When the Comedy Store threw open its doors, it rewrote the joke book. Julian Hall celebrates 30 years of mirth – and 10 comedians recall their first, nerve-wracking, appearances there. The Independent, 18th May, 2009 Once dubbed “Comedy’s Unofficial National Theatre”, The Comedy Store is 30 years old this month. Quality control has been the […]
Read MoreThe Secret Policeman’s Ball, The Albert Hall, London By Julian Hall Wednesday, 8 October 2008 Having attended the last two outings of Amnesty International’s Secret Policeman’s Ball at The Albert Hall, it strikes me as an occasion as bewildering for it’s audience as it is for the acts who have never played this grand venue […]
Read MoreIf I said that I set off for the ‘Here and Now’ 80s reunion gig at Wembley Arena with a certain amount of trepidation then I’m not saying anything surprising. Most of us would do the same. Besides I carry trepidation like most people carry a wallet or an iPod (I can often be seen […]
Read MoreI’ve been musing on last night’s Chelsea game and as much as it is certain that Didier Drogba faces censure, and that this will have to be seen to be done, I can’t help feeling sorry for a sanguine but seriously miffed Gus Hiddink. The decisions of referee Tom Ovrebo (an anagram of ‘boot mover’ […]
Read MoreOn the eve of their 80s Here and Now tour, Julian Hall surfs the wave of nostalgia with 80s pop icons Hazel O’Connor, Clare Grogan and Kim Wilde What do you think of the 80s revival? Kim Wilde: I’m amazed it’s still going on. Perhaps the further we get into these recessionary times, the more […]
Read MoreHe’s a shadowy figure lurking in the background in the corporate law drama Damages, initially a slow-burner in The Wire and a man alone with his thoughts playing Nelson Mandela in the forthcoming Channel 4 drama Endgame. In person Clarke Peters is almost an open book. It’s him, not his PR, who greets me after […]
Read MorePaul Merton is on a one-man mission on to bring silent cinema to the masses. He’s back on the road with Silent Clowns, the live show he first toured on the back of his popular BBC Four programme of the same name. Merton introduces a feature length silent movie and a couple of shorts which […]
Read MoreThe saviours of Channel 4 ‘Peep Show’ proves that a television series doesn’t have to be a ratings blockbuster The sixth series of the comedy hit Peep Show is about to go into production. And with it comes the news that Channel 4 has just commissioned a seventh. There is a clear reason for this. […]
Read MoreIn The Loop, the eagerly anticipated big screen extension of political TV comedy The Thick Of It, will open in cinemas on April 17th. Already seen at Sundance, I caught another opportunity for a sneak preview before the general release at a screening last night in London. In The Loop is basically The Thick of […]
Read MoreInbetweeners – The latest teenage pick Inbetweeners is the latest series to show that British TV is challenging America in the teen market. And young viewers love it, says Julian Hall The second series of sixth-form teen comedy The Inbetweeners starts next week on E4, following hot on the heels of the third series of […]
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