New tours for Jon Richardson, Mark Steel and Vir Das

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 August 28

EDINBURGH: It’s all over bar the shouting (and crying), and the David Johnson Emerging Talent award, presented tonight at a mixed-bill comedy, cabaret and variety show to celebrate the life of the maverick producer David Johnson who died in 2020. DJ was a fervent supporter of emerging and unique talent and his 'Fringe finds' included Graham Norton and Puppetry of the Penis. This celebration is at Assembly George Square at 6pm and will also feature the presentation of the new £11,000 emerging talent award set up in his honour.

Monday August 29

LONDON: More comedy newbies throw themselves on the mercy of the baying mob as King Gong returns to the Comedy Store.

Thursday September 1

WELLS: The Bishop’s Palace, no less, is the venue for a three-night mini-festival from the organisers of the Somerset city’s annual comedy fest. Headliners are Dylan Moran tonight, David O’Doherty tomorrow and Milton Jones on Saturday – all backed with a top-notch line-up.Listings.

MANCHESTER: Hot on the heels of his Edinburgh Fringe run, Vir Das starts a UK tour of his Wanted show at Manchester’s Home venue. Das has five Netflix specials to his name – with the latest, For India, nominated for an international Emmy – has appeared in Bollywood films and was hailed by Variety magazine as a ‘top 10 comic to watch’. Vir Das tour dates.

ALTRINCHAM: Fresh from the return of his Radio 4 show In Town, Mark Steel kicks off his new tour at the Garrick Playhouse, covering the joys and frustrations of modern life, as well as reprising the story of being brought up in a working-class street in Kent, to discover his natural father was a millionaire backgammon player who was friends with Lord Lucan… plus ‘whatever has happened in the room, in the town or in the world that day’. Mark Steel tour dates

Friday September 2

STOCKPORT: Jon Richardson’s long-awaited, but much-delayed, return to stand-up touring finally gets under way as The Knitwit kicks off at The Plaza. The tour will keep him out of the house - and away from ensuring the recycling is put out on the right day - right through until March. Jon Richardson tour dates.

LONDON: The Headliners comedy club this weekend celebrates 21 years at the George IV pub in Chiswick, with quite the line-up: Alan Davies, Rich Hall and Stephen K Amos. Tomorrow. Hall is joined by Scott Bennett and Dominic Holland.