CityLife

Manchester Comedy Festival: Best Bits October 17-20

FUNDRAISER: Justin Moorhouse plays at the festival

THERE might be nothing funny about this weather we're having, but if there's something else that bonds us as firmly as talking about our inclement climate it's having a good laugh.

Hurray, then, for the Manchester Comedy Festival, which rocks into town on Monday bringing with it 15 full days of comedy in the form of stand up, theatre, psychic game shows and musical turns.

Making it happen in 2011 hasn't been easy. Council spending reviews meant that, this year, it's the comics themselves who have put in the hard work to raise the funds and make the event possible.

Commendable mentions, then, go to Justin Moorhouse (The Plaza, Stockport, Thursday, £20), Steve Shanyaski (Frog & Bucket, Oct 26, £7) and Phil Ellis (Soup Kitchen, Oct 29, £6), who are all fundraisers and performers at this year's festival.

Equally notable headline shows in the week ahead include Richard Herring's What Is Love? (Frog & Bucket, Tuesday, £10), Dave Gorman's Powerpoint Presentation (The Lowry, Thursday, SOLD OUT) and a Manchester debut by much talked about Irish comic John Lynn (Soup Kitchen, Thursday, £5-£10).

The festival, though, has made its name over the last 11 years by supporting the grass roots, and this year is no different. Look out for: Chris Ramsey's award nominated Edinburgh show Offermation (Comedy Store, Monday, £10); Marcel Lucont's Buxton Fringe winner Encore (Soup Kitchen, Tuesday/Wednesday, £7); and hotly tipped grump Vladimir McTavish (Apotheca, Wednesday, £5).

Brett Goldstein's Grew Up In A Strip Club – a romp down a thorny memory lane about his dad buying a strip joint in Marbella – has got to be worth seeing (Soup Kitchen, Thursday, £tbc), as has the pairing of Lewis Charlesworth and Jason Manford's little brother Colin for a session of man moaning (Lass O Gowrie, Wednesday, £3).

But if you fancy picking the comedians of the future yourself, try one of the many showcases. Soup Kitchen's daily Grindhouse Speakeasy and Twisted Tea Time sessions look promising, as do Pub Zoo's Funbox (Wednesday, £6) and XS Malarkey's session at Platt Chapel, Fallowfield (Tuesday, £5).

All that, and still 11 days left unexplored...

Manchester Comedy Festival runs from October 17-30. Full programme at manchestercomedyfestival.co.uk