More Comedy News
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John Cleese to tour with The Holy Grail
Posted on Fri 29 May
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Top shows coming to Birmingham Arenas this summer
Posted on Fri 29 May
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Six great shows coming to University of Wolverhampton at The Halls this spring
Posted on Tue 07 Apr
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...
SCOTT BENNETT
The next few weeks see Scott Bennett offering comedy-loving Midlanders plenty of opportunity to find out exactly why he’s such a highly rated (albeit relatively low profile) comedian.
Scott has been referred to as live comedy’s best-kept secret, with critics praising him for developing a style that comes complete with flashes of Peter Kay, John Bishop and Jason Manford.
Hugely popular on the corporate circuit, Yorkshire-born Scott is using his latest tour to contemplate the way in which people’s liking for ‘stuff’ sits at odds with the looming environmental crisis.
Foxlowe Arts Centre, Leek, Tuesday 30 June & Wednesday 1 July; Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Saturday 6 February
MICHELLE WOLF
American funnywoman Michelle Wolf probably remains best known for her infamous headline set at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, during which she told a series of gags that rattled Republicans and Democrats alike.
Indeed, President Trump, who’d boycotted the evening, was so appalled by her performance that he called her “a filthy ‘comedian’”.
She’s certainly an acquired taste - her sets have included gags about otter rape, for example - but acclaimed specials on HBO and Netflix have seen her steadily build a global fanbase.
Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Thursday 2 July
ALFIE MOORE
Staunch Sheffield socialist Alfie Moore is a master raconteur and a very funny man.
He also used to be a police officer...
Indeed, back in the days when he was both a comedian and a cop, his website advised that if you wanted to see Alfie ‘live’, you had two options: either catch him at one of his comedy gigs, or drive to Scunthorpe and park on a double yellow line!
With his gag-bag including “I'm in a same-sex marriage... the sex is always the same”, he stops off in Newcastle-under-Lyme this month with latest show Acopalypse Now.
Brewhouse Arts Centre, Burton upon Trent, Friday 3 July; Royal Spa Centre, Leamington Spa, Satuday 26 September; Lichfield Garrick, Saurday 24 October
PAUL SMITH
Affable Liverpool comedian Paul Smith has waxed lyrical on all manner of topics in his time, including such peculiar subjects as who he’d most like to be haunted by (Ghandi - Paul reckons he’d do it quite quietly) and which is the largest animal he thinks he could beat in a fight (a goose). He’s also ‘died’ on stage in front of a Babylon 5 actress, who made matters worse for him by shaking her head in pity...
Widely regarded as one of the comedy circuit’s most accomplished MCs, Paul has made a real name for himself courtesy of online video clips which almost routinely go viral.
The Halls Wolverhampton, Saturday 4 July; Victoria Hall, Stoke-on-Trent, Wednesday 29 July & Wednesday 11 November
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).
The Glee Club, Birmingham, Wednesday 8 July
SHREWSBURY INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL
As well as being a hotbed of food, flowers and folk music, Shrewsbury in recent times has also become a centre of comedy excellence, thanks to this hugely popular event.
As on previous occasions, the 2026 edition of the multi-venue laugh-in is brought to a close with a special gala event at Theatre Severn. The finale show will feature sets by Esther Manito, Lou Sanders (pictured), Morgan Rees, Frankie Monroe, Ignacio Lopez and Scott Bennett.
Other comedians contributing to the festival across its five days include Lindsey Santoro, Stuart Goldsmith, Clinton Baptiste and Tez Ilyas
Other acts performing at venues such as Theatre Severn, The Hive, The Loft at The Old Post Office and The Morris Hall include: Hasan Al-Habib, Giant leap Improv, Eric Rushton, Lindsey Santoro, Stuart Goldsmith, Chris O’Neill and his A Comedy Tapas and A Political Brunch shows, Clinton Baptiste and Nina Gilligan, Spencer Jones, Tez Ilyaz, Paul Hilleard, Wendy Wason, Dave Chawner and Alexander Bennett.
Various locations, Shrewsbury, Wednesday 8 - Sunday 12 July
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.”
