The funniest night of the decade has been set for Sunday 4th March with the announcement today of the return of Amnesty International’s Secret Policeman’s Ball.

Multi award-winners Coldplay, The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart, and comedian and actor Russell Brand will be joined by a stellar cast of fellow stars from the world of entertainment to commemorate 50 years of Amnesty International at New York’s Radio City Music Hall. It’s the first time the Ball has been held outside of the UK.

Since John Cleese and friends brought together a star-studded mix of comedians and rock stars for The Secret Policeman’s Ball in 1976, the legendary Amnesty International show has championed the right to free speech for people across the world. The New York gala event will also feature UK act Mumford & Sons, along with US stars Stephen Colbert, and Reggie Watts, joined by a host of others to help spread Amnesty International’s message to a global audience.

John Cleese, one of the pioneers behind the original Secret Policeman’s Balls, said:

“I used to think humour was a luxury, but at the last election Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert taught me it was a necessity.    The Secret Policeman’s Ball was  – and is  – a coming together of the very best comedy talent of any generation to celebrate their art, remind audiences how important free speech is, and highlight just how much vital work Amnesty International does to protect it.  I implore you to support it.”

Chris Martin of Coldplay, said:

“We are so happy to be involved with the 2012 Secret Policeman’s Ball. We have followed and supported Amnesty International – and the amazing work they do around the world in the field of human rights – for years, and it is a pleasure to be asked to contribute to such an inspiring event.”

A supporting online campaign at facebook.com/secretpoliceman  will reveal further stars of the show in the coming weeks. Top UK comedians Alexander Armstrong and Ben Miller have voiced new animations created for the campaign by leading French artist, McBess.

An audience of more than 6,000 people will gather at Radio City Music Hall to experience a one-off night of original performances, first time collaborations, unique comedy sketches and stand-up from the funniest men and women on both sides of the Atlantic.

Previous Secret Policeman’s Balls have featured some of British comedy’s most iconic sketches including Monty Python’s ‘Four Yorkshiremen’ and the famous ‘Dead Parrot’, Peter Cook’s ‘Biased Judge’ and the then unknown Rowan Atkinson’s ‘School Master’. The 2012 Ball will create new classic moments of its own with three hours of new material specially written for the landmark event.

Andy Hackman, of Amnesty International, said:

“This year’s Secret Policeman’s Ball brings together an incredible representation of the best comedians and musicians in the world. It’s humbling that they have given up their time to join us and champion the fundamental right to opinion and expression – and in doing so helping us connect with a new generation of supporters. I hope comedy and music fans in the UK will help us in making it a bad night for dictators and a good night for free speech.”

As one of the UK’s biggest names in comedy, Lee Evans is known for his high octane, energetic, and lively presence onstage. His previous DVD’s, such as Wired and Wonderful received rave reviews: and it looks like this will be no exception.

Starting the show by acknowledging his character trait of – just sometimes – sweating a little, he’s perfectly happy to be derogatory about himself and his style. Having self-branded himself as a ‘sweaty chimp boy’ before he even reaches the stage, you instantly feel there’s no ego in sight.

Evans is no stranger to area tours, and despite the fact that the largest stages in the country are provided for the use of one man, it never feels empty. His inability to stay still for any period of time means that there is likely no corner of the country’s biggest areas that hasn’t been trodden by Evans. It’s this authority he has over the stage and the audience that helps to make him a sell-out act, again and again.

While a lot of the material he pulls his jokes from is rather mundane, it’s the fast-paced, over-excited way he delivers it that helps to make him stand out from the crowd. He covers a range of topics – from getting dressed in the morning and crazy shopping experiences to the things women say and getting older.

It’s the way that many of his observations ring true in the lives of his audience that makes the material even funnier. While there are so many lines to choose from, a favourite has to be that “women never take a coat out, they don’t need one. No they’ve already got one, it’s lovely and warm…I should know, it’s called f**king mine”.

This is the kind of comedy DVD that can be seen again and again: with so much material crammed into 2 hours, it’s easy to miss those throwaway lines – and multiple viewings means there’s always something new to laugh at.

Probably most well known from his successful TV series Black Books, Dylan Moran has been entertaining audiences for over 20 years now with his very definitely un-PC stand up comedy. The experience works well in his favour, and he comes across confident and practised.

Portraying a raffish, laid back and lazy Irishman, you’d be mistaken for thinking Moran is simply going to make jokes on the smaller topics. Yet he’s quick to put you right as he launches into his first rant on the technological world – saying “you can’t put a machine that goes blip into a grocery shop – you need to talk to people”.

