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Lucy Porter: Be Prepared
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.
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.
WHY? ‘A treat from start to finish’ The Herald
‘Impeccably punch-lined anecdotes… genuinely delightful‘ The Telegraph
Age Guidance 14+ years.
Courtyard Theatre
£16 (£14 conc)
other events you may be interested in
Justin Moorhouse: Northern Joker
These days Justin’s not certain about anything apart from his uncertainty – Brexit looms, it appears the Cold War is being rebooted and that’s before we begin to worry about what’s happening in America…..closer to home he’s starting to feel redundant as a parent.
One kid is leaving home, the dog is getting older and doesn’t need much walking, and the youngest kid hits thirteen and cancels the family subscription to The Beano.
On top of this the golden age of the Northern straight white male comedian has gone the way of the dinosaurs. How will he adapt if he wants to survive? What next for this Northern Joker? What can he talk to his daughter about now she cares little for Dennis the Menace and the Bash St Kids?
Hang on. Perhaps nothing has changed that much. When he was thirteen, the Russians were scary, the White House was a madhouse and he’d never been to Europe anyhow. Thinking back this was when his reading habits changed too, more Dark Knight than Desperate Dan, more Catwoman than Minnie the Minx. Perhaps our heroes never went away….they just waited for us to pick them up again. Perhaps she just needs a different type of comic.
WHY? 'Comedic tour-de-force… brought a tear to a critical glass eye' The Herald
'Simultaneously down-to-earth and out of this world' The List
'The amount of first-rate comic craft that goes into his deceptively simple routines is worthy of admiration' Guardian
Age guidance: 14+ years.
Studio
£14 (£12 conc)
The Scummy Mummies Show
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.
WHY? 'Likeably straight-talking' The Telegraph
'Very funny' The Guardian
'Hilarious' Broadway Baby
Courtyard Theatre
£17
- 1 Nov SOLD OUT
- 22 Nov from £17
Susie Dent presents The Secret Life of Words
Lexicographer - Best Selling Author – Queen of Dictionary Corner
Take a journey into the curious, unexpected, and downright surreal origins of the words we use every day. Susie will retell the adventures that lie hidden within such words as lasagne (involving a chamber pot) and bugbear (a terrorising monster), and explain such oddities as the silent h in ghost and the mysterious disappearance of kempt, gormful, and ruly (and yes, you really can be gruntled). She will look to the lexicon of the past to fill some of today’s linguistic gaps – such as the frenzied fit of tidying we all do just as guests are about to descend (that’s a scurryfunge).
Alongside such forgotten stories you will hear Susie’s selection of the funniest moments from her 25 years on Countdown and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, as well as some startling results from eavesdropping on a group of waiters.
Each evening will include some of Susie’s favourite words from the towns and regions she visits, and she’ll be asking the audience for theirs. In fact, she’ll be welcoming any questions about word origins, usage irritations, the dreaded impact of Americanization, and the very future of our language in her very own ‘word surgery’.
WHY? 'Funny, fact-filled and delightful' Jonathan Ross
'Wonderfully clever and funny... a national treasury from a national treasure Richard Osman
'Susie Dent is a one-off. She breathes life and fun into words' Pam Ayres
Courtyard Theatre
£20
Clinton Baptiste in The Paranormalist Returns
Join paranormal sensation Clinton Baptiste as he takes you on a hilarious yet touching journey through his life, out the other side and beyond the Celestial Curtains.
Clinton Baptiste is the hapless clairvoyant, medium and psychic from Peter Kay’s smash hit Channel 4 TV show Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights. Now, some eighteen years after the show aired, he returns to conjure up his extraordinary powers for a new generation.
Clinton will give readings to the audience, offering advice from beyond the grave. He will predict your future, tell you about your past and all manner of spooky stuff an’ that.
But more, he takes you through his demise, his comeback and finally… finally on this special night, he will attempt to pass over to The Other Side and return (before the venue want you all out)… with THE ANSWER!
‘Hundreds of years ago when man walked the planet he had no real means of communication. In time man developed a phenomena which has never been fully understood by the psychic community. This phenomena is… Clinton Baptiste’ Peter Kay (That Phenomena)
WHY? The world-renowned clairvoyant, medium and psychic is back!
Suitable for ages 14+ years.
Studio
£18
Starring ALEX LOWE, Clinton Baptiste is the copyright of Goodnight Vienna Productions.
Stephen K Amos: Everyman
Stephen K Amos is 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.
WHY? '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
Suitable for ages 16+ years.
Courtyard Theatre
£18
Flo & Joan - Before the Screaming Starts
Following last year’s sell-out shows at the Edinburgh Festival, London's Soho Theatre, national UK tour and at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, musical comedy sisters Flo & Joan have a new hour of their dark and waggish songs to parade about the place.
“These intricately crafted, flawlessly performed numbers will have you howling with laughter one minute,wiping away a tear the next” The Telegraph
‘Their style is stiletto sharp, their diction perfect as they race through their complex rhymes’ Evening Standard
Courtyard Theatre
£14
Sindhu Vee - Sandhog
The Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Newcomer Nominee 2018, heads on tour.
Loving your children, spouse and ageing parents (in that order, please don’t tell my mother) is very hard work, very intense and a lot of the time it sucks. But who wants to live without love? Sindhu is the host of BBC Radio 4’s Comedy of the Week podcast.
WHY? As seen on QI, Have I Got News for You and Alan Davies As Yet Untitled
Courtyard Theatre
£14
- 13 Sep SOLD OUT
Tom Rosenthal: Manhood
Let the beaky boy from Friday Night Dinner (Channel 4) and Plebs (ITV2) tell you the story of how he spent his life trying to avenge the theft of his foreskin.
Previous winner of the Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year and nominated for Best Breakthrough Artist at the British Comedy Awards.
As seen as the drunkest guy on Drunk History (Comedy Central), sassing Chris Ramsey on Roast Battle (Comedy Central) and getting overly competitive in the pub quiz (The Alwyne Castle)
WHY? 'High energy, impressive and precociously smart' The Guardian
'Like a young Mark Watson, he packs in a very high degree of laughs per minute' List
Courtyard Theatre
£17.50 (£15 conc)
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