Sun 27th November
Ardal O'Hanlon
The Showing Off Must Go On
Venue: The Little Theatre
Hoghton Street, Southport
Tickets £22.50
Doors 7pm
Show 8pm
Age Restriction: 14+PG
Ardal O'Hanlon
The Showing Off Must Go On
Ardal is conflicted. Where he comes from there is nothing worse than showing off. It’s right up there with arson or murder. Yet he shows off as a way of life. Three questions. Why? Why? Why?
But just when he thought he’d made sense of the world, when he’d finally found wisdom and peace, the world went mad again, fell off its axis. And you can’t just stand idly by.
In an age of raging populism, angry identity politics, the end of truth, the collapsing middle ground, and peak avocado, Ardal, an otherwise gentle voice of reason is forced to rejoin the fray. Terrified of being on the wrong side of history and keen to prove his age, race, gender and class don’t necessarily define him as a person, he turns to comedy, comedy as ever being the best, most therapeutic emergency response to extreme events there is.
Ardal O’Hanlon, star of such shows as Fr Ted and Death in Paradise, and recently seen in Taskmaster and Would I Lie to You, continues to tour his acclaimed (and very silly) live show worldwide.
Festival 2022 Shows - See What You Missed
Fri 30th September
Big Comedy UK presents:
Best of the Fest Featuring:
Mark Simmons,
Rachel Fairburn &
Charlie Hopkinson
Sponsored by:
Venue: Festival Marquee, Victoria Park
Mark Simmons
Rachel Fairburn
Charlie Hopkinson
This show brings together three of the finest comedy performers currently working on the international comedy circuit
Master of one liners Mark Simmons won a place on Dave’s prestigious Best Joke of The Fringe in Edinburgh 2017 & 2019. He has recently been seen on Mock The Week , ITV’s Out There, BBC Radio 4 ExtraStands Up, and BBC3’s One For The Road.
“A talented comic with an artisan’s grasp of joke writing.” ★★★★ Chortle
Fast rising star Rachel Fairburn featured in Chortle’s ‘One to Watch’ list in 2020 , she also picked up the 2019 online content award from Joe.co.uk. Rachel is co-host and co-writer of the worldwide smash hit podcast All Killa No Filla.
As seen on BBC Presents: Stand Up For Live Comedy and BBC’s Funny Festival Live, Alan Davies’ As Yet Untitled and Russell Howard’s Hour Life Lessons.
“Huge presence in a pint-sized frame” ★★★★ Chortle
Charlie Hopkinson is one of the UK’s leading celebrity voice impersonators, he is also the 2018 former Southport New Comedian of the Year winner. Best known for his Morgan Freeman and David Attenborough voice, his videos have been viewed over 100 million times across Facebook and YouTube.
“Incredibly astute impressions, will surely go on to be a household name” Harrogate Advertiser
Hosted by Brendan Riley ‘Born Compere’ The Guardian
Sat 1st October
Bingo Nights Presents:
Disco Bingo
Raising Funds for:
Venue: Festival Marquee, Victoria Park
Bingo Nights UK presents:
Disco Bingo
Eyes Down for a fabulous night of fundraising for Southport Flower Show with this truly interactive event. Disco Bingo is exactly what it says on the tin; A full night of traditional style Disco and Bingo but with a modern twist!
Guaranteed to get the whole room up and dancing, classic disco hits are triggered when certain bingo numbers are called. The entire evening is peppered with music and good-natured banter provided by comedian and presenter Brendan Riley.
Sell out show Festival 2021 so grab your tickets now.
Sun 2nd October
Reginald D Hunter
Work in Progress
Venue: Festival Marquee, Victoria Park
Reginald D Hunter
Work in Progress
Since his arrival in the UK over 20 years ago Reginald’s searingly honest observations both onstage and on TV and Radio have garnered him a cross-generational fan base. His many TV appearances have included Have I Got News For You?, QI, Live at the Apollo and two series of the BBC2’s hugely popular Reginald D Hunter’s Songs Of The South & Songs of The Border.
Reginald has become one of the Comedy industry’s best-known performers for his distinctive take on the most diverse range of subjects. His work can be brutally honest and is often considered to be controversial but it is always meticulously thought out and he has never been afraid to face challenging issues head on even when the focus is on his own principles or beliefs.
“A cerebral comedian with every performative grace in his back pocket” Voice Magazine
Tue 4th October
Southport New Comedian of the Year
Grand Final
Sponsored by:
Venue: Festival Marquee, Victoria Park
Note to prospective entrants: Applications open via this website at 10am Thursday 1st September.
New Comedian of the Year 2022
The competition, now in its 13th Year, will again search the nation for 8 aspiring comedians to compete to become the next Southport New Comedian of the Year 2022.
