Which stand up comedians would you pay to go see in the UK ?

[Coffee Snob]

The live stand up scene is awash with some serious rubbish but the ones I would gladly pay to go see would include:

Russell Kane
Jack Dee
Dara O`Briain
Tommy Tiernan
Kevin Bridges


When any of those guys come to my home town next, then Im grabbin some tickets for the wife and I. Which stand ups would you willingly hand over the cash for tickets to go and see ?

[Basil]

Ian

[Wowbagger]

Some years ago* I went to see Eddie Izzard, Reginald D. Hunter and and Irish chap whose name escapes me for the moment**. It was outdoors in St. Albans on a decidedly chilly October night. I wouldn't have gone under normal circumstances but did so to avoid ill-feeling and high dudgeon between two of my children. Younger daughter had purchased tickets as a birthday present for younger son & girlfriend, told him to keep the date free, and being a Bit Crap at such things, younger son had manifestly failed to do so. I paid said daughter for the tickets and Mrs. Wow and I went instead.

*I recall it was the same day that Ed Miliband won the Labour party leadership.

**Dylan Moran

[woollypigs]

I have paid for a few over the years. Even been to the O2 which were just way too big for standup. Eddie Izzard, Omid Djalili, Ed Burne, Bill Bailey, Danny Bhoy etc.

If in London head too Kilburn, The Good Ship, I see that big names are there often on Monday nights for a fiver. Reginald D. Hunter to name but a few has been there a few times. I think that some standups use the Ship as an warm up place for a tour or TV show.

If in Paris look up Hotel du Nord and Anything matters, if it is still going. Managed to see a few big named American and some UK and Irish standups for less than what they are normally charging on tour.

Good thing about these places is that they try out their new stuff. So it either fall flat and to never be seen/heard again or gets them laughing and making up stuff on the spot. And heckles get heard by the audience and the standup.

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

Kevin Bridges, Rich Hall, Danny Bhoy, Sarah Millican, Ed Byrne.

[pcolbeck]

Dylan Moran
Ed Byrne
Dara O`Briain

Are my Irish roots showing here ?

Mark Steel
Marcus Brigstocke
Susan Calman
Dave Gorman

[tiermat]

Danny Bhoy
Ardal O'Hanlon
Reginald D. Hunter
That guy from the InBetweeners
Lee Evans

I have, in my time, only been to see one comedian, and missed out on going to see a second.  The one I saw was Steve Coogan at York, he was good, but outshone by his warmup man.

The one I missed was Lee Evans, I got tickets as a 40th b'day present but Mrs T had forgotten to ask me to keep that weekend free, so I booked a trip for us all to go to Barcelona.  Someone else got to go to see Lee Evans, I got to see Gaudi's best works.

[clarion]

Bridget Christie
Sarah Pascoe
Bill Bailey
Mark Thomas
Mark Steel
Jeremy Hardy
Mitch Benn
John Finnemore
Marcus Brigstocke
Stewart Lee
Dave Gorman
Timandra Harkness

Not that I can afford any at the moment

[tiermat]

I forgot about Mark Thomas!

Ones I wouldn't go to see, now there is a different matter, chief amoung them is Roy "Chubby" Brown. Some may find him funny, but his sexist diatribes are not for me.

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

Oh yeah, Mark Thomas and Dave Gorman too. And Boothby Graffoe.

[Nuncio]

I like stand-up comedy – more than live drama and live music - and have consumed a lot of it over the past few years. Having a son at Edinburgh who offers free accommodation in August, and living in Pontardawe has helped. The second one may seem unlikely but, from memory, all of these have performed at the arts centre over the past decade:

Rich Hall, Mark Watson, Jeremy Hardy, Lloyd Langford, Henning Wehn (all multiple times); Sarah Millican, Michael McIntyre, Rhod Gilbert (all on their way ‘up’); Lee Evans (trying out new material); Lucy Porter, Mark Thomas, Marcus Brigstocke, Ed Byrne, Sean Hughes, Andy Parsons, Seann Walsh. Alan Carr, Phil Jupitus, Stephen K Amos, Jenny Eclair, Shappi Khorsandi, Noel James.  Plus numerous names I’ve forgotten from the monthly comedy club.

But to answer the question. Ones I’ve seen before but would pay to see again:
Stewart Lee, Alun Cochrane, Stuart Goldsmith, Bill Bailey, Kevin Bridges, Andy Zaltzman, Ross Noble, Tony Law, Alex Horne, Stuart Goldsmith, Eleanor Tiernan, Amir Khoshsokhan

And ones I haven’t seen before but want to: David O’Doherty, Reg D Hunter (have tickets for him for next month), Rob Delaney (ditto), John Kearns. Bridget Christie, Milton Jones, Adam Hills.

[Jaded]

Alun Cochrane was good!

[Ruthie]

I've seen before, and would see again:

Dara O'Brian
Josie Long


and that's it.

There are some others I'd like to see but haven't seen yet.

ETA: I saw Adam Hills once, got pissed and had a go at him at the end of the gig.  He was shit.

[LEE]

Saying you'd pay and actually paying are two different things. 

I actually paid to see Dave Gorman.

We have a small, but lovely, theatre in town where some big names come to test out their Edinburgh shows.

Unfortunately if they are any good they are sold out before I get news that they are even appearing.

Stewart Francis (Canadian pun merchant) & Sean Lock are currently sold out.  I'd have liked to have seen Sean Lock live but I'm not going to travel more than the 10 minutes it takes me to walk to our local theatre.

Al Murray, Pub Landlord, was the most I've been disappointed to discover was sold out.

Tickets still available for Chubby Brown apparently Tiermat.

I used to get free tickets to acts at the Manchester Apollo and Stockport Davenport so I've seen some acts that I wouldn't have bothered with (Remember Kelly Monteith?) such as Mike Harding.  All of them were hugely better than I expected or had seen on TV but I think live comedy is like that.

[Coffee Snob]

Its amazing how comedy is so subjective az there are some listed here i wouldnt go to see if they gave the tickets away such as lucy porter (she i s pitiful on mock the week), i wouldnt go to see ed b yrne,marcus brigstock , ross noble nor ed byrne neither.

Must check out danny bhoy who is cropping up here frequently.

[tiermat]

Tickets still available for Chubby Brown apparently Tiermat.

Which just goes to prove two things:

1) You aren't in Teesside

2) We are well and truely out of the eighties.

[clarion]

I'm reminded of some other favourites:

Lucy Porter
Boothby Graffoe
Iain Houston
Mike Harding

[Vince]

Bill Bailey
Billy Connolly

[caerau]

Is Chubby Brown still alive?

[LEE]

Is Chubby Brown still alive?

It appears so.

There's an irony that Royston Vasey can be involved in comedy at totally opposite ends of the humour scale. 

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

Spike Milligan (although he may no longer be in the UK)
John Bishop

[Wascally Weasel]

Iain Houston

Oh he's dreadful! 

[Coffee Snob]

Spike Milligan (although he may no longer be in the UK)
John Bishop

Do you ever think bishop going on about whats  a bloke like me from liverpool blah blah gets a tad dull

[menthel]

My chum Mike Wozniak. He's very funny and also in Man Down which is flipping brilliant.

[Otto]

I saw Harry Hill live... it nearly gave me an unfortunate bladder moment