A tight 5: May 22

AMERICAN comic Iliza Shlesinger – a former winner of talent show Last Comic Standing – is to make her UK debut. Her stand-up show Freezing Hot, a version of her Netflix special of the same name, will run at the Soho Theatre from August 17 to 31.

THE line-up has been announced for this year's Balham Comedy Festival – a nine-day event across three rooms at the Bedford pub in South London, which is also home to Banana Cabaret. Harry Hill, Paul Daniels, Barry Cryer and Ed Byrne are among the acts taking part in the event, co-organised by comic John Moloney, from July 10. Listings.

DARA O BRIAIN's School of Hard Sums is being exported to Australia. All three series of the show, originally made for Dave, have been sold to the SBS2 channel.

FORMER model Janice Dickinson is suing Bill Cosby for defamation, saying the comedian hurt her professionally and personally when he accused her of lying when she made accusations that he drugged and sexually assaulted her in 1982. The case could finally test the allegations made against Cosby in court, which are otherwise beyond the statue of limitations.

THE Latitude Festival has announced a raft of additions to its line-up in Southward, Suffolk, from July 16 to 19. Joining the comedy arena are Andrew Maxwell, Jason Byrne and Russell Kane, among others, while QI's Chortle Award-winning No Such Thing As A Fish podcast will be recording an episode there.

Published: 22 May 2015