Sky-high ratings – for a lacklustre series: The Celebrity Traitors has become too nice for its own good
Game-breaking blunders, killer yawns … and a puddle of vomit: it’s the top 10 Celebrity Traitors moments
The Celebrity Traitors: episode eight – as it happened
Finally, everyone fancies James Acaster. What took them so long?
Polly Hudson
The Celebrity Traitors: episode six – as it happened
The Celebrity Traitors: episode four – as it happened
The Celebrity Traitors: episode two – as it happened
The Celebrity Traitors: episode one – as it happened
May 2026
‘You don’t have to sell them on the idea’: how Celebrity Traitors has seduced the stars
Second season of BBC hit has attracted one of the most high-profile casts ever assembled for a reality TV show
March 2026
James Acaster review – standup in terrific form with tangled tribute act to himself
In his touring show, Acaster introduces a new alter ego, adding even more layers to his material, along with some trenchant political gags
January 2026
Cynthia Erivo is Dracula, Gentleman Jack does ballet and Phil Wang’s mega-tour: theatre, dance and comedy in 2026
Lesley Manville and Aidan Turner unite for Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Michael Sheen launches Welsh National Theatre and Bridget Christie revs up for a return to the stage
March 2025
Brief letters
A golden example of trickle-down economics
TV tonight
TV tonight: Bridget Christie’s superb menopause comedy is back
December 2024
TV tonight
TV tonight: the finale of Rebecca Hall’s mesmerising drama
Will we discover what the mysterious hum is in The Listeners? Plus: James Acaster’s very funny standup show. Here’s what to watch this evening
January 2024
Get the joke: how live captioning lets more comedy fans enjoy every punchline
Lara Ricote is among the standups whose gags have landed with deaf and hearing people thanks to the work of stenographer Claire Hill
October 2023
Foodie funnies: James Acaster and Ed Gamble’s podcast Off Menu goes on the road
As it fills the Royal Albert Hall on tour, the comedians’ ‘dream restaurant’ show questions what ingredients a live performance really needs
September 2023
The best original photographs from the Observer
Original Observer photography
From David Mitchell in a crown to Motsi Mabuse in a suit: the best original photographs from the Observer commissioned in September 2023
Mainly funny and insightful, with only one rambling outlier: the UK’s top-ranking podcasts
British shows dominate the new chart, but Joe Rogan’s occasionally offensive American bro-cast comes out on top
Ed Gamble and James Acaster: ‘Food is the ultimate topic. But famous people rarely talk about it’
The comedy duo are taking their hit podcast Off Menu on tour. Who has been their strangest guest? Who do they most want on the show? And why has it become a phenomenon?
August 2023
James Acaster: Hecklers Welcome review – comic boldly goes with the flow
Delivering his own ‘origin story’, with interruptions encouraged, Acaster skilfully pieces together big-yield routines from inauspicious beginnings
