It’s easy to feel angry when mad talking heads and evil officials are looking for any slight difference of opinion to plough open and exploit. We need an everyman to bring people together using the most powerful tool we have: comedy. We need Stephen K Amos.

He’s on a mission to bring about world peace. Or, to at least bring about an evening of peace, one venue at a time. In an age when arguments are started over everything from politics to bendy straws, Stephen is rising above the anger to remind us of what we have in common.

Bringing achingly funny anecdotes, hilarious takes on the everyday and his infectious charm, Stephen K Amos will warm your cold, stiffened hearts. Join together with your fellow man and experience the universal language of laughter.

"Comedy at its purest and richest form." The Advertiser  ★★★★★

"Amos has the sort of commanding presence and confidence that could only have come from years of working the circuit."  Arts Hub ★★★★

'One of the most likable figures in British comedy' Radio Times

‘Much loved King of stand-up’ North West End ★★★★

Join comedians Ellie Gibson and Helen Thorn as they celebrate the scummier side of parenting, from drinking wine at teatime to hiding from the PTA. Expect stand-up, sketches, songs, and some very scummy stories. Guaranteed to make parents laugh and non-parents happy about their life choices.

Based on the hit Scummy Mummies podcast and best-selling book. As seen in The Sunday Times and heard on Radio 4.
 
"Likeably straight-talking" - The Telegraph
"Very funny" - The Guardian
"Hilarious" - Broadway Baby
 
Instagram @scummymummies
Twitter @scummymummies
Facebook @scummymummiespodcast

Doors: 7.30pm, Begins 8pm

The Buster Keaton Picture Show sees acclaimed instrumental group Haiku Salut perform an original, contemporary live score to Buster Keaton's 1926 comedy classic The General.

Commissioned by Nottingham Contemporary as part of the BFI's Comedy Genius season, Haiku Salut's score combines electronica, folk, post rock, and neo-classical elements to cast The General in a new dramatic light.

The General was described by Orson Welles as "the greatest comedy ever made, the greatest Civil War film ever made, and perhaps the greatest film ever made", and is one of the last major films of the silent era.

The film is based on a true incident - the Great Locomotive Chase - with The General of the title referring to engineer Johnnie Gray's (Keaton) engine. Gray has been rejected by both the Confederate Army and by his fiancée Annabelle but when Union spies steal the General (and unwittingly, Annabelle), he gets a chance to prove his heroism by catching up with The General and rescuing his beloved. In this ambitious production, Keaton performs all his own stunts using his incredible comic timing and body language to create hilarious, near perfect entertainment.

Haiku Salut perform to Cohen Media's stunning 4K restoration of The General.

"Spearheading the BFI's Buster Keaton season is this 4K restoration of his 1926 masterpiece, a jaw-plunging blend of physical dexterity and bravura moviemaking."­ Total Film
"The pioneering genius of Buster Keaton's 1926 silent film The General looks even more startling than ever Šmore or less invented the action movie."­ The Guardian
"Haiku Salut are a singular musical force." ­ Mojo

The Buster Keaton Pictureshow was created and commissioned by Nottingham Contemporary's The Screen at Contemporary and supported by BFI Comedy Genius Season.

‘Bring Your Own Book' is the debut comedy festival show from Leicester's newest improvised comedy group. Specialists in storytelling, Tiny Stories will treat you to a night of tales made up on the fly, fables pulled from thin air, and if you bring your favourite book, they'll retell it in a way you couldn't possibly forget.

Nominated for Improv Group of the Year by Phoenix Remix.

"I'm exhausted with mirth."

"A wonderfully weird, funny and delightful show."

Celebrating his twentieth anniversary as a comedian living and performing in the UK, Reginald D Hunter returns to the Festival with his 2019 tour show ‘Facing The Beast'. Brutally honest and often considered to be controversial, but always meticulously thought out, and he has never been afraid to face challenging issues head on even when the focus is on his own principles or beliefs.

