The best of the week's live comedy

The best of the week's live comedy, picked from the thousands of events Chortle currently has listed. Use our search panel to check our full listings by date and region.

Sunday January 8

BURY ST EDMUNDS: There's a varied mix of styles at the Fat Cat comedy club at the Apex tonight with rapping comic Joe Jacobs, silly prop clowns Raymond & Mr Timpkins Revue and the enjoyably droll stand-up of Michael Fabbri.

Monday January 9

BRISTOL, BIRMINGHAM AND BATH: Belly Laughs is a series of gigs set up by comic Mark Olver in his Bristol hometown in 2018, helping indie food and drink businesses pull punters in a traditionally quiet month while raising money for charity. And this year it's not only back, but expanded into two other cities, too. Tonight's shows are at The Ox in Birmingham, Bandook in Bath and The Church in Birmingham. For tickets for the gigs across the next two weeks, visit Yuup.

LONDON: Emmanuel Sonubi begins a three-night run of his show Emmancipated at the Soho Theatre ahead of a UK tour this year. It tells of how he went from being a doorman in some of the scariest clubs in London to a career in musical theatre, as well as his upbringing with five older sisters and his life now as a parent himself. Emmanuel ​Sonubi tour dates

Tuesday January 10

LONDON: Sketch trio Sheeps bring their misleadingly titled greatest hits show Ten Years, Ten Laughs to the Soho Theatre for the next couple of week. Daran Johnson, Liam Williams and Alastair Roberts actually first performed at the Edinburgh Fringe together 12 years ago, while this show offers a typically mischievous twist on the compilation format.

Wednesday January 11

LONDON: Fresh from a much-extended New York run, Alex Edelman brings his show Just To Us to the Menier Chocolate Factory in London Bridge for a run that lasts until the end of February. The cracking narrative revolves around the time Edelman, a Jewish comedian, infiltrated a meeting of white supremacists in the Big Apple

Thursday January 12

GLASGOW:Triple Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee Josie Long kicks off her 2023 tour, Re-Enchantment, in her adopted home town. Inspired by a quote from feminist writer Lola Olufemi – 'after defeat, re-enchantment is necessary' – the show promises Long's ' trademark blend of humanity, compassion, and probably some brief political rants. After tonight's gig at The Stand, come 38 more dates, taking her through to September. Josie ​Long tour dates

LIVERPOOL: Professional stick-in-the-mud Jon Richardson kicks off the second leg of his Knitwit tour with two nights at the Philharmonic Hall. Jon ​Richardson tour dates

LONDON: Emily Wilson shares the story of her experience as a finalist on The X Factor USA at the age of 15 in her one-woman show Fixed, which starts a nine-night run at Soho Theatre tonight. Nominated for best newcomer at last year's Edinburgh Fringe, the comedian offers an hilarious howl of rage against the celebrity machine, more angry and entertaining that you might expect. Review

Friday January 13

GUILDFORD: Lucy Porter starts her new tour - described as 'comedy for middle-aged women and anyone who loves them'- with two nights at G Live. According to the blurb, Wake-Up Call is also 'an antidote to toxic positivity', instead revelling in healthy cynicism and the realisation that all life's achievements are meaningless, and that life is just one long banquet of disappointments on the way to the sweet release of death. Cheery! Lucy ​Porter tour dates

LONDON: A fantastic bill at Headliners out in Chiswick, with master absurdist Milton Jones, former British Comedian Of The Year Jeff Innocent, dryly offbeat Boothby Graffoe and circuit stalwart Paul McCaffrey. Tickets

Published: 8 Jan 2023