How much does knowing the punchline ruin the gag?

The true test of a skilled comedian is the way that they can get just as big a laugh when the audience knows what is coming next as when they don't.

The 1996 Edinburgh Fringe

Clearing out this week, I unearthed the 1996 Edinburgh Fringe programme and some flyers So for no other reason than nostalgia, here's how the festival has changed in 20 years.

In November 2014, Lee Evans announced that he was retiring from comedy. He seems to have stuck to his word since then, so this jumbo-sized if rather uneven special, filmed in Birmingham two months before his public abdication, may well be the parting shot of a remarkable stand-up career. Some of the topics may seem overfamiliar - from annoying car alarms to hotel etiquette - but there's no denying Evans puts in some energetic, gurning graft: call it 40% inspiration, 110% perspiration.

Alan Carr review - Pure entertainment

Alan Carr's forte is setting himself up as the perennial fall guy. He is like a camp Lee Evans, the little man bemoaning life's vicissitudes then acting out mini-mimes to emphasise his punchline.

Kate Copstick on her dislike of Lee Evans & Only Fools

Comedy critic Kate Copstick on some aspects of comedy she hates.

Lee Evans's Monsters still top of stand-up DVD charts

Lee Evans has maintained his position at that top of the stand-up DVD chart for the third week running.

Lee Evans is still No. 1 in stand-up DVD charts

Lee Evans has retained his position at the top of the stand-up DVD chart.

What do Lewis Hamilton & Lee Evans have in common?

It's nothing to be bashful about if a comedian works with someone else. It is not often that comedians actually buy jokes from a production line by the metre. It is more like a sitcom writers room, with gags and topics being workshopped until something stage-worthy emerges.

Lee Evans outsells Mrs. Brown in DVD charts

Lee Evans might have just announced his retirement - but his new live DVD has gone straight to the top of the comedy charts.

Opinion: What I won't miss about Lee Evans

The trouble is that his observational humour that was actually quite pioneering back in the late eighties has become mainstream comedy currency. I'm not saying others do his schtick better, but the likes of Peter Kay, Michael McIntyre and Jason Manford all do it just as well. And if you really need someone to do the gags in a working class London accent there's always Micky Flanagan.