Dragon Soop and The Southport Comedy Festival are proud to encourage new talent and help them become the stars of tomorrow. Choosing just one winner from an array of comedy talent won’t be easy.
Hosted by Brendan Riley “A born compere” The Guardian
Dragon Soop should only be consumed by adults aged 18+. Please enjoy responsibly
Wed 5th October
Chris McCausland - Speaky Blinder
Venue: Festival Marquee, Victoria Park
Chris McCausland: Speaky Blinder
Star of the Royal Variety Performance, Would I Lie to You?, Have I Got News for You, QI, and Live at the Apollo… One of the UK’s top stand-ups Chris McCausland is on tour with a stand-up show about life, family, and loads of other nonsense as well!
Tour extended due to exceptional demand!
“A joke heavy show with gags a plenty” The List
‘Passionate and rib-tickling. An illuminating, heartfelt performance. Highly recommended!’
EdFestMagazine
‘Proper stand-up, honest, straightforward, balls-out funny’
Chortle
Thu 6th October
Comedy Bingo
Raising funds for Queenscourt Hospice
Venue: Festival Marquee, Victoria Park
Comedy Bingo for Queenscourt Hospice
Sponsored by
Eyes Down for a fabulous night of fun(draising) for a fantastic local charity Queenscourt Hospice with this truly hilarious and unique event!
Comedy Bingo is a highly interactive show hosted by comedian Brendan Riley, “bouncy and engaging” – The Scotsman
Fri 7th October
Paul Sinha - One Sinha Lifetime
Venue: Festival Marquee, Victoria Park
Paul Sinha - One Sinha Lifetime
In January 2020, Paul embarked on a national tour, his most ambitious show combining stand-up, music, hula-hooping and tales of romantic validation and neurological degeneration.
As it turned out, 2020 proved to be the wrong year to embark on a national tour. For everyone.
Undeterred, Paul is back, with the difficult second post-diagnosis album. Expect a rich tapestry of japes and scrapes, triumphs and disasters, from a master storyteller.
‘The stories are told with a constant light-touch wit… Parkinson’s hasn’t robbed him of his ability to do stand-up, it’s enhanced it’ ★★★★ Chortle.co.uk
Sat 8th October
Milton Jones - Milton Impossible
Venue: Festival Marquee, Victoria Park
Milton Jones - Milton Impossible
One man. One Mission. Is it possible? No, not really.
Milton reveals the truth about being an international spy, before being given a disappointing new identity which forced him to appear on Mock the Week, Live at the Apollo.
But this is also a love story with the twist, or even a really bad sprain. Just gloriously daft nonsense or is there a deeper meaning? Every man has his price. Sainsburys, where good food costs less.
“He’s fast, absurd and very Funny” Radio Times
‘No-one can touch Jones when he hits his stride’ The Guardian
Milton’s support act will be Tom Houghton
Sun 9th October
Big Comedy UK presents:
Best of the Fest Featuring:
Ed Byrne & Jo Caulfield
Sponsored by:
Venue: Festival Marquee, Victoria Park
Best of The Fest Featuring Ed Byrne and Jo Caulfield
Two of the comedy industry’s most celebrated comedians come together for one fantastic night of comedy.
Ed Byrne
A household name teetering on the brink of national treasure status, award-winning comedian Ed Byrne enjoys worldwide acclaim for his live stand-up and remains the master of observational comedy.
As seen on Mock The Week, Live at The Apollo, The Pilgrimage, Top Gear, QI
“Comedy’s holy grail…. Go see!” ✭✭✭✭ The Sunday Times
Jo Caulfield
Although best known for her legendary one-woman shows Jo Caulfield has also won a BAFTA for her TV writing.
As seen on Have I Got News for You, Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow, Never Mind the Buzzcocks.
“One of the finest female comics at work”- The Observer
Tues 11th October
Maisie Adam - Buzzed
Venue: Festival Marquee, Victoria Park
Maisie Adam - Buzzed
Fresh from Live at The Apollo, Mock The Week, and The Last Leg, Best Newcomer nominee Maisie Adam is back with a brand new show for 2022, ‘Buzzed’.
Rammed with witty observations, high-octane energy and some right good jokes. This high-energy show promises to be better than whatever else you had planned (unless you had plans to go dancing with Cher).
“Her jokes were spot on, her stories magnificent and magnificently told.” Bruce Dessau
“There’s no denying that Maisie Adam is phenomenal.” The Scotsman
Wed 12th October
Sam Avery - Role Model
Venue: Festival Marquee, Victoria Park
Sam Avery - Role Model
Sam needs to step up.
With two children looking to him for guidance, it’s high-time he evolved into the role model he always thought he’d be. But he didn’t sleep well last night and being a hero is harder than it looks. Plus, he forgot to put the bins out and now his wife hates him.
