Leicester Comedy Festival - 3 - 21 February 2021 - Official Festival Guide by Leicester Comedy Festival

3-21

FEB 2021

EDITION 9

COMEDY-FESTIVAL.CO.UK

#votecomedy

Leicester Comedy Festival 2021

Proud sponsors of Leicester Comedy Festivial & The UK Kids Comedy Festivial

We’re not the Messiah. We’re a naughty radio network!

unionjack.co.uk

“A programme bursting with variety” daily mirror

visit www.comedy-festival.co.uk

INFORMATION

Leicester Comedy Festival 2021

CONTENTS SPONSORS The great companies that sponsor the festival

WELCOME Welcome from Festival Director, Geoff Rowe

BUSINESS PARTNERS CLUB ROLL OF HONOUR Our local business supporters

FESTIVAL INFORMATION Useful bits of information

A-Z OF ACTS Performers names at a glance

OUR LISTINGS EXPLAINED How the listing section works

9 15 16 - 21 24

SHOW LISTINGS Find out more about the shows (listed in alphabetical order)

ACCESS GUIDE TO THE FESTIVAL CONTACT & PEOPLE Get in touch with the team behind the festival

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS People and organisations we want to thank

VISIT WWW.COMEDY-FESTIVAL.CO.UK TO REGISTER

FESTIVAL DIARY Times, events, titles, venues and prices for quick reference

For all the latest news about the Festival, including any updates on Covid related regulations, subscribe to our newsletter by visiting www.comedy-festival.co.uk

WATCH OUT FOR More than your average comedy festival. Here are some things to look out for

KEEP UP TO DATE

25-44 49 50 50

WE HAVE PLENTY TO CHOOSE FROM THIS YEAR! There are a whole host of online shows and events to enjoy. Use the search facility on our website to select dates, start times to find events which might suit you.

COMMENTS We work with lots of promoters who take the responsibility for organising individual events. We co-ordinate the programme and provide overall marketing and publicity. This means that we do pass on your praise, comments and criticism to the relevant promoter or organisers of relevant events. We are keen to know what you think of events, venues, marketing, workshops and everything that takes place as part of the event so please get in touch. info@bigdifferencecompany.co.uk

Please see our contact page towards the back of the brochure. Please do get in touch!

“Second only to Edinburgh as a showcase for comedy talent” the guardian

INFORMATION

Leicester Comedy Festival 2021

FUNDERS

Sponsored by

PAU L C U R R

Supported by

@KidsComedyFest

“Leicester’s mammoth annual bash lands like an avenging angel amid the late-winter gloom” i

INFORMATION

Leicester Comedy Festival 2021

FESTIVAL INFORMATION: TICKETS: Tickets for all festival shows are available from our festival box office. Click on www.comedy-festival.co.uk/events We are strongly advising all customers to purchase your tickets in advance of your visit. There will be either no tickets available to buy on the door, or a VERY limited number to help us be a Covid secure festival.

UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION Visit:

www.comedy-festival.co.uk or visit our Facebook page /LeicsComedyFest

Twitter: @LeicsComedyFest Listen:

Union JACK Radio www.unionjack.co.uk BBC Radio Leicester www.bbc.co.uk/leicester

We are continuing to be a paperless ticket festival following the pilot last year. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve decided to continue this partly to save paper but also as part of being Covid secure. If you have any questions or comments about this please give us your feedback by emailing info@comedy-festival.co.uk.

Read:

Leicester Mercury for interviews, previews & reviews

If you need assistance in buying tickets during the festival, the quickest way to get in touch is by emailing boxoffice@comedy-festival.co.uk. This email address will be monitored regularly in advance and during the festival so please drop our ticketing team a message if you need to. Our social media channels are not monitored by our box office staff so please do not contact us about tickets via direct messages.

All the promoters and venues that put on events try and ensure that everyone is able to attend Festival events and have a comfortable time when they get there. We have produced a guide to visiting our venues for people with disabilities and this can be downloaded from our website or by contacting our main festival office. For 2021 we are also working to make sure everyone has a good time at the festival, including those who might have poor mental health. Details are included on the access guide. If you wish to speak to an individual venue about access requirements, you will find their contact details towards the back of the brochure. Please note some facilities may have changed due to Covid so please check even if you have visited a venue before.

