The best of the comedy week ahead

The best of the comedy week ahead.

Monday March 20

LIVE IN BIRMINGHAM: A hometown gig for Joe Lycet toightt, as the affable comic brings his agonisingly, but entertainingly titled live tour That's The Way, A-Ha A-Ha, Joe Lycett tour to the Glee Club.

LIVE IN GLASGOW: The city's comedy festival concludes this week, but there's plenty more to see. How about The Last Laugh gregarious frontman Adam Hills at the King's Theatre tonight?

Monday March 21

LIVE IN GLASGOW: Frankie Boyle performs the first of two nights of his hard-hitting new show, Hurt Like You've Never Been Loved, at the SECC - turning his uncompromising wit on the way the world works, a deserving target for comedy's most brutal bruiser.

RADIO: Miles Jupp returns as biographer James Boswell, chronicling the lives of historical figures in Boswell's Lives. In the first episode of the new series, he meets Muhammad Ali, played by Lenny Henry, while future episodes will feature Boswell penning the lives of Karl Marx (Julian Rhind-Tutt), Madonna (Debra Stephenson) and Alan Bennett (Alistair McGowan). Radio 4, 11.30am

RADIO: Andrew Maxwell promises incisive, opinionated comedy along the lines of John Oliver's show in the pilot of this new topical show, Late Agenda. 11pm.

TV: Billy On The Street, the pop culture game show in which comedian Billy Eichner takes to the streets of New York to bombard strangers with trivia questions , comes to the UK. Episode one features guest star Will Ferrell. Comedy Central, 10.30pm

Tuesday March 22

LIVE IN GLASGOW: Comedy festival pick tonight is John Robbins's entertaining and thought-provoking show Speakeasy at the Stand Review

NEWS: Who will it be? The Chortle Awards are announced in London tonight. Stand by your screens for breaking news as to who's won what.

Wednesday March 23

LIVE IN MELBOURNE (AUSTRALIA): The world's second biggest collection of comedians celebrates its 30th birthday this year, kicking off its three-and-a-half week run today. Visiting internationals include Sarah Millican, Al Murray, Rich Hall, James Acaster, David O'Doherty, Tim Vine, Nina Conti and Nish Kumar – while the bets of home-grown talent includes Celia Pacquola,Frank Woodley, Sam Simmons, Sammy J, Will Anderson Matt Okine and frankly far too many to list here Website.

LIVE IN GLASGOW: Meanwhile, back in Scotland, tonight's festival treat is Mark Steel, revealing a fascinating family background in the hilarious, incredible story of Who Do I Think I Am?, on at the Citizens Theatre.

LIVE IN LONDON:There's a strong bill at the 99 Club Leicester Square tonight with cheeky Ed Gamble, offbeat James Acaster, charismatic Nathan Caton and assured MC Toby Hadoke.

Thursday March 24

ON DEMAND: Flat TV, based on Tom Rosenthal and Naz Osmanoglu's real lives as flatmates, finally lands on BBC Three - four years after it started life as a web series. The show relates their petty domestic squabbles through television programmes, including news bulletins and reality shows. For example, in I'm Not a Celebrity … Get Me Back In My Flat!, Naz must root through a dumpster full of bin juice to find his missing keys. The whole series will be posted on BBC Three at 6pm.

LIVE IN WARRINGTON: The exquisite puns of Gary Delaney, the deftly observed real-life stories of Kerry Godliman and the unhinged madness of Terry Alderton make for a strong and varied bill at the Parr Hall.

LIVE IN GLASGOW: Tonight's comedy festival pick is a toss-up between over-analytical Mark Watson at the Citizens Theatre, or the obscure trivia served up by the QI 'elves' in their No Such Thing As A Fish podcast, being recorded at Oran Mor.

Friday March 25

LIVE IN MANCHESTER: The Comedy Store's bill comes highly recommended this weekend, with A-grade observational comedy from Alun Cochrane, Dave Fulton and Zoe Lyons, plus livewire improv from the Noise Next Door.

Saturday March 26

RADIO: Ross Noble presents a three-hour celebration of his native Newcastle, including a chat with fellow Geordie Sarah Millican, for Radio 4 Extra this morning. With his segments recorded at the bistro bar of the Tyne Theatre, where he performed his very first gig, the show features archive material and new interviews. Radio 4 Extra, 9am

TV: The Gold channel airs Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson's live show Bottom: Hooligans Island - their 1997 tour filmed at the Bristol Hippodrome. The plot, should you need it, involves Eddie and Richie stranded on an island with no food, booze or pornography to keep them occupied. 11pm

Published: 20 Mar 2016