If you'd rather head out to a comedy club or theatre to be entertained than sit in front of the telly then I've got 20 comedy shows for 2020 which you simply cannot miss... ticket availability permitting of course!
Chris Ramsey
The 2020 Tour
Chris Ramsey could not have wished for a better end to 2019, finishing fourth on Strictly Come Dancing and adding an extra London date to his 2020 tour at The Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith to meet demand.
With over 80 dates, starting in March, including two nights at London’s iconic Hackney Empire and a homecoming performance at Newcastle’s Utilita Arena, Chris will be bringing his high energy, life affirming, trademark stand-up to audiences on his biggest ever nationwide tour.
Book tickets for March to December here.
Dane Baptiste
The Chocolate Chip
Dane Baptiste is part of the Quotas Full podcast, has had his own BBC Three sitcom and will be kicking off 2020 with a nationwide tour which includes a twelve-night run at London's Soho Theatre in March.
In his new show, Dane will talk about being too old to be concerned with chicken or trainers but also too young to be considered a peer of Trevor McDonald. And once again he'll tackle race in his typical unfiltered, original and provocative manner.
Book tickets for February and March here.
Darren Harriott
Good Heart Yute
2019 has been one hell of a year for Darren Harriott with numerous television appearances and he even hosted Live at the Apollo. Not to mention an Edinburgh Comedy Awards nomination for his third Edinburgh Festival Fringe show, Good Heart Yute, which he's been touring since October.
Darren has an admirable ability to talk about cultural and topical issues with relevancy, wit and original observation and will his tour up again in January. His new run includes a further five-night run at London's Soho Theatre with his five-star show which sees him talk about about being 30 and never being in love.
Book tickets for January and February and March in Melbourne here.
Ellie Taylor
Don't Got This
With another series of The Mash Report and her own Netflix special as part of Comedians of the World under her belt in 2019, 2020 sees Ellie Taylor continue her Don't Got This tour.
Her new show sees her talk about about life, love and what will happen if one more person tells her "You got this".
Book tickets for May and June here.
Iain Stirling
Failing Upwards
Iain Stirling returned to our screens in the summer of 2019 as the face of Iain Stirling's CelebAbility and the voice of another record-breaking series of Love Island and will be kicking off 2020 with a brand new series of both shows on ITV2.
Then as soon as he's back in the UK he'll be touring his follow-up to his sell-out 2018 tour U OK HUN? x in which he'll explore topics including his inability to function in the most basic of public settings, social media’s constant pressure to “live your best life” and that one time a man stole his shoes.
Book tickets for March to May here.
Jack Rooke
Love Letters
Jack Rooke's previous shows were all about feelings as he discussed the passing of his father, mental health and male suicide but now he's back for six performances in London's Soho Theatre with a show about learning to love yourself, aptly scheduled for around Valentines Day.
Whilst there are tales of meeting men on Grindr and having festival sex it's not all about cock, it's his tales of brotherhood, friendship and acceptance which really pack a punch and offer a narrative on being gay that's not often heard.
Book tickets for February here.
Jayde Adams
The Ballad of Kylie Jenner's Old Face
After a strong 2019, Jayde Adams is wasting no time in making 2020 hers, with Serious Black Jumper, her first recorded stand-up special arriving on Amazon Prime Video on 3rd January before she picks up her The Ballad of Kylie Jenner's Old Face at the end of January in London's Soho Theatre.
Known for her sequins, glamour and show-stopping musical numbers, Jayde has done away with all of that for her new show, reinventing herself as a ‘Successful Independent Woman Person’ and exploring what it means to be a feminist this century, all whilst wearing the feminist wardrobe staple attire, the Serious Black Jumper™.
Book tickets for January to April here.
Jessica Fostekew
Hench
Following her recent Edinburgh Comedy Awards nomination, regular host of The Guilty Feminist podcast Jessica Fostekew will be touring her new show Hench in 2020, kicking off with an 18-night run in London's Soho Theatre.
In Hench, she explores what it means to be strong. Have you ever watched a feminist try and take ‘hench’ as a compliment? It’s a bit like watching a snake eat. Impressive. Mesmeric. Disgusting.
Book tickets for February to June here.
Kae Kurd
Spoken Kurd
He co-hosts the Quotas Full podcast and in 2019 Kae Kurd released his first stand-up special independently on YouTube, appeared on Live at the Apollo and the day after quit his retail job at Apple and announced a new UK tour.
The Spoken Kurd Tour will see him ponder why the world’s gone crazy and why it doesn’t seem to be getting any better. His passion for making politics accessible to his peers results in beautifully crafted slick routines with confident cutting edge flair.
Book tickets for October and November here.
Kerry Godliman
BOSH
With a new series of After Life on Netflix on the way, Kerry Godliman will tour the UK in 2020 after what she thought would be a little 'she' time. No chance.
Her bosh-like nature will never let her rest. Well, that and a needy cat, a constantly disappointing camper van, and ever-raging feelings of mum guilt and bewilderment at the phasing-out of thimbles. All will be explained!
Book tickets for March to June here.
