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...  

MARK SIMMONS

A runner-up in the Top 10 Jokes of the Edinburgh Fringe competition in 2022 - “Did you know, if you get pregnant in the Amazon, it’s next-day delivery” - Mark Simmons went one better in 2024, emerging from the summertime get-together in the Scottish capital with the Funniest Joke award: “I was going to sail around the globe in the world’s smallest ship, but I bottled it.”

And there’s plenty more where those little gems came from, with Mark’s talent for one-liners knowing no bounds. 

Lichfield Garrick, Thursday 2 April; Huntingdon Hall, Worcester, Thursday 7 May; Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Friday 8 May; Stafford Gatehouse, Thursday 17 September; The Glee Club, Birmingham, Thursday 26 November

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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.”

Royal Spa Centre, Leamington Spa, Friday 3 April

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MAX AMINI

With publicity that states he’s the most-watched comedian on Instagram and has the fastest-growing comedy channel in the US, Iranian-American comedian Max Amini brings together eccentric impressions and novel storytelling to explore a wide range of topics. In the process, he pokes fun at the quirks of modern society and highlights the challenges of navigating cultural differences. 

No slouch when it comes to improvisation, Max is promising a joyride of a show ‘that will leave you in stitches and rolling in the aisles’.     

The Alexandra, Birmingham, Monday 13 & Tuesday 14 April

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MATT FORDE

A one-time advisor to New Labour (he gave up his membership of the party when Jeremy Corbyn became leader), Nottingham-born Matt Forde is this month returning to the Midlands with Defying Calamity, a show in which he aims to ‘find positivity in life, despite all the evidence to the contrary in politics and his own health’ (Matt was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer in 2023 but is now disease-free). 

Huntingdon Hall, Worcester, Wednesday 15 April; Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Thursday 4 June; The Glee Club, Birmingham, Wednesday 8 July

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JOSH WIDDICOMBE

Peddling a nice line in exasperated humour, Devon-raised funnyman Josh Widdicombe pumps out his cleverly crafted gags at a brisk pace, hitting the mark with the vast majority of his observational material.
Widdicombe jokes include: “Hotdogs cause bum cancer - that was the original slogan for McDonald’s before ‘I’m loving it’.”

Josh visits the Midlands this month and next with his new touring show, Not My Cup Of Tea. It’s an endeavour which he describes as ‘shorter and with lower production values than Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, but funnier and with more references to tea’.

Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent, Saturday 18 April; Birmingham Hippodrome, Tuesday 5 May  

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SUZI RUFFELL

Gay, quirky and delightfully self-deprecating, Suzi Ruffell has well and truly made her mark in the challenging world of comedy. Alongside her stand-up shows, she’s written books and contributed as a writer to television series including 8 Out Of 10 Cats, The Last Leg and Stand Up For The Week. She also co-hosts smash-hit podcasts Big Kick Energy with Maisie Adam and Like Minded Friends with Tom Allen, as well as having her very own podcast: OUT With Suzi Ruffell. 

Away from comedy, Suzi lists her ‘likes’ as ‘cooking’ and ‘those cats with no hair’.  

Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Friday 24 April; Stafford Gatehouse Theatre, Friday 29 May  

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FUN! WITH BARBARA NICE

“In these dark days, we need to find fun whenever we piggin’ can,” says everybody’s favourite Kings Heath housewife, the incomparable Mrs Barbara Nice. 

Barbara is taking her latest ‘laugh-out-loud’ offering to venues across the region over the next couple of months. 

“Laughter is the noise we make when we make connections,” she says. “It’s like two live wires meeting; two opposing forces or ideas meet head on, and the energy of the clash between them makes a thunderclap of laughter

The Edge Arts Centre, Much Wenlock, South Shropshire, Friday 24 April; The Albany Theatre, Coventry, Friday 1 May; Foxlowe Arts Centre, Leek, Friday 5 June

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AISLING BEA

With BAFTA and British Comedy Award wins under her belt, Aisling Bea is a seasoned  practitioner when it comes to the serious business of being funny. It’s therefore maybe more than a little surprising to realise that her Birmingham Hippodrome stop-off this month forms part of her first-ever stand-up tour. 

With a CV that also includes creating, writing and starring in hit Channel Four comedy series This Way Up, Aisling visits the second city late this month with Older Than Jesus, a show in which she presents ‘tales of travel, home, immigration, history, sex, babies, music, lovers and enemies’.    

Birmingham Hippodrome, Sunday 26 April

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DANIEL O'REILLY

 

Daniel O’Reilly reckons his life has resembled a rollercoaster ride - and he’s stopping off in the Midlands this month to tell his legion of fans all about it.
The London-born comic originally made his name over a decade ago as the character Dapper Laughs, but an ill-advised joke about rape put the brakes on what had seemed to be a promising career. 
The years which followed saw him battling a drug and alcohol addiction, and fighting hard to reestablish himself on the UK comedy scene.  
Now, having been sober for more than 1,000 days, Daniel is out on the road again. He’s performing his latest stand-up show, Let’s Have It, under his own name - and joking that he hopes he gets cancelled, as he could do with a bit of a break.

Swan Theatre, Worcester, Sat 2 May; Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Sat 26 September; Crewe Lyceum Theatre, Fri 2 October

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​JEN BRISTER

As she attempted to establish herself on the circuit back in the early noughties, Jen Brister received a much-needed boost from a comedy legend. The occasion was the BBC New Act semi-finals in Brighton. The legend in question, Spike Milligan, who was one of the judges. Although Jen didn’t get through to the final, she did find out from the show’s producer that Spike had voted for her. “He’d also remarked that I had ‘a great pair of Bristols’,” she recalls. “So clearly he had great taste in comedy and, er, tits!”
Jen visits Birmingham this month with latest show Reactive.

Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Friday 8 May

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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!’”

 Huntingdon Hall, Worcester, Saturday 16 May

 

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AL MURRAY

“I love being a pub landlord,” says Al Murray. “It’s a truly great calling. You’re there to soothe troubled souls, pour balm on troubled waters, make people’s important moments in their lives extra special, and provide a range of snacks. What’s not to like?
”
Al is on tour this year with brand-new show All You Need Is Guv. 

Victoria Hall, Stoke-on-Trent, Saturday 16 May; Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, Sunday 7 June; Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Thursday 1 October

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TOM STADE

Clever, controversial and Canadian pretty much sums up Tom Stade, a familiar face on television programmes including Live At The Apollo and Mock The Week. 

Having racked up 30 years on the comedy frontline, Tom is visiting the region with brand-new touring show Naughty By Nature.

Foxlowe Arts Centre, Leek, Staffs, Sunday 21 June 2026

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HANNAH EAST

Brand-new skits, more wigs, celebrity send-ups and laugh-out-loud moments are promised by Hannah East when she visits the Midlands this month with her latest comedy offering, in which she takes a deep dive into the highs and lows of parenting. 

Hannah splits her professional life between stand-up and presenting. “After graduating, I competed on the TV show Gladiators,” explains Hannah. “During the semi-final stage, I was waiting for a scene to be filmed with [ex-footballer] Ian Wright when he told me to read Caroline Flack’s autocue. After doing this, he gave me some advice - I should go into presenting. The rest, as they say, is history!”

Royal Spa Centre, Leamington Spa, Saturday 3 October; Glee Club, Birmingham, Thursday 15 October; Huntingdon Hall, Worcester, Friday 16 October; Kings Hall, Stoke-on-Trent, Sunday 15 November

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