18 sparkling comedy events this November

It's that time of the year where you have to dodge the rockets, Catherine wheels and air bomb repeaters as you pop to the shops for a pint of milk. Never mind, to badly paraphrase Sir Johnny of Vegas, warm yourself by the fire of comedy with this explosive lot (Ha ha, 'explosive', get it? Oh never mind...).

Andy Hamilton, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Sun Nov 1, £18 - £20
Alongside Guy Jenkin, Hamilton is the writer behind Channel 4's 'Drop The Dead Donkey' and more recently BBC's 'Outnumbered'. Unable to resist the lure of the microphone any longer he returns to the stage to deliver the lines himself once more with 'Change Management' – don't fear the flux.

Josh Widdicombe, City Varieties, Mon Nov 2, £17.10 - £21.10
Probably the grumpiest young man about, also one of the funniest. Widdicombe fixes his frown in place and occasionally gives us his best exasperated look for 'What I Do Now..'. Given the level of success he's achieved he really should be smiling.

Comedy Cellar, Verve, Tue Nov 3, free
Monthly plug for this weekly open mic night that over the years has been providing a much needed platform for new and wannabe acts to try out their stuff. Get along and support it.

Joe Lycett, Wardrobe, Tue Nov 3, £12 currently sold out.
With 'That's The Way I, A-Ha A-Ha, Joe Lycett,' Lycett demonstrates one thing above all, he loves a pun. With this, his third show with a pun-filled title, Lycett continues to seep his way into the country's good books. The funny man from Birmingham (originally) is fast becoming a national treasure.

Comedy Kaiju, Hirst's Yard, Wed Nov 4, £2
Freshly moved into its new home, Comedy Kaiju returns with a headline set from Rob Mulholland. Mulholland, who is as funny as he is tall (he's very tall), is joined on the bill by Ross Brierley and Andy Woolston. Kaiju's own Dave Rivers keeps order.

James Acaster, Wardrobe, Wed Nov 4, £12
Nominated for the main award at the Edinburgh Fringe four times, Acaster is certainly one to catch before he gets any bigger than he already is. His show is a contrived whimsy, gloriously obtuse and always very funny. Last year's show had him pretending to be an undercover police officer masquerading as a comedian. Presumably this year the police officer has taken up stand up full time.

Stewart Francis, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Wed Nov 4, £18
For anyone unfamiliar with Francis the clue's in the title 'Pun Gent'… the master punster and one-liner merchant is out on tour once more. As seen in recent years on 'Mock The Week', 'Michael McIntyre's Roadshow' and 'Live At The Apollo' catch him now, he certainly gives you your money's worth.

Mike Harding, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Thu Nov 5, £18.50
Marking the publication of his autobiography, the man these days possibly better known for playing folk on Radio 2, returns to the stage tickling audiences with his tales of growing up in Crumpsall, North Manchester, in the 50s and beginning to play in skiffle groups in the 60s. Rest assured it'll be as amusing as it will be entertaining.

Manford's, Bierkeller, Thu Nov 5, £12.50
After a short time away, Manford's reappears at the Bierkeller. As ever, Jason Manford and his team pick their favourite acts from the circuit to play the club. Here, Jason's comedian little brother Colin introduces a full line up.

Jongleurs, Tiger Tiger, Fri 6 & Sat 7 Nov, from £16.50
The nationwide comedy club this week sees a slightly different performance on the Saturday night with cabaret artiste Miss Behave – expect fire breathing and sword swallowing aplenty! On the Friday, however, Bethany Black fills in. With her casting on Russell T Davies' 'Cucumber' Black was the first transgender woman to be cast as a transgender woman on TV. Joe Rowntree, Addy Van Der Borgh and Kate Lucas complete the line up.

Andrew Lawrence, Wardrobe, Mon Nov 9, £12
Anyone who has checked out his Facebook page of late will be aware of Lawrence's unfortunate and somewhat ill-informed comments on immigration and diversity. Many in the comedy world are hoping that it's all an unfortunate PR stunt for this tour but though he seems to be morphing into his misanthropic on stage persona he remains a damn good stand up. See for yourself.

Sitting Room Comedy, Belgrave Music Hall, Thu Nov 12, £10
Great line up at this lovely gig. Pete Johansson is one of those truly exciting comedians largely because of his unerring frankness. As seen on 'Last Comic Standing' in the US and often with a double bass it's Jim Tavare and Yorkshire man Scott Bennett with some fine tales about his gloriously tight-fisted dad. Dan Nightingale keeps order.

Justin Moorhouse, Wardrobe, Fri Nov 13, £12.50
This Mancunian act has crept his way up to become a loveable yet inherently cheeky presence on the comedy circuit. Soon after starting stand up he landed the role of the tiger faced Young Kenny on 'Phoenix Nights' and has wound his way up via a radio stint too. Here in his latest solo show he takes on ageing having had a hip op this year – and not one of the rap variety.

Pam Ann, Town Hall, Fri Nov 20, £21-£27
There's guaranteed to be more cabin crew at this gig than fly into Leeds Bradford in a week. 'The Queen of the Sky' Pam – the air stewardess creation of Australian comedian Caroline Reid – is a hoot of a character, mercilessly ripping the proverbial out of the staff of each airline. According to Pam, British Airways are a touch horsey and Virgin a bit loose in the knicker department.

Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse, Sat Nov 21, First Direct Arena, £29.50
They've created a fair few comedy catchphrases between 'em have Enfield and Whitehouse over the years. Here they are again out on the road with the tongue in cheek, hyperbolically titled tour 'Legends!'. Pop down and check what they've done with Kevin the Teenager and the rest.

Comedy Sessions, HiFi Club, Sat Nov 21, £10-£14
The weekly gig kicks off its Christmas comedy season this week. On the bill are Yorkshire's own beguiling storyteller Tom Wrigglesworth, former street performer who doesn't miss a beat Stuart Goldsmith and the man who can make health matters funny – Andre Vincent.

Kill for a Seat, Seven Arts, Wed Nov 25, £11/£9
Silky's top gig in the tidy environs of Chapel Allerton's arts centre. While Silky as compere will no doubt regale with tales, gags and some tunes on his guitar, this month he has musical competition with Rob Deering. Deering certainly knows his way around an effects pedal and is sure to use it to mine big laughs.

House of Fun, Original Oak/The Woods, Fri Nov 27, £7-£12
House of Fun comedy have opened an additional gig at The Woods in Chapel Allerton joining the regular gig at the Oak in Headingley. With a bit of nifty doubling up, Geordie Carl Hutchinson and the ever cheery Dan Nightingale play both venues while the fantastically bearded Martin Mor stays at the Oak and seasoned pro Andre Vincent is at The Woods.

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