London Hughes
To Catch a Dick
In 2019, London Hughes returned to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, sold out, received rave reviews and was nominated for an Edinburgh Comedy Award for To Catch A Dick which following a run at the Soho Theatre, returns for two nights only in London's Bloomsbury Theatre.
Awesome, successful and shit hot, London Hughes can't believe she's single and in her new hour she explores the complete mystery of why the world is full of desirable, brilliant but single women - who definitely don’t need a man but wouldn’t mind the option.
Book tickets for January here.
Mo Gilligan
There's Mo to Life
Mo Gilligan's star continued to rise in 2019 as he co-hosted another series of The Big Narstie Show, was nominated for a BAFTA, launched his own show on Channel 4, The Lateish Show with Mo Gilligan and released debut stand-up special Momentum in 190 countries.
2020 looks set to be even bigger for Mo as he embarks on a world... yes WORLD tour with There's Mo to Life which promises to deliver more of his high-energy style and stunning physicality which we've all come to love.
Book tickets for May (US) and October to December here.
Rachel Parris
All Change Please
With another series of The Mash Report under her belt in 2019, BAFTA-nominated Rachel Parris who's also a founding member of improvised comedy troupe Austentatious, will be touring the UK in 2020 with her new show All Change Please starting with three warm-up gigs at London's Soho Theatre.
Rachel's new show will see her perform stand up and songs about sudden love, the highs and lows of relationships, family, weddings, kids, going viral and the baffling state of play in society right now.
Book tickets for March to June here.
Rich Wilson
Death Becomes Him
Comedian and host of the popular podcast Insane In The Men Brain, Rich Wilson went from pulling pints at a comedy club to performing stand-up himself and now 15 years later he's an established face on the comedy circuit and will be bringing his latest Edinburgh Festival Fringe show to London's Soho Theatre for two nights in March.
Death Becomes Him sees Rich dissect his earthly behaviour to find out if he deserves to go to Heaven or Hell. If you've been a legend you're going to heaven and if you've been a dick you're going to hell. But there's one problem, Rich has been both - so where will he end up?
Book tickets for March here.
Ricky Gervais
SuperNature
2020 looks set to be a very busy year for Ricky Gervais as not only will After Life be back for another series, but he'll also be following the global success of his recent Netflix stand-up special Humanity with a new show, SuperNature.
Ricky will perform in venues internationally and across the UK, including twelve dates at The London Palladium and one night at The SSE Arena in Wembley.
Book tickets for January to April (International) and October and November here.
Rosie Jones
Backward
After writing for the new series of Sex Education, performing on Live at the Apollo and another sell-out run at 2019's Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Rosie Jones will be touring her latest show Backward at the start of 2020.
The new show sees her explore the hilarious difficulties of navigating the world whilst being the only disabled, gay and northern comedian.
Book tickets for January to March here.
Stephen Bailey
Can't Be Bothered
Host of Channel 5’s Celebs On The Farm and much-loved comedian Stephen Bailey has had a brilliant 2019 which included a spot on Live at the Apollo and will be hoping to have an even bigger 2020 as he tours the UK with his brand new show Can't Be Bothered. He'll be performing in 20 venues across the UK this February and March, plus a performance at London's Bloomsbury Theatre on the 17th April.
Stephen will be letting his audiences know why in a time where everyone is expected to have an opinion on everything, he just can't be bothered. But by being complacent, does that make him complicit? This show promises to be the first time Stephen has shown his vulnerability on stage.
Book tickets for February to April here.
Suzi Ruffell
Dance Like Everyone's Watching
Following her month-long stint at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August, several television appearances and a chat on The Jonathan Ross Show, the phenomenally talented Suzi Ruffell will be continuing her UK tour of Dance Like Everyone's Watching in February with dates in Bracknell, Norwich, Hedge End and London's Soho Theatre.
The show is about Suzi being happy for a change, but don't let that put you off. As ever, her joy is infectious, her stories are captivating and her material is slicker and funnier than ever before, includng the usual heady dose of anxiety and misery, all oozed out via a mix of storytelling, observations, a dash of social politics and a lovely routine about a smear test.
Book tickets for February to May and October here.
Tarot
It became a surprise hit at 2019's Edinburgh Festival Fringe and now Tarot's fast-paced, interactive and laugh out loud sketch show will be coming to London's Soho Theatre for five nights from Monday 13th January.
The group, made up of Ed Easton, Adam Drake and Kath Hughes, will be hosting a live tarot reaching where sketches spin out of the cards, and as the show nears midnight, the significance of the reading as a whole begins to come into focus.
Book tickets for January here.
Tez Ilyas
Populist
2019 was quite the year for rising star Tez Ilyas, as not only did he star in another series of BBC Three's hit comedy Man Like Mobeen alongside Guz Khan but he also hosted The Tez O'Clock Show on Channel 4 and made a number of television appearances throughout the year including Channel 4' Alternative Election Night.
From September to November 2020, Tez will tour the UK with his new show Populist which will see him use his trademark silly, smart and subversive approach to pit ordinary people against the establishment. Expect him to confront the state of the world with his cheeky and provocative flair.
Book tickets for September to November here.