John Bishop goes back to where it all started...

The best of the week's live comedy

The best of the week's live comedy, picked from the 6,851 events Chortle currently has listed. Use our search panel to check our full listings by date and region.

Sunday October 12

MANCHESTER: It's the final day of the Women in Comedy Festival, with shows from the likes of Ola Labib, Beth Black and Laura Lexx, who's doing a work in progress. All today's shows.

Monday October 13

MANCHESTER: John Bishop's out on tour with 25 – marking the quarter-century since he first wandered into the Frog & Bucket during a relationship break-up and decided to give stand-up a bash as part of the open mic night that just happened to be on. It's a story that, remarkably, has just been turned into the Bradley Cooper film Is This Thing On? Bishop plays much bigger venues now, of course… except tonight when he's back at the Frog for a trip down memory lane. It's long sold out, but Bishop's other tour dates are here.

LONDON: One of the breakouts of this year's Edinburgh Fringe, Ada and Bron present a catalogue of doomed romances in their wonderful distinctive two-person sketch show The Origin of Love. It's now at the Soho Theatre all week. Our four-and-a-half star review

Wednesday October 15

MARGATE: Lively Australian comedian Lou Wall hits the road with their mischievous multimedia show Breaking The Fifth Wall, all about how much truth can be bent in the name of comedy… all based on their story about trying to flog a bed frame on Facebook Marketplace, the video of which, below, was viewed more 50 million times in 48 hours. Lou Wall review and tour dates.

LONDON: Ed Byrne, Joe Pasquale, Marcus Brigstocke and Russell Howard are among the act raising money for The Felix Project in the Laugh Till It Hurts benefit at the Bloomsbury Theatre.

Thursday October 16

ST LEONARDS ON SEA: Phil Nicol is embarking on his first live tour in seven years with a greatest hits show entitled Trying My Best, promising songs such as You Can't Stay That To Me and his Corky & The Juice Pigs classic Only Gay Eskimo as well as madcap routines and stories about Phil's life as a Canadian in the UK, the frustrations of modern-day transport, and the English sense of humour and proclivity for alcohol. Phil Nichol tour dates.

LEICESTER: Local promoters Jokes On Us celebrate their 10th birthday with a fine gag at the Real Ale Classroom, featuring Edinburgh Comedy Award winner Ahir Shah, the intense Dan Tiernan, and Russian comic Olga Koch.

KINGSTON: The Arthur Cotterell Theatre in Kingston College hosts a benefit in aid of the Momentum Children's Charity, supporting families with seriously ill children. Harriet Kemsley, Mark Thomas, and Lucy Porter will all be hosted by Erich McElroy. Tickets.

Friday October 17

BRIGHTON: The three spaces in the Dome are hosting a nine-day comedy festival of stand-up, improv, podcasts, workshops, and family-friendly comedy. Tonight's line-up comprises Jen Brister, Rob Newman and the aforementioned Lou Wall, while tomorrow there's'a big gala show with TV faves Amy Gledhill, Ed Gamble, Rhys James and Celebrity Traitors star Lucy Beaumont, Brighton Dome comedy listings.

LASGOW: Adam Rowe and Dan Nightingale of the madly successful Have A Word podcast perform an hour each at the Garage tonight.

Saturday October 18

LONDON: Nina Conti and Shenoah Allen introduce the first of a number of screenings of their film Sunlight at the Hackney Picturehouse. In it, Allen – of the Pajama Men double act – plays Roy, whose attempt to end his life fails when Jane (Conti) a woman dressed in a monkey suit intervenes, sparking an unconventional road trip movie. Christopher Guest of This Is Spinal Tap was executive producer and there are a number of other screenings around the UK listed here.