Cancel culture killing comedy? What a joke

Chris Rock, Jennifer Saunders and more have argued that 'wokeness' is stifling comedy. But the idea of the joke police is actually nonsense.

Ten comics who donned blackface

Keith Lemon creator Leigh Francis last week apologised for mimicking black celebrities including Michael Jackson and Craig David on Bo' Selecta! 'I've been talking to some people,' he said in a tearful statement in the wake of the intensifying Black Lives Matter campaign. 'I didn't realise how offensive it was back then.' But he's far from the only comedian to flirt with blackface, long after its racism became apparent.

Streaming with laughter: 50 best stand-up comedy shows

From Bill Hicks to Hannah Gadsby, Dave Chappelle to Josie Long - here are 50 specials you can watch right now.

The 50 best comedians of the 21st century

Steve Coogan is the funniest Brit, coming second on the list, with American Tina Fey coming first. Once again, in a mirroring of a Channel 4 poll in 2007, Stewart Lee came 41st.

The 30 best living comedians

In the run-up to the Edinburgh Festival our comedy critic Dominic Maxwell ranks the funniest comics working now.

The state's war on amateur comedians

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

Edinburgh comedy shows - critic's choice

A familiar face from TV hits such as Twenty Twelve and Stand up for the Week, Pascoe has finally found her own voice after resembling a laboratory-created hybrid of Stewart Lee and Sarah Silverman. Always interesting, always philosophical, this could be her breakthrough year.

He's made a big impact as a star in such movies as Boogie Nights, The Departed and The Fighter but for some of us, Mark Wahlberg will always be Marky Mark. Chances are, though, that Graham Norton won't have the front to request a pose in shiny white Calvins - Wahlberg is very serious about his acting and is in Britain to talk about latest film Broken City, a crime thriller co-starring Russell Crowe. Now that must have been a punchy set. There's more movie talk with Shame star Michael Fassbender, soon to be seen in a live-action take on gaming sensation Assassin's Creed, plus laughs from Sarah Silverman and music from Laura Mvula.

With two guests who have never strayed far from controversy, tonight's edition promises to be lively. As rap singer Marky Mark, Hollywood actor Mark Wahlberg was a hothead often involved in fights, although he's more controlled these days and is promoting his new film Broken City.

Satirical comedian Sarah Silverman found fame on Saturday Night Live, where pushing the boundaries of what was acceptable soon became her trademark.

2013 comedy preview: Alexei Sayle and Harry Hill return

Plus Bill Bailey presents his dub version of Downton Abbey and catch US comic Sarah Silverman for one night only.