Tickets may also be available to purchase direct from the venue promoter.

BOOKING FEES We pass 100% of ticket income on to our venues, acts and promoters have worked hard to keep booking fees as low as possible, working with our ticketing partner Fringe Box Office. In 2021 there is an 80p booking fee charged on all tickets and a maximum booking charge of ÂŁ4.80 per transaction. If you have any feedback on our centralised ticket office, do let us know by emailing info@comedy-festival.co.uk

ACCESS

VOLUNTEERS & AMBASSADORS

If you buy tickets from anywhere else, the booking fees and arrangements may be different so please check the terms and conditions when purchasing tickets.

Are you interested in going behind the scenes and experiencing the festival in a different way? Join our team and help make 2021 truly marvellous! We have loads of opportunities for people to volunteer and gain valuable experience at one of the largest festivals of its kind in Europe. For more information email volunteers@bigdifferencecompany.co.uk

Leicester Comedy Festival is produced by Big Difference Company, a registered charity (1135167).

COMMENTS

If you want to contact the show promoter directly about tickets, contact details can be found on at the back of the brochure. PRICES & TIMES In most cases for 2021 you will not be able to buy single tickets for shows; if you want to attend a show on your own, you may need to purchase 2 or more tickets. The reason for this is due to social distancing, and our promoters and venues needing to accommodate as many people as possible within the guidelines. We appreciate this might be frustrating for some but we are following what other venues and festivals are doing to help make things sustainable. We are trying to make things as clear as possible and if you have any feedback or comments about this, please drop us an email info@comedy-festival.co.uk

We work with lots of promoters who take the responsibility for organising individual events. We co-ordinate the programme and provide overall marketing and publicity. This means that we do pass on your praise, comments and criticism to the relevant promoter or organisers of relevant events. We are keen to know what you think of events, venues, marketing, workshops and everything that takes place as part of the event so please get in touch.

Start times indicate the time the performance will start; the venue may open before this, and you are advised to check opening times when booking tickets. We have also tried to suggest finish times (so you can enjoy more than one event in a day). It is difficult to guarantee finish times as comedy shows do sometimes overrun but we hope the estimates are useful.

WANT TICKETS?

visit www.comedy-festival.co.uk

Leicester Comedy Festival 2021

HIGHLIGHTS

WATCH OUT FOR:

PODCAST PROGRAMME

BEYOND A JOKE SEMINARS

We have teamed up with some of the best comedy podcasts around who will be visiting the festival to record episodes live, in front of you – our lovely audience. This is your chance to see behind the scenes and if you laugh loudly, you may end up hearing yourself on the broadcast. If you can’t make it to Leicester, don’t worry. Tune in and catch the podcast festival specials from a device near you.

Following the success in recent years, we continue to organise a series of talks, discussions and seminars aimed at people who want to delve a little deeper into issues linked to contemporary society and comedy. Most of the topics this year focus on how comedy, and the comedy industry has been impacted on by Covid- full details in the listings.

LAUGH TERM COMEDY SCHOOL We are bringing back our Laugh Term Comedy School which is an opportunity for young people to learn stand-up comedy and comedy performance skills. This year the “school”, which takes place over half term (gettit?!) will be hosted in partnership with Curve Theatre – full details are in the listings.

“The festival offers big names… and innovative curios” the times

THE UK KIDS’ COMEDY FESTIVAL We are delighted to present The UK Kids’ Comedy Festival for its 3rd year. The line up of shows, workshops and events continues to evolve but will include Loving Laughing - where we will present the award for the Funniest School in Leicestershire. For more information about The UK Kids’ Comedy Festival visit our website www.ukkidscomedyfestival.co.uk

Leicester Comedy Festival 2021

Q&As

Festival founder, Geoff Rowe, interviews top comedians including Zoe Lyons, Stewart Lee, Lucy Beaumont, Al Murray, Angela Barnes, Iain Stirling, Ed Byrne and now swelling this group of great names is Tom Allen.

Zoe Lyons

Stewart Lee

Lucy Beaumont

Al Murray

Angela Barnes

Iain Stirling

Ed Byrne

Tom Allen

WANT TICKETS?

visit www.comedy-festival.co.uk

Leicester Comedy Festival 2021

Sturgess Motor Group are pleased to support Leicester Comedy Festival. Why did the spider buy a car? He wanted to go for a spin!

