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Laughter is certainly the best medicine - even if you’re not ill! Why not get your ribs well and truly tickled over the next few weeks by attending one or more of the following laughter-fests...  

JOHN BISHOP

Evidently a fella who likes to fly by the seat of his pants, John Bishop left the comfort of a lucrative marketing job to work full time on his comedy act. 
It was certainly a brave decision to make, but one that has since been fully justified - the 57-year-old Liverpudlian is nowadays one of the UK’s best known and most highly regarded funnymen. 
Jokes include “Being an England supporter is like being the over-optimistic parents of the fat kid on sports day,” and “Edinburgh is the only place you can be sunburned and get trench foot on the same day.”
John stops off in Stoke with latest touring show Back At It. The title makes reference to the fact that, ‘after two years spent TV presenting, stage acting, podcast hosting, dog walking and decorating the spare room’, he’s finally getting back to the thing he loves the most; standing on stage and making people laugh. 

Warwick Arts Centre, Thursday 31 October     


MARK WATSON

Well established on the UK comedy circuit, Mark Watson was born in Bristol to Welsh parents and initially delivered his act with a Welsh accent, claiming he felt “more comfortable talking in a voice that I didn’t quite recognise as my own”. 
“Comedy is certainly a time-consuming element of my life,” he admits, “but then while I’m out touring and on stage, there are people at home doing far less glamorous things. There have certainly been times when I’ve been very happy to say, ‘Of course I’d like to stay and help out with that plumbing crisis, but the Midlands awaits!’”

Festival Drayton Centre, Market Drayton, Friday 1 November; Stourbridge Town Hall, Saturday 2 November; Evesham Town Hall, Sunday 3 November

Mark Watson


OMID DJALILI

A fella who’s been referred to as “the thinking person’s Iranian comedian”, Omid Djalili is probably one of the most subversive comics currently doing the rounds on the UK comedy circuit.  
“I’ve been breaking away from the Middle Eastern pigeonhole that you people [journalists] have unfairly put me in. I’m a citizen of the world, and I will not be defined by cultural stereotypes. I have a specific viewpoint, which many call ‘Djalili-esque’, and I think my material reflects that now. Would you like a carpet? Visit my website. I also sell fried chicken, mayonnaise, motorcycle insurance and viagra, very fine price.”

Lichfield Garrick, Friday 1 & Saturday 2 November; Huntingdon Hall, Worcester, Friday 22 & Saturday 23 November; Dudley Town Hall, Friday 21 February; Stratford PlayHouse, Stratford-upon-Avon, Saturday 22 February; Birmingham Town Hall, Friday 16 May; The Regal, Evesham, Saturday 20 September; Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Thursday 9 October

Omid Djalili: Namaste           


SIMON BRODKIN

Former medical doctor Simon Brodkin is perhaps best known as the creator of comedy character Lee Nelson, a bling-wearing Stella-swigging South London geezer. Simon has also hit the headlines for his unwavering commitment to the business of being a top-quality prankster: he famously handed Prime Minister Theresa May her P45 at the Conservative Party Conference. This latest tour sees him ripping into celebrity culture, social media, the police, Putin, Prince Andrew and God.

Crewe Lyceum Theatre, Wednesday 6 November

Simon Brodkin: Screwed Up


MARK THOMAS

Mark Thomas is no ordinary comedian. Hugely witty and as savage as a rabid dog when it comes to putting hecklers in their place, he takes to the stage with the intention not only of making people laugh but also exposing governmental and corporate exploitation in its many and varied forms. 
Mark’s latest show, Gaffa Tapes, sees him promising an evening of ‘jokes, rants, politics, play, and the occasional sing song’.  

Glee Club, Birmingham, Thursday 7 November; Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Wednesday 13 November

Mark Thomas


TOM WARD

Having recently made the decision to eat healthily during the week - “Saturday nights are for colon carnage” - Tom Ward has put together a show that’s all about rethinking everything. “The thinness of reality is the theme of Choose Your Delusion,” he says. 
He then goes on to further explain that the evening will see him reflecting on “all the big topics of our time: masculinity, three-star hotels, erectile dysfunction, reality TV, adverts, mental health and virtue-signalling w**kers”. 
Tom’s visits to the Midlands this month form part of his second-ever UK tour.

Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Thursday 7 November; The Glee Club, Birmingham, Sunday 24 November

Tom Ward


AMY MATTHEWS

A train journey between Glasgow and Manchester saw Amy Matthews suffer an unexpected existential crisis. During the course of the three-hour trip, she found herself ruminating on the price that people have paid as a result of the ever-increasing pace of modern life.
Her train-journey reflections provided the springboard for stand-up offering Commute With The Foxes, a show which she is this month bringing to Birmingham on the back of summer success at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Midlands Arts Centre (MAC), Birmingham, Friday 8 November

Amy Matthews


GRACE CAMPBELL

Describing herself as the funniest person she has ever met and “famous in North West London”, Grace Campbell is a comedian with a fast-growing following and wit to spare. 
The daughter of one-time Downing Street director of communications Alistair Campbell, Grace visits the Midlands this month with a new show in which she reflects on numerous significant life changes, from turning 30 and becoming a dog owner, to giving non-monogamy a go and then trying out celibacy. 
Expect answers to ‘big questions about the world, her vagina, and her obsession with making her new dog her entire brand…’ 

Birmingham Town Hall, Saturday 9 November; Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Thursday 21 November

Grace Campbell


CARL HUTCHINSON

Observational comedian Carl Hutchinson makes a welcome return with a show that covers all manner of common-or-garden topics. Prior to becoming a full-time stand-up, Carl was a maths teacher. “There are certainly comparisons between the two professions,” says the popular Geordie funnyman, “but the definite advantage with comedy is that if you have a bad gig, you can rest assured that you don’t have to see the same audience the next day at 10am!”
Carl visits the region with new show Today Years Old.

Stafford Gatehouse Theatre, Sunday 24 November; The Glee Club, Birmingham, Sunday 16 FebruaryTheatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Wednesday 21 May

Carl Hutchinson


FELICITY WARD

A much-loved regular at the Edinburgh Festival, New South Wales-born comedian Felicity Ward is this month set to attract a whole new army of followers when the Australian version of The Office, in which she top-bills, arrives on Prime Video (Friday 18 October). 
She stops off in the Midlands this month and next with I’m Exhausting, a show described by its publicity in the following way: ‘Birth, Quorn, fingering, and transition lenses - there’s no matter too big or too small that Felicity can’t get worked up about.’    

Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Sunday 10 November

Felicity Ward


LUCY BEAUMONT

No less a comedian than the highly praised Arthur Smith once described Lucy Beaumont as ‘the next Victoria Wood in the making’. Others have called her ‘a riot’ and praised her ‘devastating comic timing’. 
For Lucy’s part, though, she’s just grateful that performing no longer feels like an out-of-body experience.
“I started out acting but quickly realised I needed to try something else,” says the Hull-born comic, who was last year diagnosed with ADHD and recently amicably separated from husband and fellow comedian Jon Richardson. “I’ve had all sorts of humorous things happen to me in my life, so I thought it made sense to see how I’d do at being funny.”

Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Thursday 14 NovemberTheatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Thursday 21 November

Lucy Beaumont


KANE BROWN

Parenthood, family life, relationships and British culture are among the subjects to which Kane Brown regularly returns during his live shows. 
The one-time direct-sales executive kickstarted his current career back in 2006 when he enrolled in a two-week course in standup-comedy, since which time he’s honed his rib-tickling talents to excellent effect. 
Kane visits the region this month with his acclaimed show, Don’t Listen To Me. 

O2 Institute, Birmingham, Thursday 14 & Friday 15 November; Royal Spa Centre, Leamington Spa, Saturday 23 November

Kane Brown


KIRI PRITCHARD-MCLEAN

Hailed for her dynamic stand-up and admirable commitment to chiselling out high-quality humour from even the thorniest of subjects, Kiri Pritchard-McLean makes a welcome return to the circuit with Peacock, a show about her recent experience of becoming a foster parent. 
“Lots of people don’t know how [fostering] works,” Kiri recently told Entssouthwales, “and I think demystifying things can often open doors. People have preconceptions about who and what it takes to be a foster carer. I think a stand-up comedian who’s about to do a 100-date tour blows a lot of those [preconceptions] out of the water!”  

Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Thursday 14 NovemberStratford Playhouse, Stratford-upon-Avon, Friday 15 NovemberMidlands Arts Centre (MAC), Birmingham, Sunday 24 November

Kiri Pritchard-McLean


TATTY MCCLOUD

Born in Zimbabwe and raised in France to British parents, London-based Tatty McCloud shot to fame on social media, making a significant splash with her witty observations about the differences between French and British culture.
Tatty has now hit the road with a debut hour of comedy that turns the spotlight on the subject of ‘belonging’. Or, to be more precise, the business of ‘finding your tribe, or not, and how to be okay with that’.

Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Friday 15 November

Tatty McCloud


RHOD GILBERT

Welsh funnyman Rhod Gilbert has acquired a huge and still-growing following thanks to a high-energy brand of grumpiness that marks him out as one of the top comedians of his generation. 

He’s returning to the Midlands this month with Rhod Gilbert And The Giant Grapefruit, a show in which he’ll be discussing his recent battle against stage four head and neck cancer. 

Rhod’s best-loved gags include: “In the Bible, God made it rain for 40 days and 40 nights. That’s a pretty good summer for Wales... That’s a hosepipe ban waiting to happen.” And “A spa hotel? It’s like a normal hotel, only in reception there’s a picture of a pebble.”

Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Friday 15 - Saturday 16 November

Rhod Gilbert


RUSSELL KANE

Past publicity blurb for this fella said it all: “Strap in for some super-speed sunderings and inconvenient sociology in a show of self-soiling merriment that will leave you with rickets.” 

In short, Russell Kane is a very funny man - and it’s not just his publicist who thinks so. Russell has been drawing a crowd since bursting onto the scene 20 years ago, serving up liberal doses of humour at a frenetic pace. 

The London-born comedian visits the Midlands with latest touring show HyperActive.

Birmingham Hippodrome, Friday 15 NovemberVictoria Hall, Stoke-on-Trent, Saturday 8 March 2025Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, Sunday 27 April 2025

Russell Kane


ED GAMBLE

“I’m essentially a great guy delivering humour through your classic microphone/speaker combo,” says a tongue-in-cheek Ed Gamble in describing himself. “As well as being a stand-up comedian, I’m an actor and a writer - although, to be honest, I very rarely act, and ‘writing’ is a very lofty term for the absolute filth I’ve committed to paper in the past.” 

Co-host (with James Acaster) of award-winning podcast Off Menu, a judge on Great British Menu, Taskmaster champion and host of Taskmaster The Podcast, Ed stops off in the Midlands this month with his brand-new touring show, Hot Diggity Dog. 

Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Saturday 16 November

Ed Gamble


IVO GRAHAM

Seriously posh and admirably self-deprecating, Ivo Graham won plenty of new fans in 2019 when one of his gags was nominated for the coveted ‘best joke of the Edinburgh Fringe’ award: “I’ve got an Eton-themed advent calendar,” explained Ivo, “where all the doors are opened for me by my dad’s contacts.”
The Tokyo-born Oxford alumnus visits the Midlands with Grand Design, a show which is described by its publicity in the following way: No ball games, no blind alleys, no backstage printers this year; just one of the best stand-ups of his generation, back to prove he’s not just Taskmaster’s yardstick for failure.

Brewhouse Arts Centre, Burton upon Trent, Thursday 21 November

Ivo Graham


PADDY MCGUINNESS

Best known as Peter Kay’s sidekick in the hit TV shows Phoenix Nights and Max And Paddy’s Road To Nowhere - and more recently as a co-presenter of BBC TV series Top Gear and the critically panned Road Tripping - Paddy McGuinness is one of the UK’s most popular comedy talents.
This new tour marks a return to stand-up after a break of eight years, with Paddy having openly admitted he’s hitting the road because “the money’s run out”.
“I’m looking forward to getting back in front of a live audience,” said the 51-year-old before embarking on the tour, “along with running the gauntlet of cancel culture, click bait and fake news!

Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent, Saturday 23 November; The Alexandra, Birmingham, Friday 28 February; The Civic at The Halls Wolverhampton, Saturday 1 March

Paddy McGuinness


MO GILLIGAN

London standup Mo Gilligan has enjoyed a meteoric rise to fame and fortune since first coming to wider public attention just a handful of years ago. It was back in December 2016 that Mo uploaded a video about grime MCs - since which time he’s found himself catapulted to celebrity status. Hired by Channel Four to front The Lateish Show and rewarded for his television work with a coveted Bafta gong, Mo admits that his life has started to feel just a little bit crazy. “I wake up in the morning and think, ‘This is nuts!’” admits the 35-year-old. “It’s what I’d always dreamt about, and now that it’s happened, I’m determined to make the most of it.” 