In this side-splitting new stand-up show, Sam explores what it means to be a role model in modern Britain, how the people he looked up to shaped his world, and how the struggle to help his kids find their moral compass often causes him to misplace his own.
Can you be a role model on four hours sleep?
Can you mentor someone who thinks you’re a moron?
And how do you change the world if you can’t even clean your kitchen?
‘Quick wit and painfully funny’ METRO
‘A gifted storyteller’ THE LIST
‘An upbeat raconteur…destined for bigger things’
CHORTLE
‘Amazing and brutally honest…brilliant’
LAD BIBLE
Down to earth and very funny’
BROADWAY BABY
Thu 13th October
Jimeoin - The Craic!
Venue: Festival Marquee, Victoria Park
Jimeoin - The Craic!
Live Nation & MZA present JIMEOIN – THE CRAIC!
An hilarious evening of World-Class stand-up from live comedy’s internationally acclaimed Irish master! You’ve seen him on ‘The Royal Variety Performance’, ‘Live at the Apollo’, ‘Sunday Night at the Palladium’, ‘Conan O’Brien’ or perhaps online where he has clocked up hundreds of millions of views of his comedy clips… but NOTHING beats seeing Jimeoin live. Award-winning with a wide appeal and a cheeky, no-gimmicks and superbly observed sense of humour, Jimeoin has audiences in stitches across the UK, Europe, USA and of his adopted homeland of Australia
‘Jimeoin recalls the familiar at a fantastically silly level, boiling his audience down to a tear-filled, gibbering mess.’ (Scotland on Sunday)
‘At the top of his game… didn’t leave a dry eye in the house’ !!!!! (Manchester Evening News)
‘Hilarious… If laughter is the best medicine, Jimeoin is a course of steroids…. Don’t you miss it!’ (Edinburgh Evening News) ‘
Fri 14th October
Jeff Green - Recovering Optimist
Venue: Festival Marquee, Victoria Park
Jeff Green - Recovering Optimist
Award-winning comedy legend Jeff Green makes a special appearance at this year’s Southport Comedy Festival.
Now a resident and well-known TV face in Australia where he enjoys sold out seasons and rave reviews, Jeff is back and champing at the bit to charm and delight UK audiences once more with his trademark rapid-fire observational jokes and killer punchlines!
One of the UK’s funniest comedians, Jeff has entertained audiences all over the world. With a solo West End season, best-selling books and numerous full length TV comedy specials under his belt, this world class stand-up comic has enjoyed three decades at the top of his game.
Book now to catch the Recovering Optimist at his belly-laugh best!
”Laugh for laugh Jeff is one of the best comedians in the land” The Guardian
“Pin-sharpcomedy beautifully delivered is the trade-mark” The London Evening Standard
★★★★1/2 It’s easy to see why audiences flock to see the award-winning comic’ Glam Adelaide
★★★★★ ‘Hit the mark perfectly… the entire show had me laughing’ Fringe Feed
★★★★★ ‘Makes you laugh with him and stays with you long after the lights go down’ Broadway Baby (UK)
Sat 15th October
Jason Byrne - Unblocked
Venue: Festival Marquee, Victoria Park
Jason Byrne - Unblocked
Jason Byrne has not only had his heart unblocked and been given a new lease of life, but his whole career has been unblocked too! The constipation of Covid has been cleared, live entertainment has been colonically irrigated and readied up for us all. The bans from social media platforms have been lifted and Jason is back dishing up platters of fun to everyone.
Join Jason live on stage as he unleashes what he does best. Guaranteed pure and utter UNBLOCKED joy and laughter.
‘Outright King of Live Comedy’ The Times
‘Unmissable’ Evening Standard
‘Full on, double-up, gasping-for-oxygen hilarious’ Chortle
‘A comedy God’ The Mirror
‘It’s hard to think of any other comic who matches Jason Byrne for ebullient energy and regulated chaos’ Independent
‘An hour of stand-up so joyous the clinically depressed should get it on prescription’ Metro
Sun 16th October
Al Murray The Pub Landlord
Gig For Victory
Venue: Festival Marquee, Victoria Park
Al Murray The Pub Landlord
Gig For Victory
As the dust settles and we emerge blinking into the dawn of a new year, the men and women of this great country will need answers. Answers that they know they need, answers to questions they never knew existed.
And when that moment comes, who better to show the way, to provide those answers, than the people’s man of the people, the Pub Landlord? Steeped in the deep and ancient barroom wisdom of countless lock ins, the Pub Landlord is there to show the way. Wherever you are, he will – within sensible travel limits and theatre booking policy – come, offering people thirsty for common sense a full pint of the good stuff.
‘Stand up Gold’ The Guardian
‘A supremely polished performer’★★★★★ Mail on Sunday
‘Wickedly witty Stuff’ ★★★★ The Telegraph