LAUGHING MATTERS
SHARON LOUGHER ROUNDS UP THE BEST OF THIS WEEK’S COMEDY SHOWS...
ANDREW MAXWELL
He didn’t make it too far in last year’s I’m A Celebrity, but comedian Andrew Maxwell (right) never fails to win over fans on stage – where he routinely warms the cockles with some sharp-as a-tack political and social commentary wrapped up in rip-roaring everyman storytelling. He won’t have wild tales of parties, speed boats and prison gigs this time around, but he’ll have plenty to say about the madness of locked-down 2020 — and surely that beard? Tomorrow, , nextupcomedy.com/andrewmaxwelllive
THE CABARET OF DANGEROUS IDEAS
As anyone who has witnessed anything involving Robin Ince and Brian Cox knows, academics and comics invariably make excellent bedfellows. That pair of prolific noodlers won’t be present here, but you should expect the same edifying snap crackle and pop as various boffins from around the country, thrown together by the University of Edinburgh, and marshalled by irrepressible comic Jojo Sutherland (left), consider bracing topics such as the beautiful game and ‘My neighbour hacked my toothbrush’.
Saturday, thestand.co.uk
THE THURSDAY SHOW
Surviving the stay-at-home is all about routine, and we’ve enjoyed this regular Thursday evening hit of free chat, videos and topical comedy from the varied mix that is Dave Chawner (far right), Vladimir McTavish (right) and Jay Sodagar. Awardwinning comic and mental health campaigner Chawner offers the most human n touch, while McTavish and Sodagar provide the satire and political edge. Catch them on Twitch, YouTube and Facebook Live. Tonight, eventbrite.co.uk
DOT. DOT. DOT
Lockdown is perfect fodder for Daniel Kitson: the comedian turned storyteller is breathtaking at turning life’s minutiae into an emotional roller-coaster ride. Tonight he continues his tour of poignantly empty theatres by live-streaming his latest show Dot. Dot. Dot. from Manchester’s Home. Expect a consideration of everything 2020, from handwashing to sourdough, experienced at an absurdly inconsequential safe distance. Tonight, danielkitson.com
TIM KEY
If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to be trapped inside the brilliantly surreal mind of Tim Key for days on end, then wonder no more. Here he presents, with his usual faux pomp, A Deeply Reflective Piece About Lockdown And The Nature Of Solitude. If you’ve read his new lockdown book (entitled He Used Thought As A Wife), expect mischievous spoof poetry, linguistic gymnastics and daft non-sequiturs hewn from conversations via Zoom, phone and the ‘yelled heart-tohearts from kitchen window to pavement’. We’ve all been there. Sun, 8pm, dice.fm