See our website for our latest offers on New & Used cars

www.sturgessgroup.com

â&#x20AC;&#x153;One of the highlights of the comedy calendarâ&#x20AC;? the independent on sunday

Leicester Comedy Festival 2021

. . . . . . t h g i tay the n

The Belmont Hotel 20 De Montfort Street, Leicester, LE1 7GR | 0116 254 4773 | www.belmont-hotel.co.uk From Bed & Breakfast in the 1930’s to AA 4* rated Boutique & Bistro Hotel in 2017, The Belmont has been the heartbeat of Leicester life for 80 years. Now the hotel is part of Leicester’s bright and brilliant future, with fabulous new food and drink menus, individually designed bedrooms, bespoke business and wedding facilities and much, much more.

Situated in pretty New Walk, the hotel is just a few minutes’ walk from the train station, festival venues and brilliant shopping and entertainment.

Please call the hotel directly to receive 10% off the best available rate during the festival.

Leicester Comedy Festival & Big Difference Company would like to say a special thank you to The Belmont for providing accommodation for festival competition prizes: ‘Leicestershire’s Favourite Joke Competition’ sponsored by Everards and the ‘Leicester Comedy Festival Big Raffle Prize Draw’ sponsored by Beanser

Stay the night...... 12

WANT TICKETS?

visit www.comedy-festival.co.uk

Leicester Comedy Festival 2021

If you want to extend your stay at the festival, we’ve teamed up with 3 brilliant Leicester hotels who are our “official festival hotels”. All are located close to the city centre so they are in easy walking distance of many of our central festival venues.

Ramada Hotel Leicester

St Martins Lodge

84-90 Charles Street, Leicester LE1 1GE | 0116 366 0150 www.leicestercitycentrehotel.com

Peacock Lane, Leicester, LE1 5NR | 0116 261 5200 www.stmartinslodge.co.uk

Shopping, cafés, sightseeing, dining out, night-life... a city break offers an ideal opportunity to take in the sights and sounds of vibrant and exciting Leicester.

St Martins Lodge offers luxury non-serviced accommodation enabling guests to maintain social distancing. With 28 bedrooms, including a top floor executive suite, guests can stay safe with confidence. Overlooking the 11thcentury Leicester Cathedral, this upmarket hotel in a restored Georgian-era building has had each of its rooms individually styled in sympathy with the historic architecture and character of the original building. St Martins Lodge is a one minute stroll from Leicester’s historic Guildhall, St Martins House Conference Centre, Leicester Lanes shopping with a variety of independent retailers and an array of independent wine bars, eateries and sweet treats.

We are located within the heart of Cultural Quarter with a stone throw away from different venues during the festival. Our location is easily accessible by car, public transport or on foot which makes it an easy choice to stay when visiting Leicester. Special Offer : Dinner, Bed & Breakfast available starting from £75 pounds for 2 person. Call the hotel directly on 0116 366 0150 to reserve.

To make a reservation, contact the hotel website www.stmartinslodge.co.uk

To receive 10% off our best available rate during the festival please book directly using the booking link on the festival website: comedy-festival.co.uk/hotels

Stay the night...... “Leicester’s mammoth annual bash lands like an avenging angel amid the late-winter gloom” i

Lest-Ha AD v2 OUTLINED.ai

18/10/2019

11:04

Leicester Comedy Festival 2021

WANT TICKETS?

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Aâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;Z OF ACTS

Leicester Comedy Festival 2021 A Aaron Simmonds Adam Drake Adam Larter Adele Cliff Ahir Shah Al Murray Al Roberts Alasdair Beckett-King Alex Owen Ali Brice Ali Mylon Alice Rowbotham Allyson June Smith Amy Voce Angela Barnes Arielle Souma Athena Kugblenu B Barbara Nice Beattie Edmondson Becky Fury Ben Clarke Ben Glover Ben Rowse Bonnie Q Buddy Salisbury C Camille Ucan Cariad Lloyd Cassie Atkinson Catherine Bohart Cerys Bradley Charlie Baker Charlotte Jarvis Chris Betts Chris Read Christian Brighty Claire Sedgwick Colin Hoult Colin Leggo Collen Cheetham-Gerrard Conor McReynolds D Daliso Chaponda Dan Webber Donna Landy E Ed Byrne Edi Johnston Eleanor Morton Emily McQuade Erin Crouch Eshaan Akbar Esther Manito Esyllt Sears

