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Patty Jenkins is now known as the director behind celebrated films “Monster” and “Wonder Woman,” as well as the recent gritty TNT limited drama series “I Am the Night.” But her first passion is comedy — and in particular, surreal, absurdist comedy.

“A lot of my friends who I’d known in the comedy world, in the ’90s, in New York, were shocked [after ‘Monster’ was released],” she told Variety‘s “My Favorite Episode” podcast. “They were sort of like, ‘we all thought you were, like, a comedy person — what happened?'”

Jenkins said she’s been obsessed with comedy since listening repeatedly to Steve Martin’s “Wild and Crazy Guy” album. “There was something about edgy, interesting comedy that always has really delighted me and caught my imagination,” she said. “I always was, all through my youth, going out of my way to find kind of underground, comedic things.”

As she...

There's something horribly grim about stalking somebody's social media accounts after they've died, but it is fitting of the late Rik Mayall that a glance at what might have been a brief foray into the world of Twitter should provide much amusement.

Assuming it was actually his, Mayall's journey into Twitter lasted a single tweet back in 2010 and it was suitably brash, uncompromising, sweary and laugh-out-loud funny. Exactly like the man who so many TV viewers had grown to love over the last 30 years.

Opening my very own Twitter to stop another bastard from doing it. So fuck off & don't expect to hear from me any time soon. Love Rik x

— Rik Mayall (@rikmayall) April 13, 2010

Mayall grew up in Harlow, Essex, but it was as a drama student at Manchester University where his career began as he forged a long-standing friendship and comedy double act with Ade Edmondson. The duo...