The week's best live comedy

The best of the week's live comedy, picked from the thousands of events Chortle currently has listed. Use our search panel to check our full listings by date and region.

Sunday July 30

CARDIFF: James Acaster kicks off his Hecklers Welcome tour with four nights in the Wales Millennium Centre. It's the comic's attempt to overcome his aversion to audience interactions that could derail his carefully scripted shows. 'I’m going into it knowing, "Here are the things that I really didn’t enjoy before, so let’s focus on those things and let’s focus on making that better, and making that aspect of my performance better",' he said in one interview. There are a few tickets still available, but most dates sold out quickly. James Acaster tour dates

Monday July 31

LONDON: The Camden Fringe starts its 17th festival, with small venues in the North London borough and beyond staging a total of 300 shows - comedy, theatre and more – over the coming month. Check the official website for full details.

Tuesday August 1

LONDON: String V Spitta depicts the rivlalry between two kids' entertainers, posho Sylvester String (Ed MacArthur) and hip maverick MC Spitta (Kiell Smith-Bynoe from Ghosts and Taskmaster). It returns to Soho Theatre for a couple of weeks before heading off to Edinburgh. Read our review of its 2021 run here

Wednesday August 2

EDINBURGH: The Monkey Barrel kicked things off on Monday, being a permanent venue, but today the bulk of preview performances start at the Edinburgh Fringe. You might have heard of this boutique festival…

Thursday August 3

LONDON: 21Soho hosts A Perfect Comedy Show With Perfect Comedians And Audience In It. The line-up is Sarah Roberts, Freddie Meredith, Bella Hull, Mustafa Yasin and Will Owen - but to be honest, we just like the name.

Friday August 4

CARDIFF: There's a more-than decent bill at the Glee tonight and tomorrow, topped with Britain's Got Talent Winner Lost Voice Guy and also featuring Chortle award-winner Nina Gilligan, circuit stalwart Paul Pirie and affable MC Robin Morgan

Saturday August 5

LONDON: Who needs the Edinburgh Fringe? Roundhouse, the converted railway engine repair shed in Camden, has teamed up with top comedy promoters' Berks Nest for a major three-week festival taking over the venue. Comics taking part include Katherine Ryan, James Acaster, Nish Kumar, Lolly Adefobe, Ed Gamble, Dylan Moran, Nina Conti, Sindhu Vee, Maisie Adam, Fern Brady, Sophie Duker and more. And tonight's opening gala gives a flavour of what to expect with Rose Matafeo, Catherine Cohen, Jordan Gray, Lolly Adefope, Rhys James and Kiri Pritchard-McLean. Listings

LIVERPOOL: Hayley Ellis - as seen supporting Jason Manford and Sarah Millican as well as on her own Invisible Mam tour - unveils her new show, Hayley's Comet at the Royal Court Theatre, which will keep her on the road until November. Hayley Ellis tour dates

Published: 30 Jul 2023