News: Balham Comedy Festival Announced: Page 2 of 2

Balham Comedy Festival
BALHAM COMEDY FESTIVAL LINE-UP

FRIDAY 10 JULY

Shappi Khorsandi - The Ballroom – 7.30 pm - Shappi Khorsandi: Because I’m Shappi – Star of Michael McIntyre’s Roadshow, Have I Got News For You and QI returns to the festival with her hit show. After being knocked up like a 1950s teenager, Shappi missed 2013 but is back and it’s forward march. Reflecting on the good things, she celebrates her haphazard zigzag towards her dreams. 

Festival opening Best of Banana – The Round Room 9.00 pm – Harry Hill, Pippa Evans, Imran Yusuf, Ben Norris and hosted by John Moloney – Harry Hill who opened the inaugural Balham Comedy Festival in 2012 returns in spectacular form as ever for an exclusive appearance with the line-up of The Best of Banana Cabaret.

SATURDAY 11 JULY

Ardal O’Hanlon – The Round Room – 7.30 pm – Ardal O’Hanlon – award winning comedian, actor and writer and star of Father Ted and My Hero returns to the Balham Comedy Festival for a second time. He continues to be one of the most sought after comedians working, with TV stand up credits including: Live at The Apollo and Michael McIntyre’s Road show, in addition to starring in his own US Comedy Central special and hosting several series of the BBC series The Stand Up Show. “Charm, intelligence and fabulous phrase-making” - The Guardian “He flutters through a variety of topics with a poet’s eye for inconsequential detail” – The Telegraph.

Robert Newman – The Round Room – 9.30 pm Robert Newman: The Brain Show – after sell out success at last year’s Festival Robert Newman returns this year with The Brain Show. After volunteering for a brain-imaging experiment meant to locate the part of the brain that lights up when you’re in love, Rob emerges with more questions than answers. Can brain scans read our minds? Are we our brains? How can you map the mind? The show includes a specially constructed MRI-hat that will record Robert’s real-time brain activity in the show. 

Best of Banana – The Ballroom – 9.00 pm – Rob Rouse, Noel James, Dana Alexander and hosted by John Moloney – You might know Rob Rouse from 8 Out of 10 Cats, Dave’s One Night Stand and John Bishop’s Only Joking amongst others so come along and see him do what he does best – honest, frank and seriously funny stand up; Noel James – Welsh comic Noel James who is one of the stalwarts of the comedy circuit (though some would say stale wart) is returning to the Banana. 

SUNDAY 12 JULY
Paul Sinha Quiz - The Ballroom – 7.30 pm – Star of The Chase Paul Sinha will be hosting the Quiz with - £100 prize

- £10.00 per person – Maximum 5 people per team.

Romesh Ranganathan – The Round Room – 8.00 pm – Romesh: Irrational - early tour warm up - Nominated for Fosters' Best Newcomer in 2013, and then for the Fosters' Main Award in 2014, Romesh Ranganathan is, without doubt, one of the UK’s fastest rising comedy stars. Fresh from a total sell out UK tour, winning the Dave Leicester Comedy Award for Best Show 2015, as well as appearances on BBC’s: Jack Dee’s Helpdesk, Live At The

Apollo, Mock The Week and ITV's Play To The Whistle, Romesh is back to explore his reactions and views on everything from Madonna to MacBook and decide whether he is actually being irrational or merely demonstrating more common sense than everyone else. £15.00

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MONDAY 13 JULY

Paul Daniels and Debbie McGee – The Round Room – 7.30 pm – Paul Daniels returns with Debbie McGee -

Despite Popular Demand! Returning to Balham’s comedy Festival after last year’s huge success. Come and see the Master at work. He will amaze and baffle you, but most importantly he will make you cry with laughter “The Godfather of Magic” Dynamo. £16.00

Sara Pascoe – The Round Room – 9.30 pm - Sara Pascoe and The Museum of Robot Pussycats (Work In Progress) - a collection of stories that are unfinished and unwanted; Hatty the Hoover wants to break up with Henry. A man knocks over bins. Thousands are trapped in a Lewisham gym. Rabbits lose their sex drive. Jason Donovan comes round. One of the pods on the London Eye is haunted, but which one? A teenager's face is so oily that the US go to war with it. And more. And the robot pussycats. A very new and work in progress show from a lady who has been on Live at the Apollo, Q.I and Buzzcocks “always intelligent, sometimes exquisite” The Times £15.00

Paul Sinha – The Ballroom – 9.00 pm Paul Sinha: Postcards from the Z List (Edinburgh preview) - Critically acclaimed comedian Paul Sinha makes his Balham Comedy Festival debut with Postcards from the Z List.