Starting his set with a trip round the British Isles, Moran touches on a wide range of topics – from politics and parenthood to musicians and male pride. He makes reference clever references to the situation between Ireland and Germany, then manages to seamlessly slide into his views on the pointlessness of skiing.

While he often acts the ignorant – his belief that The Archers is simply a show about people who are “very, very worried about getting their crisps to the fete on time: no wonder everybody’s hooked” – it’s obvious he’s done his research and is talking from experience. This contradiction makes gives his punch lines an extra edge that goes beyond simple one liners.

Moran flits from one subject to another, sometimes so quickly it’s hard to keep up. One moment he’s talking about the weather, then he’s onto the confusing things women do, and finally he’s talking about middle age – and all within the space of a couple of minutes.

However, despite this, the quick change is done so flawlessly that you barely notice, and even in the pauses he doesn’t lose that audience. Though he often ‘loses his thread’ – and you can actually believe that he’s just rambling instead of following a planned and practised script – he picks up quickly enough to keep you engaged.

For some intelligent comedy that can even leave you thinking once it’s finished, Dylan Moran never fails to disappoint. Yeah Yeah is out now in time for Christmas, and is well worth treating yourself to.

Rock n Roll Nerd is a light-hearted story of a young man dreaming of playing on the big stage to thousands of fans – and while you kind of know it’s coming; when Minchin reaches the end and lets us in to that fact that he’s singing about himself, the laughs are just as appreciative.

With his ability to capture the audience’s attention as he leads up towards his next piece, you can’t help but find something to laugh at – even in his old material, which has been given a new lease of life with the orchestra behind it.

He’s just as irreverent as ever, with songs like Sam’s Mum and the always popular Pope Song making an appearance. As he launches into the latter piece, a cheer goes up – proving that it’s still a firm favourite with Minchin’s audience.

Tim Minchin has a great skill for making his audience both nervous about where he is going, as well as to keep them anticipating what he will say. Even from the comfort of the sofa, you can feel the strain the audience is going through as he brings out a copy of the Qur’an, places it next to a copy of Harry Potter and quite calmly discusses the significance of burning books.

Daring the audience seems to be a game to Minchin, as can be heard in Cont, where on first playing he seems to insult every possible minority group possible, leaving you feeling slightly uncomfortable when it reaches the end. However, as always, Minchin manages to alleviate any fears after revealing the true title of the song is not ‘Cont’, but in fact ‘Context’.

However, it’s not only irreverence and smart gags that make up the show. His closing number, White Wine in the Sun in tear-jerkingly beautiful, and as he quite rightly says, he gets trouble from his audience if he doesn’t play it.

Although it may not quite be a DVD for family viewing over the Christmas period, if you need a break and some light-hearted disrespect, Tim Minchin and the Heritage Orchestra is perfect viewing.

Rufus Hound: Being Rude

TV’s Rufus Hound is a comedian, presenter, actor and the owner of a very fine moustache.

You already know him as the star of Celebrity Juice, Let’s Dance For Comic Relief (dressed as Cheryl Cole), Argumental, and of his own CBBC sitcom, Hounded.

Now, in this brilliant debut DVD, Rufus goes back to his stand-up roots in a stunning live show, recorded at London’s legendary 100 Club.

In addition to the 70 minute main feature – DVD Extras include an audio commentary from Rufus Hound and his Celebrity Juice chums Fearne Cotton and Keith Lemon, as well as a feature length interview with Rufus backstage at the 100 club.

Rufus Hound has also been busy of late, launching Your PC Mate, a national campaign with Microsoft Windows where he will be hitting the streets of England to give away free PCs to the most deserving cases. Rufus and the Windows team will be matching unsuspecting owners of out-of-date, old computers with shiny, new laptops from The Collection complete with Windows 7 and Office 2010.

Cities next on Rufus’s list include:
Birmingham – 22 November
Southampton – 29 November

To support the campaign we are inviting people to tweet via #YourPCMate, telling us their location and why they deserve an upgrade for the chance to win a free PC makeover. In addition a Facebook App has been created on the Windows UK Facebook page where people can upload an image of their PC or their friends/family PC for a separate chance at winning. There users can also follow Rufus via a Bing integrated Twitter Map and MSN videos as he tours the UK.

Buzzin Media Free Comedy Competition

Please Note: this competition has now closed

Enter our free competition for a chance to win a copy of Rufus Hound: Being Rude DVD all you need to do is answer the following question:

For Let’s Dance for Comic Relief, who did Rufus Hound dress as?

a.    Cheryl Cole
b.    Ashley Cole
c.    Carlton Cole

Send your entries to comps@buzzinmedia.co.uk with “Rufus Hound Comp” in the subject line with your answer and your full address and contact telephone number.

