The comedy week ahead

The comedy week ahead.

Sunday May 8

TV: Amy Poehler returns as City Councilwoman Leslie Knope as the sixth series of Parks and Recreation begins a run on Dave - starting with a trip to London for an international Women in Government prizegiving. 11pm.

LIVE IN LONDON: The Arts Theatre hosts a fine selection of comics in aid of the Royal Free Charity, supporting healthcare in London. Al Murray headlines as the Pub Landlord with a fine supporting bill of Brett Goldstein, Grainne Maguire, Lou Sanders, Sofie Hagen, Suzi Ruffell and Tiff Stevenson.

LIVE IN BIRMINGHAM:Adam Buxton headlines another Invisible Dot gig of ‘new wave’ comedians at the city’s town hall, featuring political firebrand Liam Williams and Edinburgh award-winning absurdist Sam Simmons.

Monday May 9

TV: Ben Elton returns to Blackadder 2 territory with Upstart Crow, a new comedy starring David Mitchell as a fictional William Shakespeare, starting to make a name for himself in London, while also trying to balance family life in Stratford-upon-Avon. The cast also features Harry Enfield as Will’s dad, John Shakespeare; Paula Wilcox as Will’s mum, Mary Arden; Liza Tarbuck as Anne Hathaway; Helen Monks as Will’s daughter Susannah; Gemma Whelan as Kate; Mark Heap as Sir Robert Greene and Rob Rouse as Bottom. BBC Two, 10pm.

LIVE IN LONDON: You probably won’t find many bills stronger than this, as the best of the comedy circuit come out in aid of Stand Up for Street Child. Daniel Kitson hosts Stewart Lee, Kevin Eldon, Nick Helm, Isy Suttie, Josie Long and Elis James, who put this remarkable line-up together. And all money raised will help support 20,000 girls into education in West Africa this summer. Tickets.

LIVE IN LONDON: Russell Howard fronts another benefit, this one at the Duchess Theatre and in aid of CoppaFeel!, the campaign to encourage both women and men to check for signs of breast cancer. The rest of the bill’s not been revealed, but the headliner is certainly a big draw.

Tuesday May 10

LIVE IN LONDON: Following his acclaimed Fame! Not The Musical, David Baddiel turns to the tricky and poignant subject of dementia for his next stand-up show, My Family: Not The Sitcom. It is described as a ‘massively disrespectful’ celebration of the lives of his late mother, Sarah, and dementia-ridden father, Colin. It runs at the Menier Chocolate Factory in Borough right through to the end of June.

LIVE IN LONDON: Precocious New York millennial Alex Edelman starts a two-week run of his acclaimed show Everything Handed To You at the Soho Theatre, in which his over-analytical brain opens up an impressive hour of comedy about family and identity, and plenty more besides. Review.

LIVE IN BELFAST: Eddie Izzard begins a special tour of his Force Majeure tour, performing three shows in three hours in three languages as part of his commitment to a unified Europe and timed in the build-up to the Brexit referendum next month. He said: ‘I first performed my show three times, in three hours, in three languages in Caen, Normandy, on the 70th anniversary of D-Day. It was to honour those who fought for freedom and democracy in the Second World War and since. I continue to perform my 333 shows all around the UK to show how far we have all come since those dark days. Never forget. Stand and fight for Europe - do not run and hide from it.’ He’ll perform first in German, then French, then English… though the latter shows have sold out, the others offer the chance to put that language GCSE/O-level to the test. He’s at the MAC in Belfast tonight, and the Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff tomorrow. All dates.

Wednesday May 11

TV: More Shakespeare, this time brought to you by Philomena Cunk, Diane Morgan’s witless commentator from Charlie Brooker’s Weekly Wipe. Philomena knows absolutely nothing about the Bard, but that won’t stop her attempting to present a ground-breaking documentary about him... BBC Two, 10pm

LIVE IN LONDON: The creme-de-la-creme of up-and-coming comedy will be showcased in the two semi-finals of the Chortle Student Comedy Competition, on the Tattershall Castle tonight and tomorrow. After scouring the nation's unis and colleges, we've whittled the entrants down to a very strong shortlist...and you can see both shows for just £6. Wednesday tickets | Thursday tickets | Both shows

LIVE IN BRIGHTON: As the city’s Fringe Festival continues all week, brilliant storytelling stand-up Glenn Wool performs his latest show, Creator, I Am But A Pawn, at the Republic on the Kemp Town seafront.

RADIO: Scott Capurro is Andy Warhol in the new drama Death And Taxis, based on the legendary pop artist’s acerbic diaries. The series of 15-minute plays which start today also feature Ronni Ancona and Jon Culshaw. Radio 4, 11.15am

Thursday May 12

LIVE IN EDINBURGH: There’s a double treat at The Stand all weekend. Fresh from his appearance on Friday’s Have I Got News For You is sardonic Phil Wang, who performs alongside hugely entertaining Canadian deadbeat Mike Wilmot.

Friday May 13

TV: A new comedy from Him And Her creator Stefan Golaszewski, Mum is described as a subtle family sitcom. It revolves around Cathy, played by Lesley Manville, as she moves on from the death of her husband.

Saturday May 14

LIVE IN LONDON: It’s the boy wizard… but not as JK Rowling ever imagined him. Members of the Weirdos collective of alternative comedians return to Hogwarts for their entirely unofficial Harry Potter and the House Elves on Strike, at the Leicester Square Theatre. Those contributing to the madness are :Eleanor Morton, Gareth Morinan, Joz Norris, Matthew Highton, Adam Larter, Matt Tedford, Marny Godden, Cassie Atkinson and Jon Brittain.

Published: 8 May 2016