A tight 5: May 5

AN ECLECTIC shortlist of comics has been drawn up for the Best Comedian award handed out by Kerrang! rock magazine. Up for this year’s gong are Matt Berry, Amy Schumer, Josie Long, Bill Bailey and Louis CK. All its awards will be handed out on June 9.

MEANWHILE, Not Going Out has been nominated for a major international TV award. Lee Mack’s BBC One sitcom is up against America’s Silicon Valley and Big Bang Theory, Canada’s Dumped, Israel’s Little Mom and Belgium’s The Natives in the comedy category of this year’s Banff Rockie Awards. It will be handed out in the Canadian ski resort on June 13.

THE QI team are to release another book of little-known facts this autumn. 1,342 QI Facts To Leave You Flabbergasted, written by John Lloyd, John Mitchinson, James Harkin and Anne Miller, will be published by Faber in October.  (Preorder. The three previous titles have sold a total of 800,000 copies so far.

AMERICAN stand-up Jen Kirkman is returning to the UK with an appearance at the Latitude Festival on July 17, a-six night run at the Soho Theatre from July 18 and a one-night stand at Manchester's Pub/Zoo on  July 24. She has recently published a book entitled I Know What I'm Doing & Other Lies I Tell Myself.

STEWART LEE has become patron of Oxford Playhouse. He was a student in the city, and has performed many times at the venue.

Published: 5 May 2016