The comedy week ahead

The comedy week ahead…

LIVE IN LONDON: Lefties Arthur Smith, Ava Vidal, Francesca Martinez, Jeremy Hardy, Mark Steel and Sara Pascoe celebrate the election of Jeremy Corbyn to Labour leader with a fundraiser at the Forum in Kentish Town. The mood could have been a lot more sombre since it was planned a while ago – and some of the acts were banned from voting by the Labour machine – but there should be a joyous atmosphere now...

LIVE IN LONDON: Meanwhile at the Leicester Square Theatre there's a strong bill in aid of the anti-crime charity The Suzy Lamplugh Trust featuring Aisling Bea, Jo Brand, Kerry Godliman and more…

LIVE IN LONDON: Australian comic Tom Ballard begins a six-night run of his acclaimed Edinburgh debut Taxis & Rainbows & Hatred, about his experiences being gay, at the Soho Theatre. Review

Wednesday September 16

LIVE IN LONDON: The Greenwich Comedy Festival kicks off in the magnificent grounds of the National Maritime Museum, with an opening night line-up of Aisling Bea, Ed Gamble, Henning Wehn and Reginald D Hunter. And there's good stuff right through to Sunday. Listings

Thursday September 17

RADIO: Marcus Brigstocke's The Brig Society starts a new run on Radio 4, with the opening episode tackling the problems in football and its governing body, Fifa.

TV: Sky Arts' physical comedy series continues with Three Kinds Of Stupid, described as a Three Stooges-style physical comedy. It stars Seann Walsh, Marek Larwood and Jocelyn Jee Esien as community police officers who befriend a blind man, played by Jim Moir (aka Vic Reeves). But things go horribly wrong when they accidentally his guide dog with a prawn sandwich, so they try to convince him his dog is still alive and well. The show is followed by two back-to-back Buster Keaton films: The Goat and The Scarecow. 9pm

LIVE IN CARDIFF: The Comedy Carousel night at the Glee features the deliciously dirty-minded Canadian comic Mike Wilmot and the magic and patter of Pete Firman.

LIVE IN GLASGOW: A strong bill at the Stand all weekend features Scottish veteran Bruce Morton, cheery Geordie Kai Humphries, dark and mean Penella Mellor, smart Rhys James and affable MC Scott Agnew.

Friday September 18

TV: South Park returns for its 19th series on Comedy Central at 10pm, two days after its US debut.

RADIO: Morwenna Banks and Rebecca Front have written and star in a new four-part series set in a library, Shush!, with the aid of Armando Iannucci, who helped develop it, and Father Ted and Toast Of London's Arthur Mathews, who co-wrote the opening episode. Radio 4, 11.30am

RADIO: It's the start of the new Juppean era of The News Quiz as Miles Jupp takes over as host for the start of the, gulp, 88th series. Radio 4, 6.30pm

Saturday September 19

TV: Arthur Lowe would have 100 on Tuesday, so to mark his centenary Radio 4 Extra is dusting down some of his radio performances, many not heard for over 40 years. Among them is Lowe's 1970 appearance on Desert Island Discs that was lost from the BBC archives, but saved by a listener's off-air recording, This will be the first time it's aired since then as Lowe tells Roy Plomley about his childhood, his early acting days while serving in World War Two, his time on Coronation Street, and his joy at being part of the Dad's Army cast, which was then still a relatively new thing.9am

LIVE IN SEVENOAKS: Stewart Lee is backed by the dry wit of Stephen Carlin and the righteous anger of Michael Legge at the Outside The Box gig at the Stag Theatre.

Published: 13 Sep 2015