The week's best live comedy

The best of the week's live comedy.

Sunday December 1

SHEFFIELD: Richard Herring tapes an installment of his now inaccurately named Leicester Square Theatre Podcast in the City Hall, with guests Seann Walsh and poet Ian McMillan.

Monday December 2

LONDON: Ridiculous idiot Spencer Jones brings his latest show, The Things We Leave Behind, to the Soho Theatre for a fortnight. Mixing looped music, props, stand-up, clowning and puppets, he mucks around with the miscellany of items that clutter the stage, all in the name of playful stupidity Tickets and review

LONDON: There's a fantastic line-up at the Pleasance in Islington at a gala for World Aids day. Lolly Adefope, Phil Wang, Rose Matafeo and Sara Barron are among the many acts slated to appear.

Tuesday December 3

LONDON: Jim Jefferies returns to the UK - playing his biggest venues yet. The 42-year-old's topical show visits these shores as his US Comedy Central show comes to an end - although he has a sitcom in development with NBC. He kicks off at the O2 Arena tonight, followed by Birmingham's Resorts World Arena on Thursday, Manchester Arena on Friday and Dublin's 3 Arena on Saturday - Glasgow and Newcastle follow next week. Tickets.

LONDON: The best sketch duo named after a meat product land at Soho Theatre for a two-week run, ahead of a nationwide tour next year. In Ginster's Paradise, Chris Cantrill and Amy Gledhill - aka The Delightful Sausage - immerse the audience in holiday-camp shenanigans, a combination of muckabout fun and character comedy that earned the duo an Edinburgh Comedy Award nomination this August.

EDINBURGH: Fred MacAulay heads a very busy bill at The Stand in aid of Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home. Also appearing are Janey Godley, Susan Morrison, Wendy Wason and many more.

PETERBOROUGH: A triple-headliner show at Samm's bar in Peterborough boasts Robert White, the oddball musical comic from Britain's Got Talent, the filthily funny TanyaLee Davis, and incisive comment from Tez Ilyas.

Wednesday December 4

LONDON: Show And Tell, the production company that prides itself on staging cutting-edge comedy is putting on a Christmas special at Bloomsbury Theatre featuring the Mash Report's Nish Kumar, award-winning Bridget Christie, Taskmaster star Phil Wang and always funny Kiri Pritchard-McLean - plus chaotic karaoke from Angelos Epithemiou and provocative host Fin Taylor. All proceeds go to Crisis.

Friday December 6

CAMBRIDGE: Mock The Week's one-linermonger Gary Delaney heads a strong gig at the Jesterlarf club night at the Junction.

Saturday December 7

LONDON: It's former Mock The Week regular Stewart Francis's last stand-up show ever as the creative gag-writer bows out with a swansong at the Eventim Apollo, the culmination of his two-year Into The Punset farewell tour. Tickets here.

Published: 1 Dec 2019