"Flying in the face of received opinion in a way that is simply exhilarating" *****Times
"Compelling onstage charisma. He remains a towering presence in absolute control." ****Evening Standard

Further acts to be announced

Jason Byrne returns with his brand-new show, Wrecked But Ready. After 23 consecutive years Jason is wrecked but he is as ever ready (which is a battery, but he's more Duracell than Eveready). In particular the past year has been extremely testing for the wrecked Jason, but despite all this is he's waiting to spill it out on stage. No one show is the same, expect all the usual spontaneous fun, come along and witness

‘The outright King of live comedy' - The Times.

Three-time Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee and very-hard-to-pin-down-indie-underdog-nightmare Josie Long is back with a brand new show after a brief hiatus, during which she had a baby and so on.

It's about the mind-bending intensity of new motherhood, but mostly about kindness, gentleness, and joy - all in all, the edgiest thing you will see this year. The aim is for you to come out of it feeling optimistic about the future, although that is a big ask. At the very least there will be some really silly voices in it, and that's not nothing.

★★★★ Times "Brilliantly evocative, an original and unflagging spirit."
★★★★★ Broadway Baby "She's the consummate comedian. A wonderful talent."
★★★★ Times "Josie Long has long been a favourite...brilliantly evocative, an original and unflagging spirit."
★★★★  Chortle " Instils her audience with a positive, feelgood feeling"
★★★★ Time Out "An absolute delight"
★★★★ Guardian
★★★★ Metro

Thus far, Paul has lived his life content in the understanding that stability and emotional happiness were lovely ideas but not really for him. Nonetheless, several decades of cheerfully bearing boozy witness to the narratives of others can slowly change a man. And so can a prosecco-fuelled Christmas.

"One of our most thoughtful and enjoyable comedians" Times
"This is what a good stand-up should be. Hilariously funny, passionate and articulate." Chortle
"Makes you realise the power of stand-up comedy and the respect it deserves as an art form." Yorkshire Post

Rose d'Or Award winner for radio comedy, Chortle Award winner and Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee, Paul is a familiar voice on radio, appearing on Just A Minute, The News Quiz and Fighting Talk. On television, Paul has recently appeared on QI, Would I Lie to You? and Taskmaster. 

A lifetime of curiosity and learning informs Paul's comedy and this has led to another career, as a general knowledge expert on the ITV quiz show, The Chase.

Age Guidance 18+

THE 2019 EDINBURGH FRINGE SELL-OUT HIT

Following a sell-out 2018 tour, and fresh from a 2019 Edinburgh Fringe run that sold out in advance, Phil ‘Philly Philly Wang Wang' Wang is back on tour with his newest show.

Phil has made a name for himself (that name being Phil Wang) exploring sex, romance, politics, and his mixed British-Malaysian heritage with shows that delight in his unique Wang brand of smart and silly. This one is about morality and the modern sense of self. Swell! 

As seen on Taskmaster, Live at the Apollo and Netflix.

‘This is intoxicating stuff' ★★★★
Telegraph

'Stand-up dreamland' ★★★★
Guardian

★★★★             
Times 

★★★★             
Metro

Can they become Pacifist of the United Kingdom Unite champions?! What will happen when the glory fades?! Join the Turville Militant Pacifists and be witness to their rise and fall in the high stakes game of Pacifism!

Part two of this hilarious double bill!  Join us for part one just before and save - only £10 for the whole evening!

Focus returns! Keeping it PG we're bringing you the highs, the ‘awks', the sickkkk and the salty from the eyes of young people! A night with a mixed bill of stand up, sketches and a chance to witness the up and coming talent Leicester has to offer!

Mirth meets murder in the world's daftest whodunnit.

Following a five-star sell-out run at Edinburgh Fringe, CSI: Crime Scene Improvisation returns to Leicester with a rip-roaring crime comedy made up entirely on the spot. A fully improvised, witty and absurd murder mystery.

No one knows who the killer is; not even the cast!

