The comedy week ahead

The comedy week ahead.

Monday October 2

LIVE IN EXETER: Of all the solo comedy shows about mental issues - and there are a lot - Felicity Ward’s is surely the most fun – she’s even got an air horn (or app-based equivalent). Her rightly acclaimed 50% More Likely To Die tour kicks off in Exeter tonight, mixes the absurd, the profound, and stories that make her look like a fool… But always and entertaining fool. Review and dates.

LIVE IN BIRMINGHAM: As the Tories swarm to Birmingham for their party conference, the Corbynistas of the #JC4PM tour park their comedy tanks on the enemy lawn with a fundraiser at the Repertory Theatre. Dane Baptiste, Francesca Martinez, Jeremy Hardy, Steve Gribbin and Barbara Nice are all on the bill.

Monday October 3

LIVE IN LONDON: Once best known as a fine exponent of middle-class observational comedy, Dominic Holland is now Spider-Man’s dad, as his son Tom is set to earn millions from the super-hero movie franchise. Holland’s increasingly returning to his stand-up roots, though, and tonight takes part in a benefit to combat child abuse that also features the silly prop comedy of The, Raymond & Mr Timpkins Revue and the dry sarcasm of MC John Moloney, among others.

Tuesday October 4

TV: It’s the return of Taskmaster, with Greg Davies and Alex Horne handing out a whole bunch of new silly challenges to over-competitive comedians. This season’s line-up is - adjectives courtesy of broadcaster Dave: bountiful Al Murray, devious Dave Gorman, placid Paul Chowdhry, rambunctious Rob Beckett and sassy Sara Pascoe> Dave, 10pm

Wednesday October 5

LIVE IN SALFORD: Straight-up, no frills, straight-to-the-funny stand-up, impeccably delivered. Mock The Week regular Zoe Lyons tours the UK from today, kicking off at the Lowry in Salford, with her new one-woman show Little Misfit. At the top of her game, she’s guaranteed to amuse. Review and dates.

Thursday October 6

LIVE IN GLASGOW: The Red Shed, Mark Thomas’s funny and evocative tales of his political awakenings in a Wakefield Labour Club at the height of the miners’s strike, comes to the Tron Theatre for three nights, as part of its UK tour. Dates and review.

LIVE IN CARDIFF: The righteous rage of Michael Legge combines with the more laid-back resignation of Mike Wilmot at the Glee Club all weekend, starting with Clint Edwards’ Comedy Carousel tonight, the the normal weekend club nights on, well, the weekend.

Friday October 7

TV: Fans have been waiting nine years for this, the return of Still Game to TV… though it could also be seen as another indication of BBC One’s tendency to look backwards rather than forwards in its comedy output. Ford Kiernan and Greg Hemphill’s alter-egos Jack and Victor return to Craiglang with an episode revolving around a catalogue of innovative gizmos, BBC One, 9.30pm

TV: Fresh from their successful run at the Paralympics in Rio, Adam Hills, Alex Brooker and Josh Widdicombe return for a new series of The Last Leg. In the first show Paralympic champions Jonnie Peacock and Ellie Simmonds guest. Channel 4, 10pm

LIVE IN BIRMINGHAM: The city’s ten-day comedy festival gets under way with a regional ‘breaking talent’ award with Ali Warwood, Harv Hawkins, Moses Ali Khan, Richard Quarmby and Tom Christian all vying for the title. Highlights of the rest of the fest include Romesh Ranganathan, Tape Face - and even a choir of local comedians singing sitcom theme tunes, and more. Website

Saturday October 8

LIVE IN LONDON: There’s a typically eclectic and interesting line-up from the more alternative end of the circuit at the Knock2Bag night at Rich Mix Studios, Shoreditch. Pajama Men lead a charge that includes Gein's Family Giftshop, Katia Kvinge,Matthew Crosby, Nigel Ng, Richard Gadd and Tim Renkow.

LIVE IN LONDON: Russell Howard performs as part of a one-day festival for Coppafeel, the breast cancer charity he’s become associated with. Also in the comedy programme are Abandoman, Lloyd Langford,Steve Hall and Jayde Adams, while there’s music from Stereophonics, Rae Morris and DJ sets from Sophie Elis-Bexter and Gok Wan. It’s at the branded House Of Vans venue in Waterloo from 3pm.

• 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: 2 Oct 2016