The Pin make their West End debut

The week's best live comedy

The best of the week’s live comedy. These are socially-distanced gigs. Check with venues about party size restrictions and any other requirements. Most shows require advance booking. Use the search panel for full listings by date and region.

Sunday December 6

KINGSTON: Adam Kay returns to the West End from Friday with another run of shows based on his experiences as an NHS junior doctor… but tonight (and this afternoon) he’ll be sharing those stories at the Rose Theatre.

Tuesday December 8

LONDON: Pin duo Ben Ashenden and Alex Owen make their West End debut in The Comeback, starting tonight. Based on their 2018 Edinburgh show Backstage, the show is about the warm-up acts for a fading comedy duo’s tour, trying to be spotted by a Hollywood director in the audience. It runs at the Noel Coward Theatre until January 3, with a different celebrity guest joining them each night. Tickets are available here, and here’s a trailer:

Wednesday December 9

LONDON: Tonight, Mischief Theatre, the outfit behind the hit ...Goes Wrong series of shows, should have launched their new magic show, created with Penn & Teller, at Vaudeville Theatre in the West End. That’s now been postponed until October next year, bur in its stead is Mischief Movie Night, in which improvisers from the troupe create a full film based on a genre, location and title suggested by the audience. The show runs through to the end of January and tickets are available here.

Thursday December 10

BOURNEMOUTH: Skilful observational comic Hal Cruttenden and madcap Andy Field, winner of the Chortle Student Comedy Award 2015, are the highlights at Madding Crowd tonight. Get tickets here

Friday December 11

LONDON: There’s a great bill at Up The Creek in Greenwich this weekend with four circuit powerhouses: Adam Bloom, Andrew Maxwell, Barry Castagnola and Carl Donnelly. Tickets for tonight are here, and tomorrow here.

LONDON: Comedian Sooz Kempner and Jerry Springer: The Opera composer Richard Thomas join forces for Wrong Songs For Christmas, a selection of not-so festive numbers being presented at the Hippodrome in Leicester Square tonight.

INVERNESS: The Ironworks spreads some pre-Christmas cheer with a couple of comedy gigs this weekend. Tonight it’s Craig Hill, Gareth Waugh and JoJo Sutherland (Tickets) and on Sunday it’s Daniel Sloss, Kai Humphries, and Ryan Cullen (Tickets)