"A novel idea, executed superbly" ***** (The Wee Review)

Travel and Comedy In The Danger Zone

Dom Joly is best known as the creator of Trigger Happy TV and now the writer and broadcaster is undertaking his first UK tour since 2011, giving fans a rare opportunity to see him live. Dom will be talking about his exploits as a serial globe-trotting and seeker of dangerous travel spots. From North Korea though the Congo and Syria to Chernobyl, he's visited some of the most unusual places on the planet. Joly famously attended school with Osama Bin Laden and armed with a trusty Powerpoint, fans can expect his holiday snaps to provide comedy and a sense of danger. The best-selling author will meet fans after the show to sign copies of his latest book, The Hezbollah Hiking Club.

The time is 4.17pm.
No-one is dressed yet.
Civilisation has collapsed.
Law and order has broken down.
The kids are high on sugar.
The adults have lost control.
Every conversation is an argument.
The coffee has run out.
A child scribbles on the wall.
Someone spills a drink.
Everyone is shouting.
This is Toddlergeddon.

Join award-winning comedian and bestselling author Sam Avery (AKA The Learner Parent) for an evening of hilarious stand up, brand new for 2020. How do you raise a toddler with more attitude than Kanye West? Can you negotiate effectively with a pre-schooler who knows you're clueless? And will any of us survive Toddlergeddon?

'Quick wit and painfully funny' METRO
'A gifted storyteller' THE LIST

After three hugely successful BBC series as Lee Nelson, multiple sell-out tours and various court appearances following world-famous stunts on Theresa May, Sepp Blatter, Donald Trump, Kanye West and Britain's Got Talent, the award-winning comedian unleashes his funniest creation yet... himself!

Fresh from a critically-acclaimed, sell-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Simon takes his debut stand-up show 100% Simon Brodkin on a nationwide tour.

One of The Guardian's ‘Top Shows At The Fringe'
One of The Evening Standard's ‘Best Comedy Shows at The Fringe'
"A sublime piece of comedy" The List
"Sky-high gag rate" Metro
"Hilarious" The Scotsman

Berk's Nest, in association with Casarotto Ramsay & Associates, presents

Arabella Weir: Does My Mum Loom Big In This?

‘Comedy gold' – Guardian

The mother of all confessional shows from the bestselling author and star of The Fast Show and Two Doors Down. Does My Mum Loom Big In This? is for everyone who's had a mother or been a mother, featuring hair-raising hilarious true stories from Arabella's dysfunctional childhood and her life as a single working mother. Devastatingly funny, excruciatingly honest and definitely embarrassing for all of Arabella's relatives, not to mention herself, this is a helter-skelter tour of appalling – and appallingly funny – maternal behaviour.

"Arabella Weir has a unique knack of making appalling (and true) stuff funny" – Sandi Toksvig
"Arabella Weir is simply sensational" – Joanna Lumley
"She's a mother, she's a comedy godmother, and her show is mother******* marvellous" - Miranda Hart
"Mirth, motherhood, misery. Arabella is brilliantly funny in her new show" - Paul Whitehouse

TV favourite Lucy returns with another fantastic stand-up show.

At Brownies, Lucy thought she'd be prepared for anything as long as she had her emergency 10p for a phone box, and knew how to tie a Fisherman's knot.Life turned out to be slightly more complicated than Brown Owl let on.

‘A treat from start to finish' - The Herald
‘Impeccably punch-lined anecdotes... genuinely delightful‘ - The Telegraph

Recent TV includes Would I Lie to You, QI and Impossible, she's a regular on Radio 4's News Quiz and The Now Show.
 
Recommended age 14+

In his new show 50 Things About Us Mark Thomas combines his trademark mix of storytelling, standup, mischief and really, really well researched material to examine how we have come to inhabit this divided wasteland that some of us call the United Kingdom.

Mark picks through the myths, facts and figures of our national identities to ask who do we think we are?

