James Acaster has a short residency at The Lowry, Susie McCabe is at Fairfield Social Club and Creatures start their hunt for Comedian of the Year.
Scotland’s finest comes to Manchester this Friday night, and Susie McCabe promises to be on her “Best Behaviour”. The winner of the Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow award brings plenty of the big yin’s exasperated bonhomie and no shortage of bile akin to her fellow Scot and podcast co-host Frankie Boyle. McCabe pulls no punches as she takes on the modern world as only a Glaswegian can.
We may only be just over 100 days into this calendar year, but Creatures are already on the lookout for their Comedian of the Year. This week’s heat brings together another batch of young hopefuls looking to progress to the semi-finals taking place in June. Creatures has made itself a beacon for up-and-coming comics in the city, offering stage time to bright young things alongside old pros to get the stage time they crave. No doubt you’ll see a few of these prospects as the real thing on a weekend night at the club soon enough.
- Words:
- John Stansfield
- Published on:
- Mon 20 Apr 2026
Performing for four nights in the Lyric Theatre at Lowry, James Acaster is back with a huge show about legacy and the makings of comedy. After seeming like he was done with live performance and inviting his worst enemies in Hecklers Welcome, Acaster seems to have a new lease of life in his stand-up and is back to the twisty, whimsical wonders of his early shows for a new joyous show about what it is to be a performer. If you can go, you must.