The week's best live comedy

The best of the week's live comedy, picked from the thousands of events Chortle currently has listed. The first half of the week is dominated by Edinburgh previews almost everywhere, but here's the pick of the rest.

Use our search panel to check our full listings by date and region.

Wednesday July 22

LONDON: Scott Aukerman and Paul F Tompkins bring the Comedy Bang! Bang! All-stars to the UK, performing an improvised version of their monster hit podcast. Opening at Soho Theatre Walthamstow tonight, the circus travels on to Manchester's New Century Hall, the Leeds Glee Club, Bristol's St George, Glasgow's Old Fruitmarket and Vicar Street in Dublin.

LONDON: Christina Pazsitzky, aka Christina P, is probably one of the few comedians with her own cosmetics range. She's also a podcaster and mother of two 'savage' young boys, who often feature in her stand-up. She has two Netflix specials to her name, and stops by the Leicester Square Theatre tonight.

LONDON: The Comedy Store hosts 'a wild night of comedy' for conservation charity Tusk, featuring Catherine Bohart, Bec Hill, Tadiwa Mahlunge and Alfie Dundas.

ST ALBANS: It's the turn of Verulamium Park to host the Comedy Garden marquee this week, with wall-to-canvas-wall A-listers, starting with Josh Widdicombe, Lou Sanders, Rhys James and John Robins tonight, with similarly starry bills all week. St Albans Comedy Garden listings and tickets.

Thursday July 23

MANCHESTER: The Creatures Comedy Festival returns with more than 30 preview shows from now until August 1 including Catherine Bohart, Chris Grace and Paul Foot. Sunday is declared 'Northern Takeover' day with acts from the region such as Rob Auton, Hatty Preston and Eric Rushton. Listings

LONDON: Now in its 32nd year, the Ealing Comedy Festival returns with four nights of top-flight stand-up in Walpole Park, right next to Ealing Studios, the spiritual home of British comedy. For the opening gala, Tom Allen introduces Flo and Joan, Hal Cruttenden, Kae Kurd, Laura Smyth, Neil Delamere. It's back tomorrow and next Thursday and Friday with more big names.

BIRMINGHAM: Kings Heath Comedy Festival is back for a third time, kicking off with a launch show at the Hare and Hounds, with Lindsey Santoro, Josh Pugh and Rosie Jones. Other comics swinging by over the weekend include Rachel Fairburn, Anna Thomas, Dane Buckley and Stuart Goldsmith. More at the website.

DUBLIN: The Paddy Power Comedy Festival again puts its tents up in Iveagh Gardens (with some overspill at Whelan's). A huge array of talent from Ireland and beyond will grace its stages this long weekend, including Foil Arms & Hog, Chris Red, Fern Brady, Larry Dean, Jason Byrne, Dylan Moran and Catherine Bohart. Website.

Friday July 24

LONDON: Before fully taking over from the long-running Banana Cabaret at The Bedford in Balham in September, the good folk at Always Be Comedy are staging a one-off gig with Nish Kumar, Elis James and Helen Bauer.

LONDON: The Soho Theatre Walthamstow is hosting another of its mixed-bill Neon Nights, full of top comedy talent including Alan Davies, Catherine Bohart, Ed Night and Jordan Brookes.

BRISTOL: Simon Amstell launches a tour of his latest bout of intense and funny navel-gazing, I Love It Here, at the Old Vic. The show features dispatches from the Hollywood world he found himself swept up in. Generally, his life is in a good place, comfortably off and enjoying a settled relationship, which may not be good for his art – so thank the comedy gods that the universe has thrown him plenty of unusual experiences to keep him on the back foot, not quite fitting in. Simon Amstell tour dates and review.

Published: 19 Jul 2026