It is a show about money, history, songs, gongs, wigs, unicorns, guns, bungs, sods of soil and rich fuckers.

And how we have so much feeling for such a hollow land.

(In the vein of the Manifesto meets a sweary history channel)

50 Things About Us is also a podcast (coming out in September) and a book published by September Publishing in February 2020 and an art exhibition... in Liverpool January 2020.

Little Wander Proudly Presents:

Multi award winning comedian Kiri Pritchard-McLean (Have I Got News for You, Live at the Apollo, 8 out of 10 Cats, Frankie Boyle's New World Order) is back with her fourth full length show. Previous shows have seen her tackle structural racism, sexism, child grooming, adoption and emotional abuse so what seemingly unfunny subject has she picked to turn into laughs this year? Chernobyl? The shrinking size of creme eggs? No, empathy. Which sounds fine actually but maybe not the way Kiri tackles it. 

Kiri thinks that we live in a time where empathy is seen as a weakness like asthma or being first to pull away from a handshake. But why is that? Surely what we need in these divided times is more empathy? So Kiri is off on a search to find a group of people who she struggles to empathise with, what could this mean.....? Well, it means she's spent the last year talking to non offending paedophilles on the internet. Yup, her search history is a disaster. So, come and see her make the impossible hilarious or possibly get arrested.  

★★★★★ - The independent 
"An impressive comic, making powerhouse standup from the thorniest of subjects" - The Guardian

Age Guidance: 16+ years

Photo credit Kayla Wren

Robert White, that gay autistic keyboard-wielding comedian who you've almost forgotten from Britain's Got Talent 2018, fresh off the heels of his debut tour last year, brings you his unique form of musical stand-up in a laugh packed hour, but this time with a little more edge, a little more personal revelation and a whole new tank top. Just him, some jokes, some songs, a keyboard and maybe a personal trouble or comedic treat, or two.

Robert is probably the only Asperger, dyslexic, cross lateral, gay, quarter-Welsh, webbed-toed comedian on the circuit...probably. This Edfringe White brings you more of the fun you saw on telly.... plus lots of extra naughty bits.

"Pitch-perfect delivery...Just brilliant" ★★★★ Chortle
"Jaw-dropping riot" ★★★★ The List
"Robert White tries hard – and spectacularly succeeds" ★★★★ ThreeWeeks

Mr P has been a primary school teacher for over 12 years. He still works part-time in school and leads training in schools all over the UK and beyond. From sharing ideas and funny insights into life in the classroom he has now become the most followed teacher on social media in the UK.

A year ago, alongside his younger brother (who also works in school) he started a podcast - Two Mr Ps in a Podcast. In a year, it has been the number one education podcast and amassed over 350,000 listeners.

Sharing funny stories from the front line of teaching, this live show will see the Two Mr Ps reminiscing on their own school days and looking at the wonderful and hilarious world of education. Anyone who went to school will enjoy and relate to this brilliant new show.

The brand-new stand-up show from the star of The Tez O'Clock Show (Channel 4), TEZ Talks (BBC Radio 4) and the multi-award-winning Man Like Mobeen (BBC Three).

Join Tez as he uses his trademark silly, smart and subversive approach to pit ordinary people against the establishment.

Expect huge laughs, groans and shocks as Tez confronts the state of the world with his cheeky, provocative flair.

★★★★ ‘Radiantly entertaining' The Times.
★★★★ ‘Blackburn's Chris Rock' The Guardian.
★★★★ ‘Tez Ilyas's political stand-up takes serious talent to pull off' The Telegraph.

Double Edinburgh Comedy Award-nominee and star of Live At The Apollo returns with a brand new hour of "confessional storytelling at its funniest" (Herald ★★★★★).  As seen on Michael McIntyre's Big Show, Mock The Week and Roast Battle. "Destined to become a household name" Telegraph ★★★★

Nominee for Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Show 2018.
Winner of the Amused Moose Comedy Award for Best Show 2016.
Nominee for Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Newcomer 2015.