Ithell Colquhoun’s fecund, fleshy paintings were soaked in mysticism. But was she running my life from beyond the grave?I am a travelling entertainer. I spent decades in secondhand bookshops in shabby sidestreets, filling the sick-stomach void between …
Victoria Coren Mitchell: ‘I’m not at all competitive, which surprises people’
The writer, presenter and professional poker player on taking part in Taskmaster, her pub quiz dilemma and a life surrounded by comediansVictoria Coren Mitchell was born and went to school in Hammersmith, west London. She is the younger sister of the r…
Ron’s Gone Wrong review – a cheeky tech spin on ET
A lonely boy and a sparky bot team up for in a tender film that dials up the charm but swerves the big-tech questionsScreenwriters Peter Baynham and Sarah Smith have programmed this watchable if very derivative animated movie about a lonely, bullied ki…
Bob Mortimer: ‘I’m comfortable with getting older, but I try not to look in the mirror’
The comedian, 62, on growing up shy in Middlesbrough, losing his dad, meeting Vic Reeves, and the deep contentment of fishingI was quite a shy boy. Growing up in Middlesbrough, I felt a bit of an outsider. My three elder brothers are funny and boistero…
Dear Dave Chappelle, transgender comedians can take a joke, but why are yours so unfunny? | Dahlia Belle
A regressive Netflix special only serves as further reminder that the once-groundbreaking star has lost his way (and his sense of humor)Dear Dave,We’re both comedians. I guess that makes me a member of your tribe. I’m sure you’ve never heard of me, tho…
Sindhu Vee and her father go back in time: ‘As a child, I was always copying him’
The comedian and her dad recreate a childhood photo and talk about early days in India, agoraphobia and swapping banking for comedy Born in New Delhi in 1969, Sindhu Vee spent her childhood in India and the Philippines, before throwing herself into aca…
‘There is a reason why famous people are often screwed up’: Tim Minchin on quitting comedy
The Australian composer has returned to performing after a 10-year break. He writes about fame, failure and his surprise comebackIn 2003, I booked a tiny venue for Melbourne fringe festival, to perform a show I had tortuously titled Navel: Cerebral Mel…
Reservation Dogs: the trippy teen comedy you’ll want to rewatch immediately
Hollywood’s weirdo-in-chief Taika Waititi serves up a fresh take on teens desperate to ditch their dead-end town with this strange, astounding show No more satisfying a setting for a TV show than “scratched-out craptown peopled by criminal-leaning ecce…
Dave Chappelle: The Closer review – aggressive gags and feeble protests
NetflixRather than explore the blind spots within modern gender and racial thinking, the comedian’s latest special triples down on the phobia‘I’m going all the way,” is Dave Chappelle’s refrain through this last in his run of Netflix specials. It’s a b…
Breakfast at Tiffany’s at 60: the sharp romcom that grows darker with age
Audrey Hepburn’s star-making turn as Holly Golightly remains as luminous as ever in Blake Edwards’ sweetened yet still bittersweet adaptation of Truman Capote’s novelBreakfast at Tiffany’s was a sacred film in my household growing up. My mother’s VHS t…