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 STEEL

“I started doing standup in 1982, around the circuit of bizarre gigs,” recalls highly regarded writer & comedian Mark Steel. “I’d go on after jugglers and escapologists and people who banged nails into their ears!”
A well-established performer on the UK comedy circuit, Mark’s CV includes the BAFTA-nominated Mark Steel Lectures for BBC Two, BBC One’s Have I Got News For You and Radio Four’s Mark Steel’s In Town. 
He visits the Midlands with The Leopard In My House, a show in which he chronicles his battle with throat cancer.  

Birmingham Town Hall, Wednesday 26 November 

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ROSS NOBLE

Geordie laughter merchant Ross Noble may not have hit the heights once expected of him, but he’s a hugely talented comedian nonetheless. Peddling a nice line in surreal and quirky stream-of-consciousness humour, he’s heading for the Midlands this month with latest touring show Cranium Of Curiosities. Examples of his comedy include “How come Miss Universe is only won by people from Earth?” and “I had to take the batteries out of the carbon monoxide detector. It was beeping all night.”

Royal Spa Centre, Leamington Spa, Thursday 27 November; Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Thursday 26 February; Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Thursday 19 March

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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.

Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton, Saturday 29 November; Foxlowe Arts Centre, Leek, Staffs, Sunday 21 June 2026

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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 more than 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.

Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Friday 5 & Saturday 6 December   

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ANGELA BARNES

When Angela Barnes’ inspirational father died, it proved to be the catalyst for her to follow his advice - finally - and hurl herself into the rough, tough world of standup comedy... 

And her success since then has proved that she definitely made the right decision. 

A BBC New Comedy Awards winner, Angela is this month visiting the region with Angst, a new show that ‘mostly features stories of unmitigated failure, a distinct lack of wisdom, a little bit of German and loads of jokes’.

Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Saturday 6 December

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LUCY BEAUMONT

“I started out acting but quickly realised I needed to try something else,” says Hull-born comic Lucy Beaumont, who was diagnosed with ADHD a couple of years back and more recently separated from her 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.”

Birmingham Town Hall, Wednesday 10 December; Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Thursday 11 December 

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SUZI RUFFELL

Gay, quirky and delightfully self-deprecating, Suzi Ruffell presents an unquestionably likeable persona and imbues her act with an impressive dynamism. 
Suzi’s mid-month Coventry appearance sees her presenting latest touring show The Juggle, while next month’s Birmingham stop-off finds her in the company of Tom Allen, performing a live-on-stage festive version of their popular podcast, Like Minded Friends. 

Glee Club, Birmingham, Tuesday 16 December

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RIA LINA

The state of the world, the eternal battle of the sexes - and the delight of throwing life up in the air after years of following the rules - are among the subjects that comedian and forensic scientist Ria Lina puts under her microscope in brand-new touring show Riabellion. Her jokes include: “I wanted to do a show about feminism, but my husband wouldn’t let me.” 

The Edge Arts Centre, Much Wenlock, South Shropshire, Sat 14 February

 

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CALLY BEATON

Comedian Sally Phillips is among Cally Beaton’s many and varied admirers. “She spins tales like Aisling Bea,” says Bridget Jones star Sally, “has the hair and strength of Pippi Longstocking, and the punk edge of Debbie Harry. Do I want a Cally Beaton rebrand? Hell yeah!” 

Cally is visiting the Midlands with Namaste Motherf*ckers, a show described by its publicity as ‘a quick-witted, unexpected and unapologetic insight into life in midlife’.

Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Saturday 21 February

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SHAPARAK KHORSANDI

A regular contributor to radio and television programmes, Iranian-born comedian Shaparak Khorsandi describes herself as a ‘spit and sawdust’ stand-up comic, happily pulling on her wellies and trudging through muddy fields to perform at any and every music festival that boasts a comedy tent.
She visits the Midlands with long-touring show Scatterbrain.

Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Sunday 1 March

       

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ANDY PARSONS

With complimentary reviews including such observations as ‘what he lacks in hair, he more than makes up for in originality,’ Andy Parsons is a sharp and topical comedian who’s well known from TV shows such as BBC’s Mock The Week and Live At The Apollo. 
Jokes include: “If you’ve been affected by any of the issues raised in tonight’s episode of EastEnders, they must have been acting better than they usually do.”
Andy’s currently performing his new touring show, Please #@!$ Off To Mars.

Lichfield Garrick, Sat 21 March; Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Thurs 26 March

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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.

Birmingham Town Hall, Friday 27 March; Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Friday 8 May

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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.

Walsall Arena, Sat 21 March; Swan Theatre, Worcester, Sat 2 May; Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Sat 26 September; Crewe Lyceum Theatre, Fri 2 October

     

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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