25 38 44 25,44 29 25 38 25,35 38 44 41 30 44 44 25,37 43 31 27 27 27 37 42 38 36 33 27 37 44 28 28 38 42 28 31 44 43 28 44 43 43 29 29 43 25 43 44 43 43 29,38 30,42 29

F Felicity Ward Felicty Ward Fin Taylor Freya Parker G Gary Jennison Gav Cross Gemma Beagley Geoff Rowe Gerard Fletcher Grace Petrie H Hannah Silvester Harriet Dyer Harry Baker Harry Wright Hatty Ashdown Helen Bauer I Iain Macdonald Iain Stirling Ignacio Lopez J Jack Evans Jain Edwards James Shakeshaft Jason Forbes Jed Salisbury Jemma Bennett Jen Brister Jen Ives Jen Kenny Jennie Longdon Jessica Fostekew Jim-John Harkness Jo Fletcher-Cross John Robertson Jon Pearson Jonny Awsum Joz Norris Julian Lee Juliette Burton K Kat Bond Kate Lucas Kate McCabe Kate Smurthwaite Katie Pritchard Katy Wiz Kezzabelle Amblar L Larry Dean Laura Lexx Laura Smyth Lauren Pattison

30 30 30 38 33 30 31 25,26,27 41 33 43 27 31 31 31 32 44 26 42 29 29 35 38 33 40 42,44 30,33,42 43 44 33 29 43 43 27 33 44 44 33 44 29,34 34 43 38 38 43 42 34 34 29

Lee Hithersay 30 Leila Navabi 32 Leslie Gold 43 Letty Butler 41 Liam McKenna 36 Lily Phillips 35 Lindsey Santoro 27 Lloyd Henning 29 Lolly Adefope 38 Lou Sanderrs 39 Lovdev Barpaga 44 Lucy Beaumont 26 Lucy Pearman 44 Lukas Kirby 34 Lukas Kirkby 34 M Mamoun Elagab 35 Mara Mainka 43 Mark Thomas 35 Mark Watson 35 Matt Harvey 32 Matt Hoss 28 Matthew Crosby 37 Maureen Younger 44 Melanie Crawley 41 Mo Omar 30 Myra Dubois 42 N Nathan Cassidy 36 Nicola Stephen 43 Niecey 36 Nina Conti 26 O Olga Koch 36 P Patrick Monahan 37 Paul Currie 37 Paul Kerensa 38 Peter Sutton 29 Philip Simon 40 Pippa Hastings 43 Polly Preston 36 Pope Longerhorn 32 Poppy Hillstead 38 President Obonjo 41 Prince Abdi 30 Priya Hall 32 R Rabiah Coon 43 Rachel E. Thorn 41 Rachel Fairburn 39 Rob Gee 43 Rob Thomas 44 Robert Bond 30,42 Robin Morgan 32 Rose Johnson 27

Rowe David McClelland 41 S Sam Lake 32 Sam Serrano 39 Samantha Hannah 39 Sami Nicoresti 44 Sarah Johnson 39 Sarah Keyworth 29,40 Scarlett Dobson 43 Scott Bennett 40 Scott Capurro 40 Sean Morley 29 Shappi Khorsandi 39 Sharon Lockyer 36 Shelf 42 Sikisa 30 Sikisa Bostwick-Barnes 41 Sinthujha Kumarasamy 35 Sooz Kempner 41 Sophie Duker 38 Stella Graham 41 Stevie Martin 42 Stuart Laws 41 Sunil Patel 29 T Tanyalee Davis 42 Tez Ilyas 42 Thanyia Moore 42 Theodora Van Der Beek 39 Thom Tuck 29 Tiernan Douieb 37 Tim Key 44 Tom Allen 26 Tom Parry 37 Tony Law 30,44 V Viv Groskop 31 Vix Jayne Leyton 43 W Wendy Belcourt 36 Will Duggan 39 Will Farrell 38 Will Horspool 42 Z Zoe Lyons 27

