My girlfriend's favourite comedian Josh Widdicombe is out and about tonight. The Last Leg co-host is one of the performers taking part in a benefit for MS at the Leicester Square Theatre. Also appearing are Seann Walsh, Romesh Ranganathan, Katherine Ryan, Nathan Caton, Ivo Graham, Dave Fulton, and Elliot Steel. Widdicombe and Walsh are very much comedy's next big things, with numerous TV pilots in the pipeline between them. Ranganathan, who only won the Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year Final in 2013, is not far behind and Katherine Ryan is getting better all the time. A very good bill of guaranteed laughs. If camp comedy is more your bag spoof trolley dolly Pam Ann is at the same venue for most of the month.
On Thursday there is another medium-sized benefit in London, with Bridget Christie, Kevin Eldon, Henning Wehn, Miles Jupp, Shazia Mirza, Simon Munnery and some old codger called Stewart Lee at the Bloomsbury in aid of Glioblastoma brain tumour research. Christie is on a roll following her recently Chortle Awards victory, while Lee has been gathering critical plaudits for his BBC2 series. Good to see comedy genius Kevin Eldon out and about too – sadly it doesn't look like his BBC2 TV series has been recommissioned.
Also at the Bloomsbury on Friday and Saturday is Andrew Lawrence, who has made his name as a comedy curmudgeon with a terrifically dark turn of phrase. In the past he has shared the misanthropy niche with Frankie Boyle, but with the Scottish comedian showing signs of mellowing recently Lawrence may now have the grumpy step all to himself. And finally from Friday, South African star Marc Lottering is at the Soho Theatre. Lottering has been making regular trips to the UK in recent years but has been slightly overshadowed over here recently by the inexorable rise of Trevor Noah. Like Noah, Lottering is an easy-going obseravtional comedian whose comedic outlook is pretty universal. Take out the occasional South African references and phrases he could easily be a regular on Live at the Apollo.
