A two-part series on the art of stand-up comedy.
Part 1: To be or not to be
Alan Yentob talks to comedians in Britain and America, exploring their backgrounds and influences and their passion for making people laugh.
Part 2: The journey
Alan Yentob explores the evolution of stand-up and how it transfers to other mediums.

A two-part series on the art of stand-up comedy.

Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television. The performer is commonly known as a comic, stand-up comic, stand-up comedian or simply a stand-up

Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television. The performer is commonly known as a comic, stand-up comic, stand-up comedian or simply a stand-up

A Wonderful Marriage of Wild Card and Three - Card Monte. It starts out easy enough.. . the magician displays a single 3 of Diamonds and plays a game of one - card monte with the spectator. Just to make things a little tougher, another card, the Ace of Clubs, is added which acts as the money card. After a few rounds, another 3 of Diamonds is added in and now the fun really begins. No matter how hard they try, the spectator just cant follow the Ace! For the eye - popping climax, all of the cards are shown to have changed into the Ace of Clubs! A fabulous trick perfect for strolling performances as no table is required and packs a lot of magic into a fun routine. Comes complete with specially - printed Bicycle cards and detailed instructions.

Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television. The performer is commonly known as a comic, stand-up comic, stand-up comedian or simply a stand-up

Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television. The performer is commonly known as a comic, stand-up comic, stand-up comedian or simply a stand-up

Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television. The performer is commonly known as a comic, stand-up comic, stand-up comedian or simply a stand-up

Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television. The performer is commonly known as a comic, stand-up comic, stand-up comedian or simply a stand-up