DIARY START TIME

Leicester Comedy Festival 2021 END TIME

EVENT TITLE

VENUE

PAGE

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 3 2021 All Day 60 mins An interview with Al Murray All Day 60 mins An interview with Angela Barnes All Day 60 mins An Interview with Iain Stirling All Day 60 mins An interview with Lucy Beaumont All Day 60 mins An interview with Stewart Lee All Day 60 mins An interview with Zoe Lyons 10:00 11:00 Petrichor with Alex Owen, Ellie White, Lolly Adefope, Katy Wix & more 11:00 12:15 BUSINESS ELEVENSES - LAUNCH OF LEICESTER COMEDY FESTIVAL 2021 12:00 12:55 My Life Over The Years Standup Comedy Online Show 12:00 12:00 An interview with Tom Allen 12:00 12:00 An interview with Nina Conti 15:30 16:00 School's Out Comedy Club 18:00 19:00 I got bit by a monkey once 18:00 19:00 Sketch Up! 19:00 20:30 First Night Funnies 20:00 21:00 Sarah Johnson: Crafternoon With Carol 21:00 21:40 Ram of God, the film

25 25 26 26 26 27 38 28 36 26 26 40 32 41 30 39 39

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 4TH 2021 All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:55 12:00 12:00 12:00 12:00 15:30 16:00 18:00 19:00 19:00 20:00 20:00 20:45 21:00 21:40 21:00 22:00

25 25 26 26 26 27 38 36 26 26 40 32 33 31 39 36

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 5TH 2021 All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:55 12:00 12:00 12:00 12:00 15:30 16:00 18:00 19:00 19:00 20:00 20:00 20:45 20:00 22:00 21:00 21:40 21:00 22:00

An interview with Al Murray An interview with Angela Barnes An Interview with Iain Stirling An interview with Lucy Beaumont An interview with Stewart Lee An interview with Zoe Lyons Petrichor with Alex Owen, Ellie White, Lolly Adefope, Katy Wix & more My Life Over The Years Standup Comedy Online Show An interview with Tom Allen An interview with Nina Conti School's Out Comedy Club I got bit by a monkey once Helen Bauer: Good Tit (Work in Progress) Harry Wright - Smalltown Boy (Work In Progress) Escape The North: Escape the Midlands Special Edition for Leicester Comedy Festival Ram of God, the film Aaron Simmonds: Hot Wheels - Online

25 25 26 26 26 27 38 36 26 26 40 32 32 31 29 39 25

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 6TH 2021 All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:55 12:00 12:00 12:00 12:00

LCF Online Events LCF Online Events LCF Online Events LCF Online Events LCF Online Events LCF Online Events LCF Online Events LCF Online Events LCF Online Events LCF Online Events

25 25 26 26 26 27 38 36 26 26

WANT TICKETS?

visit www.comedy-festival.co.uk

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14:00 14:00 15:30 16:30 18:00 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:00 20:00 21:00 21:00

15:00 15:30 16:00 17:30 19:00 20:00 20:30 21:45 21:00 21:00 21:40 22:25

Funny Looking Kids Grown Up Comedy Show Is Comedy Art? School's Out Comedy Club Partly Political Broadcast - LIVE I got bit by a monkey once Nathan Cassidy: Roses from Joe (Preview) The Dark Room Tickled Pink Comedy Night Patrick Monahan: Live & Unleashed One Off Internet Show For Leicester Comedy Festival Stolen by President Obonjo Ram of God, the film THE (NOT SO) LATE NIGHT COMEDY CLUB ONLINE

30 32 40 37 32 36 43 43 37 41 39 42

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 7TH 2021 All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:55 12:00 12:00 12:00 12:00 14:00 15:00 14:30 15:30 15:30 16:00 16:30 17:30 18:00 19:00 18:00 19:00 19:30 20:30 20:00 21:00 21:00 21:40

