The comedy week ahead

The comedy week ahead.

Sunday October 18

LIVE IN BRIGHTON: The city's comedy festival continues all week. Tonight's picks are the No Such Thing As A Fish podcast recording from QI's researchers, always impressive force-of-nature comic Tommy Tiernan, and much-tipped newcomer (and local chap) Phil Jerrod.

Monday October 19

TV: It's time to play the music and light the lights as the revived version of The Muppets comes to Sky 1. The new mockumentary-style programme, set behind the scenes of the chat show Up Late With Miss Piggy, divided critics in the States, who found the new cynical edge at odds with the relentlessly optimistic show they remember from their youth. But it's still good to see the old gang back together again… 8pm.

TV: It's followed by the seventh series of the consistently funny import Modern Family, about three weeks behind its US premiere. 8.30pm

LIVE IN LONDON: Stewart Lee at the Comedy Store? It can only be a benefit… Shake With Laughter, in aid of Parkinson's UK, also features Elis James, Nish Kumar, Rob Deering and Tiff Stevenson.

LIVE IN LONDON: Downstairs At The Kings Head celebrates 30 years of comedy in Crouch End with a comedy festival taking over the North London enclave for a week. And some some top names will be dropping in to the intimate club. Tonight it's Arthur Smith, John Sparkes, Kevin Eldon, Nick Revell, Bob Boyton, Ivor Dembina and MC Huw Thomas. And look out for a big gala at Hornsey Town Hall, just across the road, on Friday with Reginald D. Hunter, Roisin Conaty, Andrew Maxwell and many more.

LIVE IN MALVERN:Sarah Millican has started a tour, Outsider, that will keep her away from her beloved home for a full year. Many dates, including tonight's in Derbyshire, are sold out… but not all. Schedule

Tuesday October 20

LIVE IN MANCHESTER: Two of comedy's endearing weirdos, Pat Cahill and Edinburgh Comedy award-winner John Kearns, take to the stage of what's probably Britain's most-respected local club, XS Malarkey, tonight.

LIVE IN LODON: Meanwhile in the capital you can't go far wrong with Ed Gamble, Iain Stirling, Nathan Caton and MC John Robins at the 99 Club Leicester Square.

Wednesday October 21

RADIO: You can hear The Pin drop on to Radio 4 tonight. The inventive comedy duo of Ben Ashenden and Alexander Owen have recorded their first show for the station, and the four-part series, deconstructing the sketch form, starts at 11.15pm.

LIVE: A 'joyful hour of goofery' is what Spencer Jones offers as his alter-ego The Herbert, a comedy phenomenon waiting to happen with his silly prop and visual comedy. He starts a run at the Soho Theatre tonight that lasts until the end of the month. Read our review from Edinburgh here.

Thursday October 22

TV: New comedy pop quiz Bring The Noise, hosted by Kaiser Chiefs frontman Ricky Wilson and featuring comedians Katherine Ryan and Joel Dommett as regulars, kicks off on Sky 1. It could be to the now-departed Buzzcocks what A League Of Their Own was to They Think It's All Over… 9pm

Friday October 23

LIVE IN BRIGHTON: Oh, are we looking forward to this. Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse kick off their Legends tour at the Brighton Centre. There are a lot of comedy classics in the 25 years they've worked together, all being brought to the stage for pretty much the first time. Dates

LIVE IN LONDON: This ain't bad for free… though the acts will have earned a decent donation in the bucket at the end. The Angel Comedy Club in Islington offers not one but two 2015 Edinburgh Comedy Award best newcomer nominees in the form of Adam Hess and Larry Dean. Richard Todd and James McDonnell complete a bill compered, as so often, by club promoter Barry Ferns.

Published: 18 Oct 2015