Manchester Comedy of the Week ft. Jack Evans, Kieran Hodgson & Cheekykita

Control Panel | The Castle | Tue 16 May | 8pm | £5
The comedy panel show has long been a staple of televisual comedy, much to the detriment of any other format but it’s rare that you see one done live in a pub. Jack Evans and his merry band of weirdos aim to change that with a sci-fi based game show that aims to put the ‘Parallel 9’ in ‘8 out of 10 Cats’. Joined by quip pals Jayne Edwards and Edy Hurst, with puppetry work from Birthday Breadman himself Barnaby Thompson and a guest appearance from drag queen extraordinaire Scarlett SoHandsome this is sure to be unlike any comedy show you’ve seen before.
www.wegottickets.com

Cheekykita | Gullivers | Wed 17 May | 7.45pm | £4
The Delightful Sausage continues in its quest to bring the brightest and bizarrest acts to the city with its latest installment featuring space alien clown/horror movie escapee Cheekykita. The Sausage has a penchant for the stranger side of comedy and you don’t find many stranger than Cheekykita, you’ll also struggle to find many as gut achingly funny. She’ll be ably supported by Chris Cantrill and Amy Gledhill on hosting duties plus bonus sets from Frank Foucault and Christian Talbot. An absolute steal at just £4.
www.wegottickets.com

Kieran Hodgson | The Lowry | Fri 19 May | 8pm | £12/10
Earning his second Edinburgh comedy award nomination in a row after 2015’s paean to cycling ‘Lance’, Kieran Hodgson’s latest show ‘Maestro’ is an ode to classical musical featuring an orchestra he composed himself to tell the tale of his romantic misgivings whilst attempting to write a symphony. Hodgson is a masterful character comic with a great skill for miniscule mannerisms that round out a whole cast of friends and family, making his stories like well rounded movies as much as they are stand up shows.
www.thelowry.com

Comedy 4 Christies | The Lowry | Sun 21 May | 8pm | £15
Charity comedy nights always attract the best acts as comedians fall over themselves to help out a good cause, and this night in aid of the Christie has become even more important after the recent fire that hit the cancer research facility. This year’s bumper line up will be helmed by XS Malarkey’s fearless leader Toby Hadoke, introducing Alun Cochrane, Doug Segal, Kiri Pritchard-McLean and Phil Buckley. A great line up for a great cause.
www.thelowry.com