Chelsea Handler, Patton Oswalt, Josh Johnson and the rest of the week's live comedy picks

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 May 18

BRIGHTON: The Fringe continues all week. Today's pick is Simon Evans – who has already made a Radio 4 series on accessible economics – talk about the friendship between Scottish Enlightenment luminaries Adam Smith and David Hume at the Rotunda at 5pm. But there's plenty to pick from - check out the Brighton Fringe website

Thursday May 22

LONDON: Patton Oswalt, the Emmy and Grammy-award-winning US comedian is heading to the Union Chapel for one night of what's billed as 'apocalyptic, pop culture comedy'. 'He’s older, way less wise, and going through some stuff - come see the hilarious train wreck,' say promoters. He's got a string of TV, movie and voiceover credits including The King of Queens, The Goldbergs, Ratatouille and The Sandman and is performing stand-up as he comes to London to appear at MCM Comic Con to promote his Minor Threats, and upcoming comic book he co-wrote. Tickets

LONDON: Clapham Grand hosts a Stand-Up For Ukraine fundraiser full of top-flight comedy talent including James Acaster, Larry Dean, Maisie Adam, Rachel Parris, Slim and more. Amazingly, it's not quite sold out yet

BELFAST: Kilkenny's Cat Laughs Festival is on the move, with gigs across Belfast (kicking off a weekend of shows tonight with Colin Murphy, Peter Rethinasamy, Dan Tiernan and Susie McCabe at the Lyric Theatre's studio space), Derry and Castlebar before its big weekend in its home town starting on May 30. website

Friday May 23

WARWICK: Warwick Castle hosts the biggest open-air comedy festival in the Midlands across the weekend. Tonight's bill features the likes of Adam Rowe and Seann Walsh; tomorrow it's Frankie Boyle, Helen Bauer and more, with Paul Smith and Tez Ilyas among those closing the event on Sunday. Full line-ups and tickets.

LONDON: American comic Josh Johnson performs his first ever UK shows at Soho Theatre Walthamstow tonigth and tomorrow. He is a correspondent on The Daily Show where he was previously a writer, and has nearly 4 million followers across his social media channels – this year alone, Josh has released over 24 hours of stand-up online.

MANCHESTER: Comedian, television host and best-selling author Chelsea Handler comes to the UK, with shows at the Bridgwater Hall tonight, London Palladium tomorrow and Glasgow Pavilion on Sunday. The tour is called A Broad Abroad and she says she's seeking a foreign husband so she can escape the US, explaining: 'I have never been more enthusiastic about finding love abroad.'

WELLS: The city's comedy festival returns for another packed weekend, including Rosie Jones, Glenn Moore, Edinburgh Comedy Award winners Amy Gledhill and Joe Kent-Walters, and Simon Amstell making his Wells debut and star of Taskmaster, Trip Hazard and Live at the Apollo star Rosie Jones returns with a brand new work-in-progress show. Ge the full line-up from its website

Saturday May 24

CAMBRIDGE: The city's fringe festival returns for a sixth edition of the comedy festival after first launching in 2018. This year around 100 acts - including Jordan Brookes, Ania Magliano, Ria Lina, Nick Helm and Spencer Jones – will be performing shows at four venues: The Portland Arms, Boathouse, Thirsty and Waterman. Full details of the line-up are at https://www.cambridgefringe.co.uk/

Published: 18 May 2025