Frankie Boyle: The Last Days of Sodom
The erstwhile Glaswegian comedian has had a tempestuous couple of years: being chastised for his comments on Rebecca Adlington’s appearance, quitting stand-up in 2010, getting his knuckles rapped for quipping about Paralympians and then winning a libel court case last month against the Daily Mirror, which labelled him racist.
Now he’s back on stage with a new show, and it is definitely not going to be for the fainthearted. You have been warned.
Nov 8-11, 7pm, £25
W6 9QH
Tube | Hammersmith
hammersmithapollo.com
Ross Noble: Mindblender
When you lose all of your belongings – Noble’s were destroyed in the bushfires in Victoria in 2009 – it can be difficult: “What if you need to peel a potato?”
This was among the surrealist shit-talker’s ruminations on what for others would have been a traumatic event.
He’s back in town for three free-wheeling nights of flights of fancy, that may or may not end up with plates of meat attached to your head, Cunningham Lindsey or people being bummed in the face, as Noble fans will know.
Nov 29-Dec 1, 8pm, £25
W6 9QH
Tube | Hammersmith
hammersmithapollo.com
Trevor Noah: The Racist
Noah’s been on the stand-up scene for all of five years, but he has already become one of the most talked about young acts on the circuit.
Quickly outgrowing his native SA comedy circle, he wowed at the Fringe and now makes his London debut. With his sharpness of wit and astute commentary, he’s a star in the making – trust us.
Dec 5-Jan 12, 7.30pm, £10+
W1D 3NE
Tube | Oxford Circus
sohotheatre.com
Josie Long: Romance and Adventure
Long’s sixth solo show is about growing up, climbing up a mountain and pretending to be Godzilla.
If you don’t like the sound of that, Long says, use the show’s hour duration “constructively, for your own thoughts”. Quite.
Nov 6-10, 8pm, £12.50
W1D 3NE
Tube | Oxford Circus
sohotheatre.com
Doctor Brown: Befrdfgth
The physical comedian and Foster’s Best Comedy Show Award-winner 2012 brings his madcap clown show to town. Actual genius.
Oct 30-Nov 10, 9.30pm
& Mar 25-Apr 20, 7.30pm, £12+
W1D 3NE
Tube | Oxford Circus
sohotheatre.com
Daniel Simonsen: Champions
A cracking effort on Russell Howard’s Good News shot this Norwegian on the path to fame, with his unique, quiet and confidence-deprived point of view offering a wholly different take on stand-up, and the world.
Jan 29-Feb 2, 7.15pm, £10+
W1D 3NE
Tube | Oxford Circus
sohotheatre.com
Greg Davies: Back of my Mum’s Head
When he’s not berating The Inbetweeners boys as Mr Gilbert, Davies also tours excellent stand-up shows like this (the last was called Firing Cheeseballs At A Dog). Expect mental silliness.
Nov 17-27, 7pm, £20
W6 9QH
Tube | Hammersmith
hammersmithapollo.net
Read more: London comedy – Brand new kick-ass season of live comedy will blow away the winter blues
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Francesca Martinez: What the fuck is normal?
Martinez, who describes her cerebral palsy as “wobbly”, tackles prejudice, ignorance and people’s misguided attempts at political correctness in her quest to illustrate just how bizarre society’s notion of normal is.
An essential, intelligent, challenging and, above all, highly moving show.
Dec 2, 7.30pm, £15
6 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BX
Tube | Leicester Square
leicestersquaretheatre.com
Marcus Brigstocke: The Brig Society
The broadcaster, comedian and actor lays waste to the all-encompassing, mean-nothing banner of the ‘Big Society’ that PM David Cameron and his cronies want us to nurture, as we go about our business hugging hoodies left, right and centre. Topical, satirical, thought-provoking and very, very funny indeed.
Nov 23 & Dec 12, 8pm, £15
Blackheath Halls, SE3 9RQ & Fairfield Halls, CR9 1DG
Stations| Blackheath & East Croydon
marcusbrigstocke.com
Alan Davies: Life Is Pain
The halfwit to Stephen Fry’s genius in TV’s QI, Alan Davies proves himself anything but in this new show, his first stand-up turn in more than a decade.
