The comedy week ahead

The comedy week ahead.

Sunday January 1

TV:  Uncle is back for its third and final series. The story picks up 18 months after the last season when Andy (Nick Helm) found out that he was going to be a father. Now the baby he's never met is haunting him, so he tries to work up the nerve to confront the mother about the child. Available on iPlayer from 10am

Monday January 2

LIVE IN LONDON: If anyone's new year resolution is to be a stand-up comedian, the Comedy Store's notorious open-access Gong Show could be where those dreams are crushed in their infancy. Will any of the newbies be able to survive the braying crowd in this gladiatorial bear-pit that's great fun for everyone... except the comedians?

Tuesday January 3

LIVE IN LONDON: Frank Skinner returns to the Soho Theatre with A Man With No Show… in which he gets on stage and just riffs for an hour or so. Well, it worked OK when he did it with David Baddiel in Unplanned back in the day…

Thursday January 5

LIVE IN NORTHAMPTON: Jack Whitehall kicks off his first tour in about three years at the Royal & Derngate tonight and tomorrow…  a relatively low-key start for a show that'll be playing arenas such as the O2 in London and the First Direct in Leeds by the time it comes to an end in late February. See the full Jack Whitehall At Large tour schedule here

LIVE IN DUBLIN: Wild-thinking philosopher-comedian Tommy Tiernan kicks off yet another residency at Vicar Street, playing a month of weekend gigs with his new Under The Influence show.

LIVE IN MOLD: SHE is the new host of Radio 4 Extra's topical comedy show Newsjack. HE is one of the most politically astute comedians on the circuit. Together they are the bill at Theatr Clwyd tonight, and go by the names of Angela Barnes and Nick Doody.

Friday January 6

RADIO: Jeremy Hardy and Kerry Godliman are amongst the guests joining Miles Jupp for a new series of the News Quiz. Radio 4, 6.30pm

LIVE IN LEICESTER: Jason Byrne hosts the annual preview show for the Leicester Comedy Festival in De Montfort Hall. The busy line-up includes Sean Kelly from Storage Hunters alongside Josh Howie, Lost Voice Guy, Lloyd Griffith, Jamali Maddix, Carly Smallman and Dane Baptiste.

LIVE IN LONDON: If you like your comedy off-the-wall, there's an appealing mix at the Bill Murray in Islington tonight, as Angel Comedy presents a late-night line-up of Bec Hill, Eleanor Morton, John Kearns, Joz Norris, Matthew Highton, Adam Larter and more.

• 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: 1 Jan 2017