The sitcoms we'd like to see come back on the TV

As some of our most classic comedies are revived for one-off specials - Hancock's Half Hour, Steptoe and Son and Are You Being Served? among them, our brilliant writers explain which sitcoms they'd like to see brought back and why...

Ricky Gervais planning to kill one of his characters

Ricky Gervais says he will kill off David Brent, "soon".

Rhys James on comedy and social media

The standup takes time off his Edinburgh duties to explain why gifs, memes and tweets are now a vital part of a comedian's job.

Tom Toal: Edinburgh Fringe 2016 interview

After a frustrating 2015, Tom Toal is determined to enjoy this year's Edinburgh Fringe.

Amee Smith: Edinburgh Fringe 2016 interview

Amee Smith is performing a very interesting sounding Fringe show about fulfilling the goals of an ex-partner.

Jo-Jo Bellini: Edinburgh Fringe 2016 interview

Tom Jones hits are among the features of Jo-Jo Bellini's fabulous sounding cabaret experience.

Eddie Izzard misses out on Labour election

Eddie Izzard has missed out on a place on Labour's National Executive Committee - the political party's chief administrative body - after six pro-Jeremy Corbyn candidates were elected ahead of him.

The Edinburgh post-Fringe depression scale

Performing at the Fringe this year? Worried about your mental health? Taylor Glenn's got a handy self-help quiz for you.

The Kagools interview

Our favourite family-friendly clowns chat about their new show and Australian adventure.

Ten most controversial acts at Edinburgh Fringe 2016

Comedy on TV and in the clubs is safe and inoffensive. Comedy at the Edinburgh Fringe is no different, because most of the shows don't exist for your benefit. They're being staged in the hopes of grabbing the attention of industry bigwigs and broadcasters. So, it makes sense to be as bland and agreeable as possible, because that's what the real target audience - i.e. people who can help your showbiz career - seem to be looking for. However, not everyone at the Fringe is pandering. Not everyone is desperate to be liked and accepted. And provocative performers haven't gone extinct just yet. If you want politically incorrect jokes, to be taken out of your comfort zone, or to hear someone challenge social orthodoxies, then here's ten acts I'd recommend you go and see at Edinburgh Fringe 2016. If you're a bit of a pussy, though, then best avoid all of these.

Zach & Viggo choose their comedy favourites

'The king of chaos'

'Margaret Thatcher' and her most memorable gigs

'Ed Miliband ran away from me...'

Ten must see character acts at Edinburgh Fringe 2016

At this time of year, hundreds of middle-class drama students descend upon Edinburgh to showcase their "talent" in poorly crafted one-act plays and under-rehearsed sketch shows. And, if you're visiting the world's biggest arts festival, there's always a danger you'll be bamboozled by fat marketing budgets and slick sales patter into gracing these artistic abortions with your presence. To help you avoid that pain, here's my recommendations for ten character acts you should go and see instead.

The 10 weirdest shows at the Edinburgh Fringe

The world's largest arts festival always attracts its fare share of culturally-enriching oddness. For every run-of-the-mill stand-up show, there's also a 24-hour Czech mime disco. From a crash course in onanism to the joys of half-chewed bread, here are 10 of the strangest outings at the 2016 Fringe.

Interview with Ruaraidh Murray

In the run up to Voice's latest coverage of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, we have dozens of interviews with performers like Ruaraidh Murray, who we'll be seeing up there.

Interview with Puddles Pity Party

In the run up to Voice's latest coverage of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, we have dozens of interviews with performers like Puddles the sad singing clown, who we'll be seeing up there.

Interview with Sophie Willan

In the run up to Voice's latest coverage of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, we have dozens of interviews with performers like Sophie Willan, who we'll be reviewing up there.

Interview with Samantha Pressdee

In the run up to Voice's latest coverage of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, we have dozens of interviews with performers like the highly talented Samantha Pressdee, who we'll be seeing up there.

Kill the Beast win The Stage Edinburgh Award

Comedy troupe Kill the Beast and performer Liam Brennan have been named as the first winners of The Stage Edinburgh Awards.

