The best of the comedy week ahead

The best of the comedy week ahead.

Sunday June 5

RADIO: Before Elis James heads to France to follow the Welsh soccer team in their first major tournament in 58 years, he presents this two-part Radio 4 documentary making the controversial argument that his homeland's national sport isn't, in fact, rugby, but football. In Wales The Ball Is Round, Radio 4, 1.30pm.

Monday June 6

LIVE IN LONDON: The Comedy Store is hosting a benefit for Lively Minds, a charity which works with deprived children in rural Ghana and Uganda. It's headlined by Nina Conti, not long off her own West End run,and also features a fine supporting line-up of Ed Gamble, Ellie Taylor, Felicity Ward, Rachel Parris, and Rhys James, all waspishly hosted by Tom Allen.

TV: Channel 4 airs Jon Richardson's stand-up show, Nidiot, recorded at the Hammersmith Apollo. 10.35pm

Tuesday June 7

TV: Who would have thought the EU referendum would have given Jack Dee so much work? He's in Channel 4's Power Monkeys tomorrow, see below, while his Help Desk returns for three plebiscite-themed specials, starting tonight. In each episodes Dee and guests - Romesh Ranganathan and Katherine Ryan tonight - ad lib answers to dilemmas the audience ask.BBC Two, 10pm

Wednesday June 8

LIVE IN HARROGATE: He's just wowed the notoriously hard-to-please judging panel of America's Got Talent - even including Simon Cowell. But tonight you can see the inventive comedy mime of The Boy With Tape On His Face at Harrogate's St George Hotel, part of the Sitting Room comedy club line-up hosted by that great British eccentric adventurer, Tim FitzHigham.

TV: Jack Dee's back in Power Monkeys. He plays Oliver, a volatile former journalist who runs the pro-Europe Unity Unit at the Conservative Party HQ in this new ultra-topical spin-off from last year's Ballot Monkeys. With a script completed only on the day of transmission, Power Monkeys follows both sides of the EU referendum, along with political wonks on Donald Trump's campaign plane and inside Vladimir Putin's Presidential office. Claire Skinner, Kevin McNally, Andy Nyman, Ben Willbond and Amelia Bullmore are also among the cast. And read an interview with writers Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin here.Channel 4, 10pm

Thursday June 9

LIVE IN LONDON: Colin Mochrie, Josie Lawrence, Greg Proops and Brad Sherwood return to the West End stage for another run of Whose Line Is It Anyway?, with Clive Anderson again keeping tabs on the improvisation. It runs at the prestigious London Palladium through to June 19.

LIVE IN EDINBURGH: A nice bill at the stand ranges from the modestly-spoken Alun Cochrane to the intense Phil Nichol. Don't say they don't give you variety for your tenner…

LIVE IN BASINGSTONE: Masterly overthinker Adam Bloom and livewire up-and-comer Tez Ilyas play the Laughter-House at the Red Lion Hotel.

Friday June 10

LIVE IN LONDON: An excellent line-up at Islington's Union Chapel in aid of the local city farm, Freightliners. It features Stewart Lee, Andy Zaltzman, Lou Sanders, Nish Kumar, Phil Wang and Tiff Stevenson.

LIVE IN LONDON: Or if you're out West, Bush Hall offers all-killer, no filler with James Acaster, Joe Lycett, Kerry Godliman and MC Ed Gamble.

TV: The Last Leg returns for an eighth series, hosted by Adam Hills, Alex Brooker and Josh Widdicombe, and with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn the guest on this first episode. Channel 4, 10pm

TV: Cult Scottish sketch series Limmy's Show! gets its first proper airing south of the border too, as the Gold channel has snapped up the rights to series one. But if you're not a night owl, you'll need to set your PVR, as it's not on until 12.25am… i.e. the early hours of Saturday morning.

• For full live comedy listings, use the pull-down menus at the top of the page to see what's on near you on any given day.

Published: 5 Jun 2016