NextUp Comedy

After a completely sold out and critically acclaimed run at the Edinburgh Festival, Andy is back with his brand new show, Bafflingly Optimistic. We’ve been visited by the Four Horsemen in the form of Disease, Death, War and overpriced Ketchup, so what hope can there be? Andy is Bafflingly Optimistic. 'For those who worry that we are going to hell in a handcart, Parsons will at least make you enjoy the ride' - The i

What have I been doing this past two years? Apart from sitting on the settee in my pyjamas, squeezing my ingrowing hairs whilst watching documentaries on Ted Bundy? I have been staring into space, coming to the terrible realization that maybe my parents were right. I should have listened to them years ago. Why didn't I? But people keep telling me I'll be ok because I'm a strong woman. What does that mean? I survived The Island with Bear Grylls - who knew that would prepare me for what was about to come...

Laura spent 2017 trying to get through therapy, trying the patience of everyone and trying unsuccessfully for a baby. She's done trying now; it's time to laugh. With her winsome charm and effervescent likability Lexx, who describes her condition as "post-natal depression but without the ‘natal’ bit" talks candidly about her mental health - so concerned for the future of the planet she was bringing her hypothetical child into that she became a virtual lock-in. Expect strength and poignancy, with some killer quips about a certain cosmetic retailer and a gripping tale about a pregnant tropical fish named Mary Berry thrown in for good measure.

Evolution is tricky - just ask the dinosaurs. A few years ago, Laura (Chortle Awards nominee) evolved into a full-time wife and comedian. It didn't quite go as planned. Following her smash debut ‘Lovely', Laura aims her trademark comedy kaleidoscope at marriage, feminism, identity and the grinning idiots that built Stonehenge. Indulge in a whirlwind celebration of everything that's right about slowly turning into your mother and everything that's wrong with town criers. 30-something Laura's take on life is infectiously optimistic. Her clever tales of David Attenborough obsessions and dealing with a Daily Mail reading parent ooze with charisma and vibrant charm. Expect quick quips, seamless banter and up-beat anecdotes from a show certain to leave you grinning from ear to ear.

Rob Rouse (Bottom, BBC's Upstart Crow) has performed stand-up since winning So You Think You're Funny? at Edinburgh in 1998. Now, aged 48, he is no more mature. 'Belly laugh funny' (Herald). 'He's a man with genuinely funny bones' (Sunday Times).

The award-winning comedian Alasdair Beckett-King is legendary, in that there is little historical evidence he exists. But he does exist. His debut solo show opens a cabinet of curiosities, tackling the conundrums of impending extinction, archaic axioms, emotional repression and vegan flimflam. Come and see it, please. Winner Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year 2017.

Sea levels have been rising Alasdair’s whole life. But for the first 16 years he was getting taller, so he didn’t notice. Now 6″2, Alasdair Beckett-King is the only comedian brave enough to speak out against that wet bastard: The North Sea. Nevermore is more than an anti-sea diatribe. As a 500 year old man ABK is uniquely poised to draw parallels between the history of the ever- shrinking British Isles, and his own childhood in the swinging 1990s. The multi award- winning stand-up comedian unravels some of life’s shallowest mysteries: What are train guards actually guarding? Why wasn’t Jaws set in County Durham? Does his hair do that on its own?

Hot on the heels of her sell-out Edinburgh Fringe run, Here Comes Trouble is packed with brilliant routines and fantastically embarrassing stories. Audiences can expect razor-sharp observations and scandalous one liners as Jo gets her claws into everything and everyone. From yelling at strangers on trains (and many other places), to discussing ridiculous sexual fantasies and annoying her neighbours, Jo doesn’t mean to cause trouble; she just has the nerve to say out loud what everyone else thinking! This is Jo Caulfield doing what she does best: pure Stand-Up. Just Jo, a microphone, and a bad attitude.

In her award-winning stand-up show, Esther Manito (Live At The Apollo, The Stand Up Sketch Show) looks back at the era of lad mags, landlines and cock-n-ball graffiti. A time where the media said her Middle Eastern heritage was filled with misogynistic men, whereas the West absolutely had (and still has) sexism sorted. Has lad culture really improved? Does 90s Essex have the answers?

One third of the legendary sketch team Pappys, Tom Parry combines all the sweat, tears and metaphorical knee-slides of his recent wedding in this joyous hour. Get some positivity back in your life with Tom's timely celebration of being alive. Caps on, Tops off!

Wife, Mother, Arab, British, Muslim...Esther is on a mission to show you what life is like when you can't meet the expectations of your identity. From battling ridiculous comments online to facing head-on confrontations in person, in this assured and witty debut Esther asks what happens if you decide to reject the role of the Crusader.

Comedian and reluctant online hit, Eleanor Morton presents a brand-new surreal and offbeat stand-up show about goals, trying and failing. In 2020 Eleanor climbed a hill, and that was the only thing she did all year. Sharp, silly stand-up infused with occasional characters and sketch about what it means to fail and keep trying. And climbing hills.

Angela Barnes has good intentions but trying to live your best life, as it turns out, is really bloody hard.

Born in North London, Sonubi discusses his time as a doorman in some of the scariest clubs in London, his career in musical theatre and life as a parent to two young children.

Cool, smart and humble to boot, Archie Maddocks presents a provocative, unflinching hour of life, love, loss and laughs with candid authenticity. Delve into Archie’s deepest, darkest thoughts on toilet technique, kebabs and growing up in London as he exposes his flaws, and interrogates his personal connection to Grenfell Tower.

Justin is back: still funny, yet middle-aged. A brand-new show that may contain: yoga, getting older, Madonna, shoplifters, labradoodles, middle-aged cyclists, The Menopause, running, hating football fans but loving football, not drinking, funerals, 'Is tapas a rip off?', Captain Tom, Droylsden, the environment, self-improvement, ruining a sexual position, electric car charging spots used by doggers, nursery graduation, horses, Stig lookalikes, home-cooked food but not in your own home, the odd advantages of fundamental religions, the gym, shop-door etiquette. And he's got a new suit. Come, it'll be fun.

Debut stand-up hour from sarky Londoner Lily Phillips. Star of The Stand Up Sketch Show (ITV2), Lily's dry, smutty wit made her a [y]2021[/y[ New Comedy Award finalist (BBC One). She wanted to write a show about feminism, but ended up with a bunch of jokes about her dog's vadge. Also seen on BBC Three, All 4, E4 and Comedy Central. Chortle One to Watch 2022, Leicester Square New Comedian of the Year runner-up, Funny Women finalist, and Pleasance Reserve alumnus.

Russell Hicks heads out on his first tour, but not his first rodeo. (Warning: This is a stand up show. NOT a rodeo.) Russell Hicks is here to stay and he really is happy to be here. So, why don’t British People believe him?

In her debut solo show, failed child actor and now successful comedian Lulu Popplewell explores the links between Love Actually, smoking crack, the Daily Mail and sunburn. Is love actually all around? Why is addiction more relatable than recovery? Which drug would Mr Bean be most likely to take? None of these questions satisfactorily answered and more!* A daft, rude and thoughtful hour of jokes, actually. *One song.

Alison loves to do star jumps in the water. She also likes to watch people fight in chip shops. Her two worlds collide as a fight breaks out in aqua-aerobics and she's never felt so alive. When the foam settles, Alison realises she's an outwardly nice person who lives for confrontation.