Group Therapy | Sat 1 Dec | Gorilla | 7pm | £10
The comedy club can be a difficult place to be around the Christmas season, with so many office parties taking over the show and comedians spending their time calming irate HR managers rather than making everyone else laugh. So it is with great pleasure that we can announce that Group Therapy exists and is a bit of a misnomer. GT banned big groups long ago to ensure the regular comedy fan could enjoy their Saturday night out at the club and with a lineup including Glenn Wool, John-Luke Roberts, Andrew O’Neill and Hannah Platt, enjoy it they shall.
www.seetickets.com

Flim Nite | Mon 3 Dec | 3 Minute Theatre | 7.30pm | £3
Not strictly a comedy night but fast becoming one of the city’s best events where comedians happen to be Flim Nite has eschewed the chance to lampoon a Christmas movie and instead plumped for the ogre-ific tale of Shrek for their December installment. If you’ve never been before Flim Nite brings together comedians, sketch, poets, musicians and more to pay homage to a particular film. Also, if you’ve never been to Flim Nite, GO!
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Barking Tales | Wed 5 Dec | The Zombie Shack | 7.45pm | FREE
Harriet Dyer’s beautiful night of mental health cleansing and comedy is back for an end of year special with some top TV comedians for absolutely free. Fresh off her Comedy Central stint marrying Bobby Mair, Harriet Kemsley will be making an appearance, as well as Brexit Through the Giftshop’s Fern Brady and a short set from up and coming stand up Shell Byron and of course Dyer holding it all together with no shortage of quirk and charm.
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All Killa No Filla | Sat 8 Dec | New Adelphi Theatre | 2pm | £19.25
Comedians Rachel Fairburn and Kiri Pritchard-McLean chat murder and everything else in this live version of their popular podcast. If you’re unfamiliar with All Killa No Filla, now’s the time to get acquainted and then strap in for a live show where not only do Kiri and Rachel delve into the minds of a serial killer, but they also don’t have access to a bleep button to edit out all the salacious industry gossip they usually cut out of the pre-recorded versions.
www.livenation.co.uk

Zoe Lyons | Sun 16 Dec | Gorilla | 7pm | £15
Zoe Lyons UK tour makes a pre-Christmas stop off at Gorilla for a night with one of the most accomplished comedians in the country. Lyons latest show ‘Entry Level Human’ takes a refreshing look at not being very good in spite of looking like she might have nailed it. Lyons is very good at not being very good, and it takes her already very good comedy to higher levels of good. One of the most critically acclaimed shows from this year’s Fringe it’s a perfect way to round out 2018’s comedy calendar.
www.seetickets.com

XS Malarkey Christmas Party | Tue 18 Dec | The Bread Shed | 8pm | £5/3
If you’d like a comedy night from XS Malarkey in December then they do have headline shows from Bethany Black (Tue 4 Dec) and Abigoliah Schamaun (Tue 11 Dec), but it’s the Christmas party where Toby and the gang really let their hair down. Open to all members (so another reason to get yours if you haven’t already) it’s the unofficial Manchester comedy scenes Christmas do and always well attended with the best the city has to offer.
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A Ship Of Fools | Tue 18 – Sat 22 Dec | 3 Minute Theatre | 7.30pm | £12/10
If you like your Christmas as dark and disturbing then this extended run from Manchester clowning theatre company A Ship of Fools at 3MT. Offering up a double bill of their last two shows ‘From the Cradle to the Bin’ and ‘Welcome to Paradise’ where the lines of reality and decency are stretched as far as the troupe can manage. An alternative Christmas you won’t soon forget.
www.threeminutetheatre.co.uk

Sat 1 Dec - Sat 22 Dec
Words:
John Stansfield
Published on:
Tue 27 Nov 2018