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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...
ERIC IDLE
You don’t need to be of a certain vintage to know who Eric Idle is, but it probably helps, given that he’s best known as a member of legendary comedy troupe Monty Python, whose heyday was way back in the 1970s.
Eric’s done plenty more besides, mind, in a career spanning 60-plus years. So he’ll have no shortage of material for this brand-new one-man show - a nostalgic deep-dive into his life and times.
Ahead of the mid-month Symphony Hall stop-off, Eric is warning audience members to brace themselves for an evening containing comedy, music, philosophy and, er, “one fart joke”.
Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Wednesday 10 September
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.
Artrix, Bromsgrove, Thursday 11 September; Stafford Gatehouse Theatre, Friday 26 September; The Glee Club, Birmingham, Thursday 2 October; Huntingdon Hall, Worcester, Thursday 20 November; Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton, Saturday 29 November; Foxlowe Arts Centre, Leek, Staffs, Sunday 21 June 2026
HE HUANG
Dating failures, travel disasters, and life’s dark absurdities. Nothing is off-limits to He Huang, who describes herself as ‘single, Chinese, and navigating adulthood like it’s an obstacle-course designed by my worst enemy’.
Born in the city of Chongqing, He is visiting the Midlands this month with her star very much in the ascendant, some three years after scoring a major hit on television’s Australia’s Got Talent. Her audition for the show went viral, garnering more than 60 million views worldwide.
The Glee Club, Birmingham, Sunday 14 September
ISMO: WOO HOO! WORLD TOUR
Finnish comedians causing a stir on the UK comedy circuit are hardly ten-a-penny, so ISMO’s Town Hall gig offers a perfect opportunity to bag yourself a novel experience. Combining sharp observational humour with a unique perspective on everyday life, the 46-year-old funnyman - full name Ismo Mikael Leikola - shot to stardom in the United States a decade ago when he won comedy club Laugh Factory’s Funniest Person In The World competition.
Life since then has been pretty good for the Jyväskylä-born laughter merchant, whose clever wordplay and humorous takes on English quirks have helped him chisel out a refreshingly unique style of comedy.
Birmingham Town Hall, Tuesday 16 September
DARA Ó BRIAIN
Charismatic, fast-talking and very, very funny, Dara Ó’Briain is a familiar face on the telly thanks to shows like Mock The Week and Have I Got News For You.
Jokes include: “If we were truly created by God, why do we occasionally bite the insides of our mouths?” and “Even though you’re still allowed to smoke in your own house, do you have to stub it out when a burglar breaks in, as your house is now his workplace?” Dara stops off in the region with his new touring show, Re:Creation.
Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent, Wednesday 17 September; Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Wednesday 5 - Thursday 6 November
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.
New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Wednesday 17 September; Royal Spa Centre, Leamington Spa, Tuesday 30 September; Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Sunday 1 March
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’.
Wolverhampton Arts Centre, Thursday 18 September; Ludlow Assembly Rooms, South Shropshire, Friday 19 September; Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Thursday 6 November; Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Saturday 21 February
LIVE AT THE BELGRADE
The Belgrade’s latest ‘uplifting night of laughter’ brings together a strong line-up of comedians: Tez Ilyas, Nabil Abdulrashid, and the Midlands’ very own Josh Pugh, Gary Delaney and Lindsey Santoro (pictured).
Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, Friday 19 September
JONNY COLE
“It’s difficult for me to put my brand of comedy into an industry-standard soundbite,” says local comedian Jonny Cole. “There are a lot of people who love Black Country humour and who’d love to go into a rough & ready Black Country pub just to listen to the banter - and that’s exactly what I do. I’ve absorbed Black Country humour the whole of my life. I take it out of that pub - where people wouldn’t dare go, in case they got their teeth knocked out - and I put it into a safe, controlled environment where they can enjoy it.”
Stafford Gatehouse Theatre, Thursday 25 September; Lichfield Garrick, Saturday 18 October; Halesowen Town Hall, Tuesday 21 October; Walsall Arena & Arts Centre, Wednesday 22 October; Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton, Thursday 23 October
EMMANUEL SONUBI
Emmanuel Sonubi has been clambering up comedy’s greasy pole at spectacular speed and looks set to achieve big things in the coming years.
An Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee, he’s visiting the Midlands with a show in which he contemplates his life after surviving heart failure, in the process exploring the ‘strange and funny ways we all find to keep going when life gets hard’.
Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Friday 26 September; The Glee Club, Birmingham, Thursday 9 October; Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Tuesday 11 November; Huntingdon Hall, Worcester, Thursday 13 November
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’.
Swan Theatre, Worcester, Friday 26 September; Stafford Gatehouse Theatre, Tuesday 14 October; Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Saturday 6 December
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!’”
Foxlowe Arts Centre, Staffs, Friday 26 September; Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham, Saturday 27 September; Royal Spa Centre, Leamington Spa, Wednesday 1 - Thursday 2 October; Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Sunday 2 November; Huntingdon Hall, Worcester, Saturday 16 May
ALAN DAVIES
Alan Davies has been a high-profile television face for more than 30 years now, first coming to prominence in hit detective series Jonathan Creek.
Further and numerous TV credits have followed - perhaps most notably QI and Taskmaster - ensuring he’s remained very much in the public conciousness...
He is here making a relatively rare headline appearance with brand-new touring show Think Ahead.
The Alexandra, Birmingham, Monday 29 September; Victoria Hall, Stoke-on-Trent, Friday 17 October
JASON MANFORD
Becoming successful in comedy is no walk in the park, as Jason Manford knows. And the former One Show presenter has some sage advice for wannabe comedians: “Don’t take any of my work!... I would also say to people, compare yourself to yourself. Don’t think, ‘Why has that guy got that?’ or ‘Why is Michael McIntyre doing so well?’ or ‘I’m really funny, so why is so-and-so doing that gig, not me?’ You know what, just don’t worry about it. If you’re doing better now than you were six months ago, then you’re doing well.”
Royal Spa Centre, Leamington Spa, Tuesday 30 September; The Civic at The Halls Wolverhampton, Saturday 11 October; Walsall Arena, Thursday 6 November
ROB BECKETT
First tickling the nation’s funny bone in 2009, Rob Beckett’s TV work includes 8 Out Of 10 Cats and Celebrity Juice. A high-tempo comedian who’s been described by one newspaper as ‘a little short of a revelation’, Rob claims his relationship with comedy began as a youngster...
“I was the middle child and desperate for attention,” he explains, “so I decided to try and get it by making my friends and family chuckle - or better still, belly laugh.”
Gags include, “You know you're working-class when your TV’s bigger than your bookcase,” and “My girlfriend worries about me cheating on a night out. I say to her, ‘Why would I have a burger when I’ve got steak at home?’ The only problem is, when you’re drunk, burgers are well nice.”
Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Thurs 20 - Sat 22 November
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
JIMMY CARR
Jimmy Carr’s comedy is all about quickfire, deadpan one-liners - so many of them, in fact, that he’s not sure whether their content actually matters all that much: “People don’t really remember the individual jokes I tell because I tell such a lot of them. What they do remember is how those jokes make them feel.”
Jimmy is a comedian for whom no subject is off limits: “I’ll talk about anything as long as I feel the joke justifies it. Sure, it may cause controversy - but then controversy is an easy story on a slow-news day. And I never apologise for jokes. After all, I’m not making a serious political statement, I’m just trying to make somebody laugh.”
Utilita Arena Birmingham, Wednesday 10 December
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