Beyond The Joke

Marcus Brigtsocke is to play legendary showman PT Barnum in a production of the stage show Barnum.

Brigstocke will star in the show at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London from December 5 until March 3, previews from November 25.

Actors Jim Dale and Michael Crawford previously played the role of the larger-than-life figure who is said to have coined the phrase "there is a sucker born every minute". There is no proof that he coined it but there is a song with that title in the musical.

Roisin Conaty has revealed the transmission details of her new series, GameFace.

The six-part series will start on E4 on October 12 with the first two episodes going out back-to-back. Conaty tweeted the news, adding "Please watch Xx"

Named by the New York Times as “one of the most exciting political comics in stand-up today”, Hari Kondabolu is returning to London for the first time in two years for two nights only at Soho Theatre on 10th and 11th October.

Thirty Christmases is to receive its London premiere from 4-23 December.

Named in The Stage's Top 10 UK Christmas Shows 2016, it was commissioned last year for Oxford's Old Fire Station and is written by Jonny Donahoe of musical combo Jonny & The Baptists. Stuffed with music, laughter and love, the show now comes to London for three weeks at the New Diorama Theatre. 

Very nice work if you can get it. For Nish Kumar anyway. For Joel Dommett it is more painful.

In this new globetrotting series Joel Dommett and Nish Kumar travel the world visiting some of the toughest people on the planet to see if they can do what the locals do. Well, at least fitness obsessive Dommett does. Most of the time, judging from this first episode, Kumar stands around with his hands in his pockets laughing and/or offering a sarcastic commentary.