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

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.

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

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.

The biggest-titted Edinburgh Best Show nominees return in their darkest-ever adventure. Learn the horrifying true story of what happened when Amy and Christopher-Louise decided to hide from their problems on a remote island. As tensions flare and psyches fray, how will Yorkshire's finest meat-themed duo survive?

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.

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.

Jason Byrne is back for more comedy chaos, celebrating 25 years(!) of consecutive touring. Audience Precipitation is a brand-new fun, happy and joyful show from 'the outright king of live comedy' (The Times). Jason has learnt over the past few years that we all need to 'play' a bit more in our lives. With this in mind, Jason will do what he does best: connect with his audience in a way that no other comic can. Expect the Irish funnyman to invite - or drag, as it has been known in the past - people up onto the stage and make a "holy show of them", as they'd say in Ireland. Jason's Audience Precipitation tour will be a laugh-out-loud, must-see show with a light drizzle of audience participation... ooohhh, clever that!

If life is a journey, Zoe’s has had more than its share of potholes and diversions: from diving with sharks, to sitting in a shed in Vietnam with a former health secretary (and discovering that MPs aren’t the only parasites she has to worry about). Navigating the road to happiness can be exhausting and baffling; Zoe’s begun to think that even Wim Hof would prefer to be tucked up with a nice hot water bottle every now and then. But Zoe’s been on that road long enough now that she’s felt a change – not as in the menopause. A real change. If happiness is ending up the best version of yourself, Zoe is finally getting there. She is where she needs to be. She is… werewolf.

The Britain’s Got Talent winner will poke fun at his life living as a disabled person in a post-apocalyptic world as he tries to cope with the fame and fortune since his memorable victory. From the highs of meeting 50% of The Chuckle Brothers to the lows of being called “him off The X Factor”, and everything in between. Lee might not have a Geordie accent yet, and he might still sound like a posh version of Robocop, but his comedy is sure to leave you speechless.

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.

Kiri Pritchard-McLean is back and a lot has happened over the last few years. She's moved back to her home island of Anglesey and gotten some rescue chickens. You can expect jokes about skinny jeans, learning Welsh and white supremacy - something for everyone.

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.

Jason Byrne, half man, half natural disaster. Over the course of his accident-prone life Jason has been rebuilt from the ground up. Bits removed, metal pins, new knee, and an eye that’s been treated, over the years, by the medical profession like a game of Pong. This all culminated last year with heart surgery, twice! He enjoyed it so much he went back for more. Join the most gifted live comedian on the planet as he invites you to laugh at his misfortune. If he tried to say Schadenfreude, he’d probably dislocate his tongue.

Exploring the evolution of the utter moron, Zoe shares her encounters with the many entry level humans on this earth. From domestic life and technology to pop culture and politics, Zoe has an exceptional knack for nailing those crack you up call backs and cleverly crafted observations.

Sikisa is the life and soul, the hostess-with-the-mostess and the party don't start 'til she walks in. Join her for an epic house party and highly anticipated debut hour. Parties are fun... right?

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.

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?

Tom swore he’d never have kids. That didn’t work out. But what a time to do it! Climate change, reality collapse, performative ideology, narcissism and hyper consumption. At least the kid’s poems are going to be multi-layered. Ward takes us on the journey becoming a dad has been taking him, re-tracing his own childhood and teenage years with fundamentalist Christian parents, how he used action films to build his image of masculinity and how to feel about bringing a child into a world you’ve been saying “we’re f**ked!” since he was 7. A bittersweet hour of all that makes life heaven and hell.