A tight 5: July 1

John Bishop has announced a run of work-in-progress shows at the Stand. The arena-filler will be playing to 150 people at the Stand from August 11 to 23. And although tickets went on sale at noon yesterday, some are still available here.

MICHAEL McINTYRE and his wife Kitty last night attended a showbiz party thrown at the Foreign Office by David Cameron – ahead of the launch of new Coalition policies on the creative industries. Ronnie Corbett is believed to be the only other comedian who attended the bash, likened to Tony Blair's Cool Britannia Party of 1997.

THE SUNDERLAND Comedy Festival has been cancelled with less than two weeks notice. The two-day event on July 12 and 13 would have featured Lee Nelson, Jason Cook, Ray Peacock and more. Speaking to the GiggleBeats website, organiser Si Buglass blamed 'funding issues and poor ticket sales'.

DENIS LEARY is to star as a washed-up rock singer in a new US comedy just commissioned by the FX network. Executives have ordered a ten-episode series of Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll, which Leary also created and writes, to air sometime in 2015. The former stand-up plays Johnny Rock, lead singer of 1990s band The Heathens now trying to get the both his band and his life back together. The show is set to feature original music and guest appearances by real-life rock stars.

'AMERICA'S FUNNYMAN' Neil Hamburger has added a Manchester date to his UK visit this summer, which also takes in an Edinburgh Fringe run and a week at London's Soho Theatre. He will be playing The Zoo on Monday August 25. Tickets

Published: 1 Jul 2014