This Buzzin Media Competition ends on 18th December,2011. The editor will randomly choose 3 winners.

The editor’s choice is final.

My first trip to this year’s Comedy Arena was on a sunny Friday afternoon to see the very amusing and original Graham Fellows aka John Shuttleworth.  One man and his bontempi organ, all the way from Sheffield, with a show entitled ‘Smells Like White Spirit’, John Shuttleworth pulled a large crowd and his banal musical muses went down well with the Radio 4 listening Latitude comedy fans.

On Saturday morning The Latitude Comedy Arena played host to the first ever live performance of the very popular comedy quiz show, Never Mind The Buzzcocks. Regular team captains Phil Jupitus and Noel Fielding were joined by guests including singer Paloma Faith and guest quizmaster and stand-up comedian David O’Doherty.

As you can imagine the comedy tent was overflowing with fans eager to get a glimpse of this popular show with its more obscene than usual, adult humour. I stood in the rain for 90 minutes as I watched the performance on one of the large screens adorning each side of the Comedy Arena with my two sons.  The, allegedly, totally unscripted show was hilarious and had us all laughing as we got drenched in a constant downpour.

One of the comedy highlights of Sunday was Mark Watson who appeared to be delivering an unscripted, anarchic live performance which included chasing a member of the audience through the crowd.  He then proceeded to give the majority of his performance from the middle of the audience.

Adam Buxton, of Adam & Joe fame, was brilliant.  His show was based on showing mock music promo videos he had produced and uploaded to YouTube and then simply reading some of the more ridiculous real comments people had actually left.  The highlight was his video for an NWA pastiche ‘Help The Police’ and a selection of the angry comments fans of the hip hop band had left.

I had previously seen the Boy With Tape On His Face and so knew what to expect.  It was still funny the second time but the element of surprise had passed as he ran through the same performance.  Not a word is spoken as the Boy With Tape on His Face invites members of the audience on stage to help with his act.  But once they are on stage he doesn’t perform a magic trick that needs their help, but simply humiliates them by emphasising their awkward embarrassment for laughs.  It’s very original and very funny, but also very limited in its appeal.  To hold an audience for 40 minutes is some feat but he’s going to have to completely rewrite his act before venturing out again.

As always, there were more performances than I could see at this year’s Latitude Festival; and come Sunday evening I felt disappointed to have missed the likes of Jon Richardson, Seann Walsh, Brendon Burns & the Early Edition with Marcus Brigstocke & Andre Vincent.  But that said it was another great Latitude Festival this year; and the one festival above all others I am already hoping to attend in 2012.

His acting has also taken him to the big screen featuring alongside Simon Pegg in Shaun Of The Dead, Run, Fatboy, Run as well as a cameo in the film Notting Hill. But it’s his stand-up that sees Moran at his truly brilliant best. Voted Number 14 in Channel 4’s 100 Funniest People in 2010 – his shambolic persona yet precise articulation and fantastical imagery makes for a unique and frankly unmissable performance.  Dylan Moran will be joining Latitude on a high from his current UK tour ‘yeah, yeah‘.

American comic, writer and actress Rita Rudner will be joining the all star line-up at Latitude’s Comedy Arena. Now a stalwart of the Vegas comedy scene Rita Rudner has recorded several award-winning comedy specials including ‘Rita Rudner: Born to Be Mild‘, ‘Rita Rudner: Married Without Children‘ and ‘Rita Rudner: Live From Las Vegas‘.

Rita Rudner’s recent work includes her book, ‘I Still Have It… I Just Can’t Remember Where I Put It: Confessions of a Fifty something‘ and her stand-up show, which since 2001, has been performed almost exclusively in Las Vegas, selling over one million tickets.

Since its inception in 2006, Latitude has changed the face of festivals forever, with a passion only matched by its ambition. Encompassing all aspects of the art and music worlds Latitude is the only place that brings together the best in music, literature, comedy, poetry, film, theatre, cabaret, art, dance, opera and fashion for one spectacular weekend. With an unrivalled line-up taking shape, Latitude 2011 will be another exhilarating, scintillating and inspirational festival of fun.

Latitude Festival Ticket Information

Weekend tickets £170.00 including VAT, subject to booking fee Day tickets Fri, Sat, Sun £70.00 including VAT, subject to booking fee

Child ticket (5-12 years) £5.00 including VAT, subject to booking fee Campervan Permit £30.00 Weekend tickets prices include car parking and camping

Day tickets include car parking only

Credit Card line: 0871 231 0821

For more information and the full line-up visit www.latitudefestival.co.uk.

