sleep-giving for this anaesthetist, as he navigates emergencies, patients not breathing for themselves and living with a terrifying sense of responsibility. It's enough to leave anyone feeling numb. But don't worry, there's plenty of laughing gas to be had.

Columnist, critic and award-winning author Craig Brown is well known for his Private Eye parodies lampooning politicians and celebrities. He has written for numerous newspapers, both under his own name and as his alter egos Wallace Arnold and Bel Littlejohn. Collected here are Brown's four fantastic radio series, plus two bonus programmes in which he discusses his life and work.

For over a decade between 1974 and 1985, lugubrious funnyman Les Dawson had radio audiences in stitches with his hit comedy show Listen to Les. Included in this collection are 26 vintage episodes, showcasing the gravel-voiced master of mirth at his very best. All your favourite characters are here, including gossip-loving housewives Cissie and Ada; chat show host Cosmo Smallpiece; the elegant Sophisticates and the hilariously dismal Desponds—as well as Wotan, Man of Steel; the debut appearance of comic discovery Justin Jest.

The brilliantly quirky David Sedaris returns with a book of acerbic and outrageously funny stories about animals who have unmistakably human failings.This collection of sharply observed animal-themed tales is a delight, told with David Sedaris’s trademark blend of hilarity and goodnaturedness. Though the characters may not be human, the situations in these stories bear an uncanny resemblance to the insanity of our own everyday interactions.

In her hilarious new show Sarah tells us about her favourite word, bra fitting, her road rage and how she lets her husband know 'tonight's the night'. Funny and frank, this is Sarah Millican at her very best.

This is Limmy’s second book. It’s a whole load of new, odd, and hilariously grim short stories. Tom is in a soft play with his daughters. He’s bored. He’s so bored he can move things with his mind. A man fills up a mate’s biscuit tin without ever telling him, to see what happens...

From his humble beginnings in sketch comedy with the Toronto branch of Second City, to his rise to fame in SCTV and Hollywood film classics like Planes, Trains and Automobiles, The Great Outdoors, and Uncle Buck, John Candy captivated audiences with his self-deprecating humor, emotional warmth, and gift for improvisation. Now, for the first time since Candy's tragic death, bestselling biographer Paul Myers tells the full story of the man behind the laughs.

Regarded as the funniest one-liner in the UK, Tim Vine delivers joke after joke on this great live show. The recipient of awards for best jokes told at comedy festivals, sit back and enjoy the only Punslinger in town.