Best of 2021: Comedy

BEST OF 2021: COMEDY One masterpiece, and a celebration of the great outdoors

One masterpiece, and a celebration of the great outdoors

Everybody in the comedy industry started out with so much hope that, finally, things could get back to normal in 2021 – and for a while they did, and there were some gems as live comedy returned to clubs and theatres.

Alfie Brown, Soho Theatre review - a contrarian on great form

★★★★ ALFIE BROWN, SOHO THEATRE Mental health and male privilege examined

Mental health and male privilege examined

Well, this is a first: a comedy show with footnotes. Alfie Brown tells us at the top of the hour that he'll be stepping out of his routines from time to time to explain why the gag he's about to tell, or has just told, isn't offensive. It's a clever touch, one of several in Sensitive Man.

Ahir Shah, Soho Theatre review - lockdown laid bare

Disappointing show feels like a work in progress

During lockdown most of us were caught in a Groundhog Day existence of sleep, eat, exercise with Joe Wicks, take part in a Zoom quiz, bake banana bread, repeat – or variations on that theme. So a comic doing a show talking about his lockdown experience is taking a risk that it might not be the most scintillating hour – and so it proves with Ahir Shah's Dress.

Iliza Shlesinger, Eventim Apollo review - feminism, the internet - and bras

★★★★ ILIZA SHLESINGER, EVENTIM APOLLO US comic's acerbic take on being a woman

US comic's acerbic take on being a woman

Iliza Shlesinger is an American writer, performer and presenter whose film work includes roles in Pieces of a Woman and Good on Paper, the latter which she also wrote and produced. She's also an established stand-up comic, with five Netflix specials to her name. For her latest stand-up show, Back in Action, she was on a fleeting visit to London as part of an international 70-date tour, delayed by COVID, before she performs some dates in the US.

Jason Manford, London Palladium review - lockdown laughs and feelgood fun

★★★★ JASON MANFORD, LONDON PALLADIUM Lockdown laughs and feelgood fun

Worth the wait for this Covid-affected tour

Tickets for Jason Manford's Like Me went on sale in 2019 but the tour had to be put on hold as events unavoidably detained him at home. "I hope you haven't gone off me in that time – it does happen," he said. He needn't have worried as the Palladium crowd were as delighted as he was to be in a theatre, having a laugh.

Edinburgh Fringe 2021: Comedy Allstars, Underbelly review - depleted festival kicks off

★★★★ EDINBURGH FRINGE 2021: COMEDY ALLSTARS, UNDERBELLY Depleted festival kicks off

Garrett Millerick excellent compere for late-night show

At the risk of stating the bleeding obvious, this year's Fringe is a much smaller beast than normal. In the face of Covid restrictions, uncertainty about when they would end and the limitations on international travel, this year many performers are staying away. There are 755 shows at 118 venues across the city, compared to 3,841 in 323 venues in 2019, the last time the Fringe was held.

Comedy Shindig, Melbourne Hall review - Jason Manford headlines opening night

★★★★ COMEDY SHINDIG, MELBOURNE HALL Summer outdoor season off to a terrific start

Summer season of outdoor shows off to a terrific start

What a great idea Just the Tonic's Comedy Shindig is; outdoor gigs at lovely locations under a huge awning - so who cares if the British summer turns out to be a bit wet this year? The season kicked off – in beautiful weather – in the grounds of Melbourne Hall near Derby, where a sunken Victorian walled garden provided a natural amphitheatre. Chuck in a barbecue and a bar, and it was a perfect way to enjoy an evening of comedy.

Jimmy Carr, Palace Theatre review - rape gags and risible claims

★★★ JIMMY CARR, PALACE THEATRE The jokes are relentless, but so is the misogyny

The jokes are relentless, but so is the misogyny

What to make of Jimmy Carr? He’s a fantastic gag writer and experienced stand-up who has made a hugely successful career on television. And yet... as Terribly Funny makes clear, you have to share what he calls his dark and edgy humour - or, as he has it: “Cunts are a key demographic for me” - to find it mirth-making.

Mark Thomas, Soho Theatre review - new state-of-the-nation show

★★★★ MARK THOMAS, SOHO THEATRE  Post-Brexit Britain under the spotlight

Post-Brexit Britain under the spotlight

Mark Thomas comes on stage unannounced. It's not a show of humility – rather, he told us, amused at his own mistake, that his hearing isn't what it used to be and he had misheard his music cue. It was a modest start to his new show 50 Things About Us, which he is giving a runout at Soho Theatre before touring with it later in the year.

Arthur Smith, Brighton Fringe review - touching memoir of his dad

★★★★ ARTHUR SMITH, BRIGHTON FRINGE A touching memoir of his dad

Strong start to the festival

“A real live audience,” said Arthur Smith delightedly as he kicked off the Brighton Fringe with Syd, his touching and funny tribute to his late father, “an ordinary man who lived in extraordinary times” – his life included a stint in Dad's Army (the Home Guard) and as a prisoner of war in Colditz Castle, and for decades he was a bobby on the beat in south London.