Barry Humphries reviews Australian National Dictionary

A personal account of the development of Australian slang.

The state's war on amateur comedians

Gazza isn't the only one having his collar felt for telling a crap joke.

How the young production team must have moistened themselves at footage from The Granny's Guide to the Modern World, of a vintage lady saying "fuck" to strangers, or a gent genuinely attempting to fathom the difference between "black" and "coloured". Which might have yielded interest, had not both the oldsters played it for laughs. I felt both sorry for and angry at Barry Humphries, who had agreed to front this as himself: he is always happier in another set of teeth or in a dress. I hate to say, it wasn't a pretty debut.

Three ancient darlings on swings in Amsterdam, having consumed enough maryjane to knock out the whole of Channel 4, wheeing to the skies and giggling like gals, almost saved this from ignominy. But didn't.

A Granny's Guide to the Modern World: review

Despite a combined age of 233, some space cake seems to do the trick, and they head off to play on the swings.

A Granny's Guide to the Modern World review

A photograph of every spirited Methuselah gently reminded us that they haven't always been old, nor have they lost their taste for mischief.

Barry Humphries on his alter ego

Barry Humphries, 82, on his lovably offensive alter ego Dame Edna Everage, still feeling like he's 30, and getting stage fright...

Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie - review

Producers did not release the Ab Fab film to the critics ahead of its release yesterday, which is rarely a vote of confidence. Add to that the fact that it's a big-screen adaptation of a sitcom - a genre with a patchy track record, The Inbetweeners Movie notwithstanding - and that it uses the tired and tested plot device of plonking their characters somewhere foreign, and the signs are not encouraging. Yet despite such portents, Absolutely Fabulous is as much of a fun, raucous romp as fans would have hoped for - director Mandie Fletcher throwing proceedings into the preposterous story and high camp with as much vigour now as there was when the series started a rather incredible 24 years ago.

Absolutely Fabulous review

Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie is ridiculous, riotous and a bit of a mess but Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley save the day and raise our spirits when we need them the most.

Absolutely Fabulous The Movie review

'It certainly makes better use of its armies of celebrities than was managed in Zoolander 2'

Absolutely Fabulous the Movie: the magic is still there

Remarkably, the questions 'why now' or simply 'why' feel irrelevant when watching the Absolutely Fabulous movie.