The best of the week's live comedy

Several tours kick off this week, and feature in our round-up of the best of the week's live comedy...

Monday May 1

LONDON: Wonderful physical comic Spencer Jones, who has comedy pilots in the works at both BBC One and Sky1, begins a two-week run at the Soho Theatre with the latest show from his alter-ego The Herbert, entitled Eggy Bagel.

Tuesday May 2

CARDIFF: With three acts and a compere, it's more like a club night than the usual tour. But The All-Star Stand-Up Show boasts the sort of names to guarantee a good time, headlined by wonderfully quirky one-line merchant Stewart Francis. Jim Tavare has had to drop out of the tour after his serious road accident in Los Angeles, but Mike Gunn offers a fine replacement alongside Justin Moorhouse and Chortle-award-winning host Jarred Christmas. All dates.

Wednesday May 3

NOTTINGHAM: It's one of the biggest tours of the year as Micky Flanagan embarks on his An' Another Fing tour  - his first in three years. So far 50+ dates have been announced, with tickets available here. The  DVD of Flanagan's Out Out tour was the number 1 selling stand-up DVD of 2012, and was followed by Back In The Game in 2013/14.

LONDON: Group Therapy comedy club offers a fine line-up of alternative voices at the Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen. The oddballs of various tones on the bill are Felicity Ward, Fin Taylor, Jayde Adams, Luke McQueen and Tony Law.

Thursday May 4

BRISTOL: Katy Brand begins her tour of I Was A Teenage Christian, which, self-evidently, tells the story of her early fundamentalism. It starts in tonight and tours the UK right through to the end of June. Schedule.

Friday May 5

BRIGHTON: The month-long Brighton Fringe kicks of tonight, with comedy shows a-plenty. Why not kick off with improv group The Maydays, seeking inspiration from the festival programme itself, making their own version of a random show at the Komedia Studio at 8.45pm? Or there's high-energy double-act japery from Jack & Viggo at The Warren at 8.15pm  - or a work-in-progress from always-interesting local lad Sean McLoughlin at the Caroline of Brunswick at 10pm. The fringe website is here.

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Published: 30 Apr 2017