Dudley Town Hall, Thursday 9 & Friday 10 July; The Civic, Wolverhampton, Saturday 11 July; The Anstice, Telford, Thursday 17 & Friday 18 July; Lichfield Garrick, Friday 9 & Saturday 10 October; Utilita Arena Birmingham, Tuesday 3 November
JAMES ACASTER
Long established as one of the UK’s leading comics, James Acaster was nominated for the Edinburgh Fringe’s Best Comedy Show award for five consecutive years back in the 2010s - a fact which provides irrefutable evidence of the consistently high quality of his material.
James peddles a style that initially makes his humour seem awkward and shambolic. He gets away with doing so by virtue of the fact that his writing is so solidly brilliant, blending observational comedy with a selection of more eccentric pieces.
He’s visiting the region this month as part of a UK tour.
Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Monday 20 - Wednesday 22 July
GARY DELANEY
“The hardest part of running competitively in Wales must be keeping up with the Joneses,” quips the ever-popular Gary Delaney.
And Gary’s certainly no one-joke pony: “My girlfriend’s dog died, so to cheer her up, I went out and got her an identical one. She was livid and yelled ‘What am I going to do with two dead dogs?’”
Suffice it to say there will be plenty more gags where those came from when the Solihull-born funnyman visits Lichfield with his latest touring show, Gary On Laughing.
Lichfield Garrick, Wednesday 22 July; Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Thursday 10 September; The Alexandra, Birmingham, Tuesday 22 September; Royal Spa Centre, Leamington Spa, Friday 2 October; Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent, Friday 23 October; Dudley Town Hall, Sunday 1 November
AYOADE BAMGBOYE
Born in London, raised in Lagos, sacked in Budapest (she was working as an assistant to film director Yorgos Lanthimos on his movie Poor Things) is how Ayoade Bamgboye describes herself.
Another description would be ‘Edinburgh Fringe debutant who walked away with the Best Newcomer award in 2025’.
Ayoade is heading for Birmingham this month with the stand-up offering that earned her that coveted festival gong last summer.
Taking the title Swings & Roundabouts, the show is about ‘going nowhere fast, being too British to stop apologising and too Nigerian to stop shouting’.
Midlands Arts Centre (MAC), Birmingham, Thursday 23 July
COMEDY ALL STARS
The Comedy All Stars show returns to Dudley Town Hall late this month with another line-up of top comedians... The show will feature sets by Milton Jones, Nick Helm (pictured), Aurie Styla and Babatunde Aléshé.
Dudley Town Hall, Saturday 25 July
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 Crowd Work King, a show which is described as 60 minutes of purely unscripted and unplanned comedy, entirely based around audience participation.
The Core Theatre, Solihull, Wednesday 23 September; Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton, Sunday 27 September; Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Friday 9 October
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.
Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Sat 26 September; Crewe Lyceum Theatre, Fri 2 October
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.
Stafford Gatehouse, Thursday 17 September; The Glee Club, Birmingham, Thursday 26 November
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.
Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Thursday 1 October
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
SEANN WALSH
With appearances on shows including Mock The Week and Strictly Come Dancing to his name - the latter seeing him hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons - Seann Walsh has been likened to the legendary Billy Connolly in terms of his gift for storytelling.
His jokes aren’t bad either. Two examples are as follows... “I don’t understand swimming. You don’t see fish going for a walk.” And “Are city-centre beat officers police who rap?”
Fresh from participating in series two of I’m A Celebrity... South Africa - he also featured in the Australian-jungle version of the series back in 2022 - Seann visits the Midlands this month with his latest touring show, This Is Torture.
The Brewhouse Arts Centre, Burton upon Trent, Saturday 17 October
MICK MILLER
It’s a toss-up whether veteran comedian Mick Miller is best known for his comedy or his hair, but the good news for his legion of Midlands fans is that he’ll be bringing both along with him to this Black Country gig.
Tickling ribs for the better part of half a century, Mick is as committed as he’s ever been to keeping his stand-up show fresh and funny. Post-interval in Dudley, he’ll be sitting down with close friend and fellow funnyman Ryan Gleeson to chat about his career in comedy. A good night is pretty much a guarantee.
Kings Hall, Stoke-on-Trent, Sunday 15 November