14 reasons why locals should embrace the Fringe (Link expired)

Edinburghers can get really hacked off at the Fringe, but we should really be thanking it.

Edinburgh festival 2016: the shows we recommend

Plan your Edinburgh schedule with this digest of our tips and reviews. Shows are listed by start time. This page will be updated daily throughout the festival.

Rarely asked questions - Steve Bugeja

Steve Bugeja won the BBC New Comedy Award in 2013 with a strikingly nerdy high energy set. Despite his ongoing success he is as neurotic as ever, which is handy as it is one of the many things that makes him so funny. In his new show Unpronounceable Bugeja airs his various angsty concerns and in particlar his frustration that people tend to pronounce his surname wrong. Steve, I feel your pain. But don't worry, when you are a household name people will know how to say it.

Andrew Lawrence on causing offence

Saying the unsayable is the lifeblood of comedy. Giving voice to the unspeakable, the dark and the downright disturbing is a very different prospect altogether. So what to make of Andrew Lawrence, "Britain's most Right-wing stand-up", who is currently playing to outraged audiences at the Edinburgh Festival, and who last month - the day after a lone gunman went on a killing spree inside a fast-food restaurant in Munich - tweeted: "The real tragedy of this is that McDonald's was just starting to get over its run of bad news."

Rory O'Keeffe: Edinburgh Fringe 2016 interview

Languages are the main feature of Rory O'Keeffe's Edinburgh Fringe 2016 show as he tries to learn a new tongue, explores why we never say what we mean, and asks whether men and women really do speak different language.

Seven questions with... Wendy Wason

Wendy Wason is a Scottish stand up comedian, actor and writer, who had her first taste of working in the comedy industry at the age of seventeen, selling tickets at the Gilded Balloon. Wason returns to the Edinburgh Festival this year with her latest show, Tiny Me, which explores the themes of identity and responsibility as a modern-day daughter, mother, wife, friend and woman.

My first Edinburgh: Shazia Mirza

My first Edinburgh show was about 10 years ago at the Gilded Balloon in the Dining Room.

Interview: Baby Wants Candy / Thrones the Musical

Baby Wants Candy interview.

Interview: Henry Paker - Guilty

Henry Paker interview.

Interview: Maddy Anholt - Rent Girl

Maddy Anholt interview.

Interview: Damian Kingsley - Knock Knock

Damian Kingsley interview.

Six tips for podcasting with Stuart Goldsmith (Link expired)

Ever wanted to start your own podcast? In this video Stuart Goldsmith, the man behind the hit Comedian​'s Comedian podcast, shares his tips.

Thinking Drinkers on their favourite tipples (Link expired)

Ben McFarland and Tom Sandham provide an intoxicating mix of comedy and alcohol in their Fringe show as The Thinking Drinkers.

Recipe corner: cooking with Yeti's - Scottish edition

Psychedelic-clown-musical-sketch-comedy duo Yeti's (who you might also recognise as EastEnd Cabaret) are bringing their debut show to the Pleasance Courtyard this year, inviting you to spend an hour propping up the bar at the strangest little dive in town!

Three To See on 10 Aug

Three to see at the Edinburgh Festival tomorrow...

Mervyn Stutter, interview

For 25 years Mervyn Stutter has been shairng his Pick Of The Fringe with Edinburgh audiences. When I was offered the chance to meet the legend himself I couldn't turn down the opertunity!

Interview with Puddles Pity Party

In the run up to Voice's latest coverage of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, we have dozens of interviews with performers like Puddles the sad singing clown, who we'll be seeing up there.

Interview with Sophie Willan

In the run up to Voice's latest coverage of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, we have dozens of interviews with performers like Sophie Willan, who we'll be reviewing up there.

The best comedy podcasters to see at the Fringe (Link expired)

Podcasts are an excellent way to get better acquainted with your comedy idols.

BBC to air lost Kenny Everett local radio shows

When the BBC sacked Kenny Everett in 1970, the anarchic DJ retreated to the South Coast where he channeled his frustrations into a series of brilliant comic broadcasts for local radio. Now "lost" tapes of those shows, recorded for stations in Portsmouth and the Solent, have been rediscovered and will be broadcast in a BBC special celebrating the pioneering broadcaster.

