Simon Amstell

Black Pond

Smartly observed and cleverly constructed British comedy drama is something special

15 Nov 2011

(15) 83min This low budget British comedy drama is something special. Smartly observed and cleverly constructed, it’s at once funny and tragic and lyrical, and the deadpan humour is perfectly pitched with nicely underplayed performances from the…

Comedy DVDs round up - The best and worst

The verdict on DVDs from Richard Herring, Greg Giraldo, Tommy Tiernan and Kevin Bridges

23 Dec 2010

The former Popworld and Never Mind the Buzzcocks host proves that behind the barbed sarcasm, he’s a vulnerable little soul. Over the course of 80 minutes, he chats about his inability to find a good man and his oddball family. A tortured Jewish lad…

Simon Amstell

After a successful Fringe stint, the neurotic comedian returns

15 Oct 2009

Simon Amstell is gifted. Gifted with the sort of comedy head-start that many aspiring stand-ups would swap vital organs for, that is. As a Jewish, gay, hapless, neurotic, slender whippet of a thing, with a tendency to stalk famous people he fancies, his…

Hitlist: Comedy

A fortnight of laughs

15 Oct 2009

Alun Cochrane The daydreaming Yorkshire lad who was born in Glasgow gives us the kind of blistering show that earned a mighty five stars from us in August. The Stand, Glasgow, Mon 26 Oct; The Stand, Edinburgh, Tue 27 Oct. Daniel Kitson He…

Simon Amstell

How to Do Nothing in a very funny way

20 Aug 2009

Hypochondria, bulimia, dyslexia, paranoia; as stand-up material goes, it doesn’t exactly smack of a fun night out. Yet, in the hands of curly-topped Simon Amstell, neuroses and human failings are spun into a warm, intelligent and engaging hour of…

Simon Amstell

23 Aug 2007

Amstell is a good date. He makes you feel clever with his philosophical musings, draws you in with candid tales of heartache and social ineptitude and proves that his pulling power is still mighty away from the telly with tightly written, machine-gun…