Manchester comedy of the week FT Pierre Novellie, Celya AB and Working Class Comics

Creatures Comedy Festival kicks off nearly two weeks of stand-up in the city with Pierre Novellie at their new Oldham Street home. The South African-born, Isle of Man-raised comic has long been a favourite of the Fringe and championed by comedians as one of the best around, and Novellie seems to be finally breaking through after the success of his book Why Can’t I Just Enjoy Things. The show will be followed by a showcase of some of Creatures favourites and acts performing at the festival. Check out more of the incredible lineup here.

Celya AB kicks off the second night of the festival with her work-in-progress show Cassette, where she promises new jokes on the A-Side and unformed ideas on the B-Side. One of the great joke writers of modern times, Celya was last seen in Off All People, her most personal show to date and has solidified her place as one of the most exciting stand-ups in the country, and all this while crafting comedy in her second language.

Much the same as the current state of the music industry, comedy has a class problem. Funny is funny, but unless you’ve got masses of familial wealth behind you, it’s getting harder and harder to make it as a working-class comic. Best In Class was set up in direct competition to the swathes of middle and upper-class comedians who were able to pay their way through staggering bills to play at the Edinburgh Fringe or simply exist in a large city. They have done phenomenal work in providing a platform for working-class stand-ups to ply their trade and even won the panel prize at the Fringe a few years ago. Here, there’ll be a fantastic lineup of working-class voices that you’ll hopefully hear more of over the next few years thanks to the hard work of Sian Davies and the team.