Ben Elton says sorry for Royal Family rant

Comic lambasts Queen, Duke of Edinburgh and children on Australian TV. Spokesman says comments were taken out of context

Meet Britain's most successful comic

Michael McIntyre: Sell-out tour, primetime TV slot. Why so anxious?

Time and place: Laura Solon

The Perrier award-winning comedian, 30, found inspiration while people-watching from her mother’s Pimlico flat

My Hols: Rhod Gilbert

Goat-hunting, bag-losing, cabbage-picking, louse-dodging: it’s all an adventure for the disaster-prone Welsh comic

Johnny Vegas: how fatherhood has changed him

The comedian talks to Richard Benson about accusations of sexual assault and why Mass is like a nice family meal

Stephen K. Amos at New Theatre, Oxford

There is some slightly worn material here, and describing Nick Griffin as ‘boss-eyed’ is bizarre. Still, an accomplished show

Eddie Izzard: 'I keep thinking she'll come back'

Eddie Izzard tells Caitlin Moran about giving up comedy, running marathons and why his mother’s death haunts him

Two stars for The Joy of Politics

For a pair whose hearts are usually to be found in daftness, not darkness, topical comedy feels like a wrong turn

Why has Bill Bailey written a guide to the orchestra?

Bill Bailey’s Guide to the Orchestra is an attempt to harmonise genial fun with serious musicology

Stand-up comedy at its most childish

What’s so funny about a comedy gig for under-12s? Anna Burnside finds out with her 11-year-old daughter

Bill Bailey’s favourite...

The comic, who is big on uncertainty, Les Dawson and the theremin, reveals his favourite instruments, albums and comedians

Chat live with Ben Elton: Thursday November 19 from 4pm

Isn't it a comic's job to offend?

'Sachsgate' is over but Frankie Boyle is now at the centre of fevered debate. But isn't causing offence a comic's job?

Dylan Moran

Dylan Moran talks the talk of our uncompromising inner voices, with his lyrical Irish nonsense sharpened to an arrow

Time and place: Jack Dee

The comedian, 47, recalls living in London in the 1980s, swapping catering for comedy – and fending off a flasher outside his flat

Russell Brand seeks salvation

The comedian confesses all to Chrissy Iley. Then he tells her he’s seeking redemption. Will we forgive him?

Not the Messiah, Albert Hall, SW7

The music is impressive and beautifully performed, but it fatally dilutes the anarchic spirit of Life of Brian