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The festival season is upon us, but which one is the best?
Balham’s doubled in size for its second year and features a ton of big names – Milton Jones, Ed Byrne, Al Murray etc – alongside circuit stalwarts, including Lucy Porter and Terry Alderton. All safe bets here, but not much in the way of new talent.
8/10
It’s the ECF's twentieth anniversary, and the big headliners include ‘Not Going Out’ star Lee Mack and silent comedy sensation The Boy with Tape on His Face. Support comes from, again, well-established circuit talent rather than rising stars.
7/10
This four-night sister fest to Hyde Park’s massive music gigs features improv troupe the Comedy Store Players, ‘It’s Kevin’ star Kevin Eldon, mega-quiffed Russell Kane and more. The Eldon-headlined night is a humdinger. The rest are good, if not spectacular.
6/10
While most comics head up to the Edinburgh Fringe for August, virtually every act who’s left in London plays the Phoenix Fringe, and there are some cracking stay-at-homes: Alan Davies, Mark Watson and sketch troupe Pappy’s, to name a few.
9/10
Apart from some ‘Best of Banana Cabaret’ galas, it’s mostly solo shows at Balham. So, taking into account the discount for a double bill, it works out at £9.60 per comic.
6/10
It’s all line-up shows in Walpole Park – you can catch a whopping 16 acts on the twentieth anniversary galas alone (July 12 and 13). So, overall: £2.89 per comedian.
9/10
Tickets are a reasonable £12.50 at BST, and even counting the Comedy Store Players as one ‘act’, we make it £3.85 per comic.
8/10
Almost entirely solo shows here, at £10 a pop, or a day’s worth (three hour-long shows) for £20. So, across the festival, that’s £6.43 per stand-up.
7/10
Regulars at Banana Cabaret (The Bedford’s weekly comedy club) and Balham locals. They know their stuff: expect good-quality heckles.
9/10
Comedy-savvy west Londoners wanting summery stand-up. Beware of sock-sandal combos.
7/10
‘Live at the Apollo’ fans (a lot of them live comedy virgins, we suspect), plus most of Kevin Eldon’s committed fanbase.
6/10
Comedy nerds and students in search of the atmosphere of the Edinburgh Fringe without saying goodbye to their life savings.
8/10
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