Two things we know about life…
1. We are all going to die
2. We will all sit on a cornflake at some time in our life

In a surprisingly friendly show about music, love and avantgarde women deliberately defiling Swedish opera houses, one of the sunniest, quirkiest faces on the Swedish comedy scene launches into his first full Edinburgh Fringe season. Instantly likeable and warm, Tobias Persson has a way of treating ‘difficult’ subjects like politics and religion with an easy wit – often using physical, almost animated skills. Fast, fun, and good to know.

‘One of the sharpest pencils in Swedish comedy’ (Magnus Betnér, comedian)
‘Thoughts that are likely to strike a chord…concisely and effectively put’ (Steve Bennett, chortle)
‘Quirky, sharp observations and lightening wit’ (Arts Leicestershire Magazine)
‘Sweden’s Best Male Stand-up… incredible energy… very sharp in a cute exterior’ (2008 Comedy Gala judging panel)

London Preview Show: Tobias Persson – Sitting on a cornflake

Venue: Laughing Horse Camden, The Crown & Goose, 100 Arlington Road, London NW1 7HP
Date: 13 July 2011
Time: 8.30pm
Tickets: £5
Tickets & info: 020 7485 8008 / 07913 460 295 / www.laughinghorsecomedy.co.uk/comedy/camden.htm
Nearest tube: Camden Town. Nearest rail: Camden Road. Loads of buses

Edinburgh Fringe 2011: London Preview Show

Venue: Laughing Horse Free Festival  @ Espionage (venue 185), 4 India Buildings, Victoria Street, Edinburgh EH1 2EX
Time: 7.30pm (50 minutes)
Date: 4-28 August 2011, daily
Tickets: FREE
Venue info: tel. 0131 4777 007

Humour & Rights: An Evening of Comedy for Reprieve

On July 10, the Comedy Theatre hosts a dazzling night in support of legal action charity Reprieve, as top comedians stand up for human rights hosted by Alistair Barrie and Clive Stafford Smith.

The stellar line up includes Ed Byrne, Andi Osho, Nick Revell, Shappi Khorsandi, Alistair Barrie, Doc Brown, Dan Antopolski, Hal Cruttenden, Tina C and guests.

Reprieve Director Clive Stafford Smith:

“Learning to laugh in the face of adversity is an important skill to possess when faced with the most daunting circumstances – these comedians help us see the silly side of the grimmest of situations. This is a rare chance to see some of the smartest comics on the circuit today, performing for a really great cause!”

About Reprieve

Reprieve uses the law to enforce the human rights of prisoners, from death row to Guantánamo Bay. The charity investigates, litigates and educates.

Working on the frontline, Reprieve provide legal support to prisoners unable to pay for it themselves, promote the rule of law around the world, and secure each person’s right to a fair trial. In doing so Reprieve save lives.

Humour & Rights: An Evening of Comedy for Reprieve
The Comedy Theatre
Panton Street, London SW1Y 4DN
10th July
7pm

Tickets are priced at £25 & £30

To find out more or to make a donation visit www.reprieve.org.uk.

Friends of the Earth's 'Laugh or the Polar Bear Gets It'

Friends of the Earth’s ‘Laugh or the Polar Bear Gets It‘ makes its debut at the HMV Hammersmith Apollo on Friday 18th November 2011.

Staged by many of Britain’s top comedy superstars, funds raised from the night will benefit Friends of the Earth, the UK’s leading campaigning environmental charity, and will enable them to continue campaigning for solutions to the world’s most urgent environmental problems.

So far the line up includes Dan Antopolski (Hyperdrive, BBC2), Simon Day (The Fast Show), Richard Herring (Fist of Fun, BBC2), Josie Long (Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Newcomer), Lucy Porter, Rob Rouse and music from Badly Drawn Boy with many more names to be released shortly.

About Friends of the Earth

Friends of the Earth is an environmental campaigning charity which aims to protect the planet’s life-supporting systems, such as a stable climate, healthy forests, reliable food supplies and clean water. It’s the only organisation whose main focus is involving people in taking political action together to solve the environmental problems we face.

With 2 million supporters across five continents and more than 75 national organisations worldwide, Friends of the Earth is celebrating its 40th anniversary during 2011.

For more information visit www.foe.co.uk or follow them on Twitter @wwwfoecouk.

Friends of the Earth’s ‘Laugh or the Polar Bear Gets It‘

Venue: HMV Hammersmith Apollo
Address: 45 Queen Caroline Street, London W6 9QH
Dates: 18 November
Times: 7pm (doors)
Price: £19.50
Tickets: Ticketmaster: 08448 444 748 / ticketmaster.co.uk
HMV Tickets: 0843 221 0100 / hmvtickets.co.uk