Brian Logan
Brian Logan is comedy critic and arts writer for the Guardian. He is a former deputy theatre editor of Time Out London and former editor of the Guardian's Film Unlimited website. He is also a founder member and performer with Cartoon de Salvo theatre company
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Russell Kane review – hyperactive tales of fatherhood and hangoversThe Essex comic’s new dad routine wins no prizes for originality, but there is still more material in two hours than many fit into a decade
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They cannot be serious: why comics tend to make bad baddiesOne-time Blackadder buffoon Hugh Laurie was on devilish form in The Night Manager but it’s a rare comedian who plays a convincing screen villain
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Should comedians stand up for a political party?Politics is fertile ground for comics, but there are pitfalls to jumping on particular bandwagons – not least when it questions their loyalty to the punchline
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'What's your name and what do you do?' Standups need better banterThe token opening of a comedy set – even in its postmodern guise – is becoming tired and uninspired. All hail the trad crowd-work of masters like Al Murray
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Romesh Ranganathan review – irresistible gags with stink-bomb impactOn his third solo tour, the standup retains his cynicism but there’s now light amid the shade and warmth underlying the weariness
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Tar Baby review – passionate comedy slams the sham of a post-racial AmericaDesiree Burch invites the audience to rebut racist cliches and face up to centuries of injustice in a show that loses some impact due to its scattershot approach
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'Bakers, eh? They're so kneady': ringside at the UK Pun ChampionshipsThere were plenty of laughs at the quick-fire punning contest hosted by Lee Nelson, but the maligned art of wordplay deserves more of a rap-battle format
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Tony Law review – a standup parping one long raspberryOutlandish non sequiturs stack up as the wild-eyed Law works the myth of his own zaniness
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The Jon Ronson Mysteries review – stories from the eye of the Twitter stormThe chronicler of society’s oddest habits leads an endearing book reading-plus-debate about social media shaming – with a bonus appearance from Bridget Christie
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Daniel Sloss: Dark Revoir review – wannabe outré comedySoho theatre, London
Sloss tries to hide an uncertain stage persona in self-consciously provocative standup, but too often shoots himself in the foot -
It's about time comedians asked if science stands upWith The Brain Show, Robert Newman provides a welcome counter-argument to the many comedians hymning the virtues of rational inquiry
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Eddie Izzard: Force Majeure Reloaded review – surrealism-lite and self-delightThis magpie tour of human history yields vintage Izzard moments of delightful silliness, yet lacks in jeopardy over two-and-a-half hours
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The comedy trends of 2015: nostalgia, oversharing and new-school mimesFrom newfound political awareness to the resurgence of mime, 2015’s comedy landscape was bumpy but invigorating
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Margaret Cho review – sex-positive comedy with knobs onCho gleefully goads the demure with an in-yer-face set that, amid the name-dropping and self-promotion, has some almost fabulous moments
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Sara Pascoe's Christmas Assembly review – a fun school nativity mashupGanesh, Odin and Princess Diana substitute for the three wise men in Pascoe’s endearingly silly, variety-pack Christmas play
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Brian Logan's top 10 comedy of 2015Bridget Christie was belligerent, Doug Stanhope was savage, and Nish Kumar was reborn a rightwinger. But a touching show about Lance Armstrong wins our critic’s best comedy of 2015
Sara Pascoe: Animal review – God, pubes and glow worms in a fun, fresh show