The comedy week ahead

The comedy week ahead…

Today

LIVE IN BRIGHTON: The Fringe marches on! And all week, too. Today’s highlights include the provocative Red Bastard (Komedia, 4pm), the very silly Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre (Komedia, 4.30pm) and Mary Bourke’s feminist-themed Muffragette (Blue Man, 8.30pm).

Monday May 19

LIVE IN LONDON: Milton Jones and Dara O'Briain jointly headline the Balls to Homelessness  benefit at the Comedy Store, which also boasts a full supporting line-up, compered by Romesh Ranganathan.

RADIO: Nothing less than the 69th series of Just A Minute kicks off on Radio 4 tonight, with Paul Merton, Jenny Eclair, Julian Clary and Vanessa Feltz. Radio 4, 6.30pm.

Tuesday May 20

LIVE IN LONDON: Mr Ranganathan pops up in his second benefit of the week, this time the Laugh Til It Hurts gig at the Bloomsbury Theatre which also includes Aisling Bea, Paul Foot, Sean Hughes, and MC Ray Peacock, among others.

Wednesday May 21

LIVE IN LONDON: The first of two semi-finals of the Chortle Student Comedy Award take place at the Tattershall Castle, near Embankment Tube - the second being in the same venue later. With alumni including Simon Brid, Tom Rosenthal and Chris Ramsay, who will we find next? Tickets.

Thursday May 22

LIVE IN INVERNESS: There’s a strong Irish flavour to the four-day Happyness  taking over Inverness this weekend, with Tommy Tiernan, Patrick Kielty, Jason Byrme and Sean Hughes among the acts booked by artistic director Karen Koren, doyenne of Edinburgh’s Gilded Balloon.

LIVE IN MANCHESTER: A nicely diverse bill at the Frog & Bucket all this weekend, led by pun king Gary Delaney and the charmingly idiosyncratic Tom Wrigglesworth.

LIVE IN LONDON: But the Comedy Store bill in London from now until Saturday is stronger still, with Carey Marx, Imran Yusuf, Simon Evans and Terry Alderton. It’s the best show in town.

TV: Melvyn Bragg meets John Lloyd, the man  behind Not the Nine O’Clock News, Spitting Image, Blackadder, QI and more in this instalment of the South Bank Show. Colleagues and collaborators including  Stephen Fry, Rowan Atkinson and the team of QI elves all share anecdotes  about their experiences working with Lloyd, accompanied by behind-the-scenes footage from some of his most successful shows. Sky Arts 1, 9.30pm

Saturday May 24

LIVE IN DUBLIN: Des Bishop is coming home after spending over a year in China,learning the language enough to perform stand-up there He has stories to tell.  from working in a restaurant to trying to a wife in a Marriage Park, but he also can't wait to tell you about all the things he missed about Ireland, including ‘democracy, milk and sarcasm’. Vicar Street. Doors 7.30pm.

Published: 18 May 2014