Utilita Arena Birmingham, Saturday 30 November 2024

Mo Gilligan and Friends


TROY HAWKE

Erudite and home-schooled 1930s throwback Troy Hawke lists his hobbies as playing scrabble, conspiracy theories and calling Manchester City’s Erling Haaland “a tremendous Nordic meat shield”.

The foppish Errol Flynn-lookalike (Troy, that is, not Erling) - as played by character stand-up Milo McCabe - had been out and about on the comedy circuit for a good few years before finally hitting the online jackpot and going viral on TikTok. 

Troy is visiting the Midlands this month with The Greeters Guild, a show in which he ‘examines his unlikely genesis and explores exactly why a well-dressed man simply being nice to people has caused such a kerfuffle’. 

Expect an evening of splendidly incongruous, occasionally brain-addling, delivered-with-warmth comedy.

The Civic at The Halls Wolverhampton, Saturday 30 November

Troy Hawke: The Greeters Guild


MILTON JONES

With a style of humour that’s mainly based around puns and one-liners, Milton Jones has established himself as one of Britain’s most in-demand funnymen. 
“If my comedy’s working well, I put a cartoon in people’s heads that surprises them,” explains Milton. “So you start off and they’re thinking one thing, then you surprise them by changing the ending as you go along. It’s not political or particularly edgy, it’s just daft. It’s a sort of verbal practical joke, but some people really hate that. 
I think the better the comic you are, the stronger the flavour you are.”
Milton’s gags include: “Militant feminists - I take my hat off to them. They don’t like that,” and “Recently, on a flight to America, all the way across, my wife was going, ‘Why don’t you get an upgrade, why don’t you get an upgrade?’  “It took a bit of time, but in the end I got a better wife.”

 Crewe Lyceum Theatre, Friday 6 December

Milton Jones: Ha!Milton


PETER KAY

Peter Kay has the magical ability to endear himself to just about everybody. Gregarious in nature and bringing to the stage bucketloads of northern-style charisma, he peddles a line in comedy which is bold and biting but never cruel.

“It’s good to get back to what I love doing best,” he says, in talking about his return to stand-up comedy. “And if there’s ever a time people need a laugh, it’s now.” 

Returning to the circuit after taking a 12-year break, he’s offering tickets to his shows at the same starting price as the previous time he went out on tour, way back in 2010. 

Friday 6 DecemberFriday 24 January 2025Saturday 7 June 2025Friday 5 December 2025

Peter Kay


CHRIS MCCAUSLAND

“A long time ago, when I’d only just started out as a comedian,” recalls scouse funnyman Chris McCausland, “I walked out on stage and was telling a joke to break the ice about being blind, when somebody in the audience shouted out, pantomime style, ‘We’re behind you!’ It was very funny!”

Chris has the eye condition retinitis pigmentosa. “It’s been referred to in different ways across the years,” he says, “from the rather dull and generic-sounding macular degeneration to the cool and groovy inverse cone-rod dystrophy!” 

A touring comedian since the mid-noughties, Chris has also appeared on a host of television panel games and in series including EastEnders and Moving On. 

He visits the Midlands with latest show Yonks!.

The Alexandra, Birmingham, Sunday 26 JanuaryWolverhampton Grand Theatre, Thursday 30 January

Chris McCausland - Yonks!


KATHERINE RYAN

Taking a wry, warped and witty look at the world around her, Katherine Ryan often writes and performs material which proves that even the darkest of subject matter can have a funny side. 
Katherine hits the road this month with a brand-new stand-up offering. 
“My new show is called Battleaxe, because it means a tyrant and a loud, outspoken feminist,” Katherine recently told BBC TV’s The One Show. “And those are all positive terms for me, not negative ones. And I like reclaiming words; especially words about women that are negative.”

Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Friday 31 JanuaryThe Civic at The Halls, Wolverhampton, Saturday 8 FebruaryUtilita Arena Birmingham, Saturday 10 May 

Katherine Ryan