The best of the week's live comedy

Sunday August 12

LONDON: Jimmy Carr plays the great outdoors... or at least the Regents’ Park Open-Air Theatre with an al-fresco performance of his Best Of, Ultimate, Gold, Greatest Hits tour.

EDINBURGH: It’s the final of the BBC New Comedy Award from 5.30pm tonight, with Helen Bauer, Isa Bonachera, Stephen Buchanan, Mamoun Elagab, Sarah Mann and William Stone gathering in the BBC tent for their shot at the prestigious prize. Mark Watson hosts.

Monday August 13

EDINBURGH: Watson hosts his second talent-hunt climax tonight, as Chortle’s hunt for the funniest students on 2018 culminates at Pleasance One at 10.30pm. After scouring Britain's universities for the finest new comedy talent, those following in the footsteps of Joe Lycett, Simon Bird, Chris Ramsey and Iain Stirling are: Rhiannon Shaw, Ania Magliano and Alex Franklin – all from Cambridge – James Allen and Bexie Archer from Salford; Jamie Dalgleish from Strathclyde University; Lulu Poppelwell from Regents University, London; and James Trickey from Bristol. It’s gonna be a good night… Tickets.

LONDON: Judah Friedlander, a familiar face on various TV shows, not least 30 Rock, makes a return to Soho Theatre for six nights as part of his 2018 world tour. America… Still Number One takes on American political hot potatoes such as racism, sexism, gun control, climate change, and healthcare, and follows his acclaimed Netflix film, America Is the Greatest Country In The United States, which offered a twist on the usual specials in the way it was filmed over several club gigs.

Wednesday August 15

LONDON:Tomm Binns, the creator and star of BBC One’s Hospital People – the vehicle for his hapless DJ alter-ego Ivan Brackenbury, among others – is back with a new show of gag-heavy character comedy, playing the Soho Theatre for four nights.

Thursday August 16

EDINBURGH: There’s a fantastic line-up for a fantastic cause at the New Town Theatre tonight as Reginald D Hunter, Sofie Hagen, Janey Godley, Robin Ince, Mark Thomas and more celebrate the life and work of groundbreaking American comedian Barry Crimmins, and raise money for his widow Helen, who has has had her own health problems, which come with added financial nightmares given the state of US healthcare. The political firebrand and godfather of the Boston comedy scene where so many stand-ups cut their teeth died earlier this year, and Ince has put together this fine bill – and for just a tenner – at The Stand’s New Town Theatre at 10.50pm. Tickets.

Friday August 17

LONDON: You can’t go wrong at Bush Hall tonight. Mock The Week’s oddball one-line maestro Milton Jones is joined by Aisling Bea (whose 15-minute Netflix special comes out in a couple of weeks) and Shappi Khorsandi, with tales from her stint in the I’m A Celebrity jungle.

• Search our full listings for comedy near you using the pull-down menus on the left of this page.

Published: 12 Aug 2018