Five of the weirdest Fringe shows to see this year (Link expired)

The Fringe is full of strange and wonderful performers, each trying to make their mark on the world's largest arts festival.

90 seconds with: Mark Thomas

We chat to the activist and comedian about his latest show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Onion Talking: Jonny & The Baptists on Eat the Poor

We caught up with Jonny Donahoe (Jonny, natch) and Paddy Gervers ('& The Baptists') as the Fringe was kicking off to find out more about their new slice of comic gold...

Orlando Baxter: Edinburgh Fringe 2016 interview

American teacher Orlando Baxters debut Fringe hour is about his chaotic experiences teaching in American classrooms.

Seven questions with... Andy Askins

Andy Askins is a stand up comedian with material that is surprisingly dark, standing in stark contrast against his calm and friendly stage demeanour. Askins is also a very talented musician who doesn't rely on his guitar as a gimmick; his comedy songs are delightfully punchy and unpredictable. Askins brings his latest show, The Man With No Name, to this year's Edinburgh Festival.

Interview: James Wilson-Taylor

James Wilson-Taylor interview.

Edinburgh Fringe: what to see with the kids

From stories about beards to a play on a bus, check out which family shows to catch at the Fringe this year.

Does it help to be attractive in comedy?

Tamar Broadbent on whether looks are important.

Is it okay to lie in the name of a comedy show? (Link expired)

"Was that story true?" I would say that this is pretty much the first thing most people say to me after seeing one of my shows. To which my answer is, "Parts of it."

Angus Deayton on turning 60 and his new passion

Angus Deayton turned 60 this year. He threw an "enormous" birthday party in Florence though he had to postpone it by a few weeks when he decided to take part in the ITV reality television show, Drive, which saw him racing buggies and Formula 4 cars against celebrities such as Louis Walsh, Mariella Frostrup and Colin Jackson.

Are You Being Served? star hits out at nastiness of TV

Only Fools And Horses legend John Challis, who plays Captain Peacock in the new revival, believes people want TV like it "used to be".

The star of resurrected classic Are You Being Served? has slammed the nastiness of modern TV shows, saying viewers want "gentle family entertainment" back.

Sitcoms 1985-1999 vs sitcoms 2000-2015

What are my top ten of those 1985-99 shows? And how does that list compare to the top ten of the last fifteen years?

Fringe Q&As: Mark Smith

Mark Smith talks about his new show Old Smudge.

Fringe Q&As: Myra Dubois

Myra Dubois talks about her new show, Self AdMyra.

Njambi McGrath: One-liners, big issues

Born and educated in Kenya, before attending university in both the US and UK, and now London-based, Njambi McGrath has been garnering lots of attention in recent years as she's worked the comedy circuit and new talent competitions.

Mark Watson: who is, in fact, here

Despite giving Mark Watson one of our Editors' Awards in 2005, we somehow forgot to ever put him on the cover.

Martha McBrier interview

Martha McBrier enjoyed much acclaim for her stand-up shows at the Fringe over a decade ago, but then she stepped back from performing for a number of years. But she has reappeared on the Edinburgh stage more recently, initially with her self-penned children's shows, and last year with Pigeon Puncher, in which her comedy was combined with the art of storytelling.

The Glorious Monster: glorious wrong uns

There's a very high chance you've seen sketches from The Glorious Monster on YouTube, where their great comedy creations and high production values grabbed plenty of attention, not least from production company Hat Trick whose chief has dubbed the group "the next League Of Gentlemen".

Goodbear: sketching out your Fringe day

Having met while both sketching with the Leeds Tealights, Joe Barnes and Henry Perryment arrived at the Fringe as sketch comedy duo Goodbear for the first time last year.

8 of the very best things to do this week

Looking for the best things to do this week? We've got your back...

Comedy at the Edinburgh Fringe - part one

This is our first post bringing you reviews of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. We'll have a few more over the coming days. Today we begin with comedy.

Stuffed with grade-A Brent material

It's not perfect, but if an extended episode of The Office is what you're after, you're in for a treat.