WEDNESDAY 15 JULY

Barry Cryer & Ronnie Golden – The Round Room – 7.30 pm – Barry Cryer makes his Balham Comedy Festival debut with Ronnie Golden so expect comedy songs and great gags from this well-loved duo back together for the Festival to prove they're still alive and old's cool. Barry (80 years old this year!) has had to give the body popping a miss but the hand jive is still an option.

marcus BrigstockeMarcus Brigstocke – The Round Room – 9.30 pm – Marcus Brigstocke (Work in Progress) - One of Britain’s finest comedians and broadcasters returns to the Balham Comedy Festival with a new ‘Work in Progress’ show. The winner of the 1996 BBC New comedian Award at the Edinburgh Festival, Marcus is now regarded as a major comedy, writing and acting talent, performing stand up nationally to sell out audiences around the UK and globally at international comedy festivals.

Simon Munnery – The Ballroom – 9.00 pm – Simon Munnery: And Nothing But (Edinburgh Preview) Simon returns once again to what he does being himself for an hour. He will consider The Absurdity of House, lament the Neo-Con Con, perform the New Can-Can, extol The Joy of Washing-up and generally tell it like it is, was, and might be if we could get our fingers out.

THURSDAY 16 JULY

Lucy Porter – The Round Room – 1.00 pm - Lucy Porter: Screaming with Laughter designed for parents with infants under a year old. See the best acts from TV and the comedy circuit without having to book a babysitter. Feel free to feed and change your baby. The acts won't make fun of you if you have to move around, whip out a boob or a bottle, or if your baby's just having a bit of a shout and scream. All the acts are experienced club performers, used to rowdy stag and hen night crowds at the weekend, so a bit of noise or the odd bare breast won't phase them. 

Arthur Smith – The Round Room – 7.30 pm - Arthur Smith: Balham International comedian, writer, Radio 4 bit of rough, erstwhile Grumpy Old Man and (self-proclaimed) mayor of all Balham, describes how a field South of London became the greatest hub the world has ever seen.page3image47664

THURSDAY 16 JULY (cont’d)

Kevin Day – The Ballroom – 9.00 pm - Hairline (Edinburgh preview) – Kevin is one of the most in-demand comedy writers in the UK having worked on a number of hit panel shows including Have I Got News For You, 8 Out of 10 Cats and Never Mind The Buzzcocks as well as being recognised for his work on Match of the Day 2. At this year’s Balham Comedy Festival Kevin will preview his Edinburgh 2015 show Hairline - There are some terrible things happening in the world that only comedy can resolve. But sod that, Kevin's losing a bit of hair, which is far more important. 

Stephen K Amos – The Round Room – 9.30 pm £16.00 - Stephen K Amos: Welcome To My World – The maestro of feel-good comedy is back in Balham for one night only with his most recent show Welcome To My World. Fresh from sell out tours of Australia and New Zealand, as heard on BBC Radio 4 Life: An Idiots Guide and What Does the K Stand For?

FRIDAY 17 JULY

Ed Byrne – The Round Room - 7.30 pm - Ed Byrne: Edinburgh Preview Observational stand up Ed Byrne is unrivalled. Wherever he performs, be it the Edinburgh Festival, on the International circuit or a UK tour, it is always to capacity audiences. Catch a one hour potted version of his brand new show before it goes on tour! Recent TV credits include Dara & Ed’s Great Big Adventure, Mock The Week, Have I Got News For You, The Graham Norton Show, Live At The Apollo.

Best of Banana Cabaret – The Ballroom 9.00 pm Mick Ferry, Tom Allen, Raymond and Mr Timpkins hosted by John Moloney – Manchester based Mick Ferry is renowned as a fine purveyor of lugubrious surrealism and is established as one of the most sought after comics on the British and International comedy circuits; Tom Allen the multi-talented comedian, writer and actor performs his unique brand of stand-up all over the world including a support slot on the Sarah Millican tour; Raymond and Mr Timpkins – Lightning fast choreography meets uber swift editing in a fantasmagorical collison of quality entertainment.

SATURDAY 18 JULY

The Kagools – The Tavistock – 7.30 pm - The Kagools: Edinburgh preview - They’re cute, they’re mute, and they’re an absolute hoot. Physical comedy and sketch combine to transport you into the weird and weatherproofed world of The Kagools. Inclusive, enchanting, high-energy fun: this interactive, multimedia show is one for all the family. “Masterful physical theatre performers...Kids and adults alike will love this excellent and interactive piece of theatre. It is an utterly delightful and thoroughly silly piece of sketch comedy.” – Broadway Baby £10.00

End of Festival Best of Banana Cabaret – The Round Room 9.00 pm Tim Vine, Alun Cochrane, Ninia Benjamin, Andy Askins hosted by John Moloney - Tim Vine returns to the Balham Comedy Festival for the second year and will be at full pelt for twenty minutes; Alun Cochrane; A no nonsense comedian who specialises in funny nonsense. A regular on Frank Skinner’s Absolute Radio show who has recently appeared on Michael McIntyre’s Road Show, 8 Out of 10 Cats and Mock The Week. Ninia Benjamin is a tour de force of comedy ....she’s outrageously rude but above all, sidesplittingly funny.

Tickets are on sale now for Banana Cabaret subscribers and go on general sale on May 25 here.

 

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