Childhood, ageing and the cruder aspects of life all come under scrutiny in this depressingly titled new show from this most perceptive and deceptive of performers.
Nov 4 & 12, 7.30pm & 8pm, £25
Richmond Theatre, TW9 1QJ; Hackney Empire, E1 1EJ
Tube | Richmond; Hackney Central
atgtickets.com; hackneyempire.co.uk
Mark Watson: The Information
Write about what you know, that’s the advice, right? The geekish, snappy-chattering Watson took this to heart when someone stole his identity and, swiftly, relieved him of all of his money, too.
He draws on this rather inconvenient and slightly frightening episode for his new show, which considers the information age and our identity, and how the two affect one another.
There are also funny stories, anecdotes and his whimsical way with words, of course.
Nov 28-29, 7.30pm, £15
6 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BX
Tube | Leicester Square
leicestersquaretheatre.com
Jo Brand
The fiery feminist of the Nineties has mellowed somewhat in recent years, embracing motherhood and family life, but her razor-sharp wit has blunted none.
She appears at this 15×15 spoken word series (five speakers, 15mins each) at The Tabernacle in Notting Hill on Nov 19 and then does a full gig in Kingston on Nov 24.
Nov 17 & 24, 6.15pm & 7.30pm, £12+
W11 2AY; KT1 1HL
Stations | Ladbroke Grove, Kingston
tabernaclew11.com; rosetheatrekingston.org
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Judith Lucy: Nothing Fancy
The Aussie comedian with 20 years of writing, performing and making people laugh themselves to death, returns to London with Nothing Fancy, which is, as the name suggests, unabashed, pure, straightforward one-woman-and-a-mic stand-up.
Nov 19-Dec 1, 9pm
W1D 3NE
Tube | Oxford Circus
sohotheatre.com
Mark Little: The Bullshit Artist
Back with a new show, which he tested earlier this year in London before taking it up to the Fringe, Mark Little (Joe Mangel from Neighbours to a generation of Aussie soap aficionados) returns to the stand-up stage to reflect on the younger generation, why intellect became taboo, and to generally illustrate where and how the world could be pointed back in a better direction. It’ll be warm, humorous, intelligent and full of his easy-going charm.
Nov 10, 8pm, £16
WC1H 0AH
Tube | Euston Square
thebloomsbury.com
Brendon Burns: Home Stretch Baby
The former rock ‘n’ roll comic embraces the advent of middle age.
Nov 12-17, 9.30pm, £10+
W1D 3NE
Tube | Oxford Circus
sohotheatre.com
The Boy With Tape on his Face
Kiwi Sam Wills brings his hit mime and prop show to the London stage for a three-week run – the loudest jokes are not always the best.
Dec 18-Jan 5, 7.30pm, £20
Duchess Theatre, WC2B 5LA
Tube | Covent Garden
nimaxtheatres.com
Alexei Sayle
The Marxist scouser who spearheaded the alt-comedy scene in the Eighties (and fought with The Young Ones compatriot Ben Elton remorselessly) returns to stand-up after 16 years.
He eased back into it with a series of low key Presents… type shows at the start of this year, and has been out on the road of late testing new material around the country for this London stint. All hail the return of the king!
Jan 21-Feb 9 (not Jan 27 & 28, Feb 3 & 4), 7.30pm
W1D 3NE, £15+
Tube | Oxford Circus
sohotheatre.com
Chris Tucker
The man who, along with Jackie Chan, made Rush Hour an unexpected movieland hit, returned to the stand-up stage from which he began his career last year and continues his world tour at the Apollo.
As anyone who saw his grating turn in Luc Besson’s The Fifth Element sci-fi turkey can testify, Tucker has a shouty, loud and totally unavoidable presence, which he will no doubt thrust in the face of the restrained and reserved British audience.
Michael McIntyre this is not.
Nov 24 & 25, 7pm, £39
W6 9QH
Tube | Hammersmith
hammersmithapollo.net
Read more: London comedy – Brand new kick-ass season of live comedy will blow away the winter blues
Photos: Getty; Andrew McColl; ShotgunPictures
