The most popular comedy shows in London

The veteran Irish comic – perhaps best known to younger audiences for his role as Gerry in ‘Derry Girls’ – is back in action with a new set of freewheeling, loosely Lenny Bruce-inspired funniness. He plays a couple of shows at Ally Pally before returning to the Apollo at the end of April.

The nation’s most beloved Tory (ie she's not really a Tory, though her videos have fooled many) returns to London with her entourage of political pisstake characters. She’s never quite been cool, but her ramshackle brand of government skewering has undoubtedly touched a nerve in the dying days of the Conservative government. 

Tom Walker’s sweary reporter alter ego has been knocking around for a while, but seems to be homing in on the big time with new show ‘Heroes & Villains’, which caps a lengthy UK tour with a fortnight in the West End. Jonathan Pie is in no way subtle: he’s a political hack forever snapping as a result of being banned from telling it how it really is (which he inevitably ends up doing). But if you’re in the market for a man swearing at the Tories a lot – and who isn’t? – then this is doubtless the show for you. 

Hugely influential silent US comic Doctor Brown – real name Phil Burgers, astonishingly – returns with his first proper new show in 12 years, a period that has seen him mentor and nurture the current impressive glut of LA-based US clown comics. ‘Beturns’ (all his shows begin with latter 'b') comes with no real promise beyond being the first Doctor Brown show in a decade – and that should be enough for most of us. 

The time is finally nigh. After a huge rush all the way back in 2022 to bag tickets for Peter Kay’s huge comeback tour, his residency at the O2 arena is here. Last yeat the Bolton funny man began his first stand up tour in 12 years, and now to round it all off in epic style he’s pulling an Elvis-style move and doing a monthly residency at the O2 Arena – the first stand-up in the world to do so. The gigs will continue all the way into 2025, so even if you missed out on tickets the first time round there should be plenty of opportunity to catch the Lancastrian’s signature gags, guffaws and one-liners in the capital. 

15 acts compete in this heat of the 2013 Laughing Horse New Act of the Year competition, plus MC Lewis Bryan.