Comedy Picks of the Week ft Bethany Black, Caitlin Moran + BBC Showcase

Bethany Black | The Spinning Top, Stockport | Tue 14 Apr | 7.30pm | £5
Trapdoor Comedy, the Mancunian club fronted by Hartlepudlian shambles Tony Basnett, is extending its tendrils down into Stockport. If you’re not local, it’s well worth a jaunt down the A6 for this show. It’s headlined by Bethany Black, a trailblazing trans comic who recently appeared in Channel 4’s Cucumber, which I didn’t watch but everyone tells me was really great. Sharp-tongued Sam Gore supports with bleak tales and sharp, pointy gags.
www.wegottickets.com

Caitlin Moran | The Lowry | Tue 14 Apr | 7.30pm | £28
Technically not a comedian, but she’s has got a sitcom out at the moment and a new book, which is what she’s promoting in this current theatre tour. She’s cultivated a legion of fans through her witty bestsellers, regular Times columns and her reams of tweets. She’s adored and reviled in equal measure, branded both the voice of new feminism and a transphobe. Either way, this will no doubt prove a candid treat for fans of her past work.
www.thelowry.com

BBC Showcase | Frog & Bucket | Wed 15 Apr | 7pm | £5
The BBC once again graces the humble stage of Oldham Street’s Frog & Bucket to present a cavalcade of comedians from the north. This one features Mick Ferry, Alex Boardman, Dan Nightingale, Steve Shanyaski, Harriet Dyer, Penella Mellor, Jonny Awsum and Stephen Bailey – all of whom are worth a listing in their own right. This really is a great line-up for a fiver – the only downside being that everyone will be doing lamentably short sets.
www.frogandbucket.ticketsolve.com

Jimmy Carr | Apollo | Fri 17 Apr | 7pm | £28.95
Despite falling foul of critics on numerous occasions – dodging taxes, rape jokes etc. – Jimmy heads back out on the road to show us all why he’s still so damn popular. Still very much at the top of his game, this new show entitled ‘Funny Business’ promises the time-honoured formula of relentless and unyielding jokery: Expect gags and lots of them. The poster may look identical to the ones he’s been running for the past decade, but hopefully the material will be fresher.
www.ticketmaster.co.uk

Gavin Webster (pictured) | Tiger Tiger | Sat 18 Apr | 7.30pm | £12.50
Hen party Mecca Tiger Tiger isn’t the ideal venue for stand-up or, indeed, for anything. However, much in the same way beautiful flowers can grow in the worst cess pits, Manford’s Comedy Club – named after its co-owner, famous man Jason Manford – have swung a really good line-up for this month’s instalment. Gavin Webster, closing the evening, is genuinely one the UK’s finest comics: equal measures daft and whipsmart, erudite and everyman. Supporting him is Sean Meo and local lothario Will Duggan. Bren Riley is on MCing duties for the evening.
www.tickettext.co.uk 

Thanks to @whiteleyjon