The best: Manchester comedy shows this week FT Rob Auton, Molly McGuinness and Ben Silver

Preview season is officially upon us at the house of Malarkey, and XS kick off at 53Two with a banger of a double bill. Joining Toby Hadoke will be new works in progress from Rob Auton and Eli Matthewson, a Yorkshireman and a Kiwi, offering up their takes for the year 2026 ahead of another assault on the Scottish capital in August.

Molly McGuinness had a pretty terrible end to 2023 as she was placed in an induced coma after contracting the rare Lemierre syndrome and nearly dying from sepsis. She was eventually healed and able to spin this near-death experience into the uplifting Edinburgh Comedy Award-nominated show SLOB in 2025. Finally, she’s able to bring it to home turf as she presents the show at The Carlton Club this Thursday, go celebrate the slob life with Mol.

After a raft of support slots for some of the most exciting comics in the country, Ben Silver has decided to put his own work in progress together. If you’ve seen the likes of Horatio Gould, Tom Lawrinson or Jenny Tian in the last year or so, then no doubt you’ve seen the surreal meanderings of Ben Silver and his tremendous comic mind. We’re excited to see what he does with his own show.