The week's best live comedy

The best of the week's live comedy, picked from the 6,288 events Chortle currently has listed. Use our search panel to check our full listings by date and region.

Sunday October 18

CARDIFF: ​​James Barr tackles the aftermath of an abusive relationship in his stand-up show Sorry I Hurt Your Son (Said My Ex to My Mum) – a performance that was such an Edinburgh Fringe hit that it returned for three years running. Winning praise for laying bare the complexities of queer domestic abuse, it's been sporadically touring since its debut, and begins a new short run of dates at the Wales Millennium Centre tonight. James Barr tour dates

Wednesday October 21

LONDON: Parkinson’s UK's flagship comedy fundraiser Shake With Laughter is returning to the Bloomsbury Theatre, hosted by Gbemi Oladipo and featuring Babatunde Aléshé, Kate Barron, Eddie Kadi, Rob Deering, Hannah Byczkowski, and Elis James. It's especially significant for James as his father lives with Parkinson’s, and the comic has spent a year fundraising for the cause, including a 110-mile cycle ride and running the Hackney Half Marathon.

LONDON: Unhinged dinner ladies from hell Lady Bolognese will be serving up their hilariously twisted clown show at the Soho Theatre from tonight until Saturday – a perfect slice of late-night oddness. Read our four-star review from the Edinburgh Fringe here

Thursday October 22

BRISTOL: Dan Tiernan was nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Award this year for Quartz And All, a show about his unlikely belief in the power of crystals to improve his life and soothe the turbulent brain, which often explodes into furious comedy to put you on edge (in a good way) Dan Tiernan tour dates.

LONDON: Jamali Maddix curates the first of a new comedy-and-musical night at the Hackney Empire. Also on the bill are Guz Khan, Kyrah Gray, Michelle de Swarte, Kurupt FM, grime artist Manga Saint Hilare and DJ Lex Blondi.

MANCHESTER: A strong bill at the Frog and Bucket all weekend features the playful Carey Marx, Canadian art dealer turned comedian Kate Barron and SNL UK writer Omar Badawy.

Friday October 23

LONDON: Another fine night from the Hackney Comedy Experience at Earth features newly crowned Sky Arts comedy award-winner Sam Nicoresti (on the back of a 2025 Edinburgh Comedy Award triumph) alongside A-lister Lou Sanders, Jen Brister, Sarah Keyworth and Toussaint Douglass. Tickets.

BARNSLEY: Manford's Comedy Club brings a good mix of acts to the Lamproom Theatre, with comedy hardman Mad Ron, brilliantly sardonic Michael Fabbri and gregarious Barry Dodds.

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Published: 18 Oct 2026