The best of the week's live comedy

The best of the week's live comedy, picked from the 6,702 events Chortle currently has listed. Use our search panel to check our full listings by date and region.

Sunday October 20

HALIFAX: The town's comedy festival kicks off a week of 'on tour' events in the surrounding area, starting with Robin Ince's love letter to stand-up, Melons, at the New Roxy, Sowerby Bridge, and a line-up show featuring Britain's Got Talent's Jack Carroll and others at The Cove, Brighouse. Details of all the week's events are here.

Monday October 21

LIVERPOOL: Musical political comedian Steve Gribbin celebrates his 40 years as a stand-up with a gala gig, raising money for Asthma & Lung UK. Gary Delaney, Tez Ilyas, Daliso Chaponda, Justin Moorhouse, Nina Gilligan, Phil Chapman, Kate Tracey and Mick Ferry join him on the excellent bill. And if you're in London he's doing another at the Comedy Store on December 11.

LONDON: Genre-leading sketch troupe Tarot bring their latest show, Shuffle, to the Soho Theatre all week. Kath Hughes, Ed Easton and Adam Drake – plus offstage contributors Kiri Pritchard-McLean and Ben Rouse – meld silliness and cleverness into a raucous hour of comedy. Review

LONDON: Provocateur Fin Taylor plays the West End for the first time, with a performance of his current stand-up show Ask Your Mother! at the Apollo Theatre.. And it's sold out.

Tuesday October 22

LONDON: The Comedy Store hosts the Shake with Laughter benefit to support Parkinson's UK, headlined by Greg Davies and featuring a stirling line-up of comics comprising Catherine Bohart, Olga Koch, Erika Ehler,Huge Davies, Jenny Collier, Tom Price, Gbemi Oladipo and Phil Jerky.

YORK: After more than 80 warm-up dates, Ricky Gervais kicks off his Morality tour proper, with two nights at the Barbican Centre. It's playing arenas before the end of the year - and more dates will be announced – and will end up as a Netflix special. Ricky Gervais tour dates.

Wednesday October 23

WALSALL: Two very different stand-ups at the Arena tonight, with the laser-focussed wordplay of Gary Delaney and the sprawling whimsy of Tony Law, both masters of their own particular brands of stand-up.

LONDON: And a good mix at the Seven Dials Playhouse in Covent Garden, too, with the intensely creative Jordan Brookes, charming raconteur John Tothill, upbeat Yuriko Kotani, cynical Sara Barron and ace storyteller Sarah Kendall.

Thursday October 24

LONDON: The Capital Xtra Comedy Club brings a fundraising night of stand-up to the Hippodrome Casino in Leicester Square. The appealing bill comprises Finlay Christie, Axel Blake, Kae Kurd, Kyrah Gray and Andrew Mensah.

LONDON: Meanwhile, at the Union Chapel in Islington, Russell Howard headlines an NHS fundraiser for the Imperial Health Charity alongside Eddie Kadi, Fatiha El-Ghorri, Michael Akadiri Steve Williams and Tiff Stevenson.

Friday October 25

LONDON: Ronny Chieng, of Daily Show fame as well as his own sitcom International Student and film appearances such as Crazy Rich Asians, comes to the UK for just two performance of his Love To Hate It Tour, at the Palladium tonight (Tickets) and the Theatre Royal Drury Lane tomorrow Tickets.

LONDON: Garry Starr had one of the hits of the Edinburgh Fringe with his literature-inspired show, Classic Penguins, heavy on the silly wordplay (and the nudity) with a very memorable climax. It's at the swanky Underbelly Boulevard in Soho this weekend and next.

Published: 20 Oct 2024