An interview with Al Murray An interview with Angela Barnes An Interview with Iain Stirling An interview with Lucy Beaumont An interview with Stewart Lee An interview with Zoe Lyons Petrichor with Alex Owen, Ellie White, Lolly Adefope, Katy Wix & more My Life Over The Years Standup Comedy Online Show An interview with Tom Allen An interview with Nina Conti Terrible Tales and Incredible Beasts with Thaddeus Bent Jessica Fostekew presents The Hoovering Podcast LIVE 2021 School's Out Comedy Club Biggest Idiot Podcast Live I got bit by a monkey once Jessica Fostekew: Work in Progress Daliso Chaponda: Apocalypse Not Now Chris Betts vs The Audience Ram of God, the film

LCF Online Events LCF Online Events LCF Online Events LCF Online Events LCF Online Events LCF Online Events LCF Online Events LCF Online Events LCF Online Events LCF Online Events LCF Online Events LCF Online Events LCF Online Events LCF Online Events LCF Online Events LCF Online Events LCF Online Events LCF Online Events LCF Online Events

25 25 26 26 26 27 38 36 26 26 42 33 40 27 32 33 29 28 39

MONDAY FEBRUARY 8TH 2021 All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:55 12:00 12:00 12:00 12:00 15:30 16:00 18:00 18:40 18:00 19:00 19:00 20:00 20:00 21:50 20:30 21:30 21:00 21:40

25 25 26 26 26 27 38 36 26 26 40 35 32 44 35 44 39

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 9TH 2021 All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:55 12:00 12:00 12:00 12:00 15:30 16:00 18:00 18:40 18:00 19:00

25 25 26 26 26 27 38 36 26 26 40 35 32

DIARY

Leicester Comedy Festival 2021

START TIME

END TIME

EVENT TITLE

VENUE

19:00 20:00 20:00 21:00

20:00 21:00 21:25 21:40

Becky Fury: Truthfairy Paul Kerensa: The Kneel-down Stand-up Sits Down Colin Hoult in The Death of Anna Mann Ram of God, the film

LCF Online Events LCF Online Events LCF Online Events LCF Online Events

27 38 28 39

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 10TH 2021 All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:55 12:00 12:00 12:00 12:00 15:30 16:00 18:00 18:40 18:00 19:00 18:30 20:00 19:30 20:30 20:00 21:00 21:00 21:40 21:00 22:00

25 25 26 26 26 27 38 36 26 26 40 35 32 42 31 39 39 40

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 11TH 2021 All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:55 12:00 12:00 12:00 12:00 15:30 16:00 18:00 19:00 19:00 20:00 19:00 20:00 20:00 21:00 21:00 21:40 21:00 22:00

25 25 26 26 26 27 38 36 26 26 40 32 33 42 36 39 35

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 12TH 2021 All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:55 12:00 12:00 12:00 12:00 15:30 16:00 18:00 19:00 19:00 20:00 19:30 22:25 20:00 21:45 21:00 21:40 21:00 22:00

25 25 26 26 26 27 38 36 26 26 40 32 44 39 43 39 30

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 13TH 2021 All Day 60 mins

An interview with Al Murray

LCF Online Events

WANT TICKETS?

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visit www.comedy-festival.co.uk

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END TIME

EVENT TITLE

VENUE

PAGE

All Day All Day All Day All Day All Day 10:00 12:00 12:00 12:00 12:00 14:00 14:30 15:30 16:30 18:00 19:00 19:00 20:00 20:00 21:00 21:00

60 mins 60 mins 60 mins 60 mins 60 mins 11:00 12:55 12:00 13:00 12:00 15:00 15:30 16:00 17:30 19:00 20:00 20:00 21:00 21:30 21:40 22:25

An interview with Angela Barnes An Interview with Iain Stirling An interview with Lucy Beaumont An interview with Stewart Lee An interview with Zoe Lyons Petrichor with Alex Owen, Ellie White, Lolly Adefope, Katy Wix & more My Life Over The Years Standup Comedy Online Show An interview with Tom Allen The Joke Spot An interview with Nina Conti The Cultural Economy of Comedy in the East Midlands Here to Judge - Live Podcast School's Out Comedy Club Women Talking Bollocks with Jen Brister, Maureen Younger and Allyson June Smith I got bit by a monkey once Mommy Dearest & Me Esther Manito: #NotAllMen Rachel Fairburn: Maniac (Work in Progress) Weirdos Present Gary and The Crisp Factory Ram of God, the film THE (NOT SO) LATE NIGHT COMEDY CLUB ONLINE

25 26 26 26 27 38 36 26 43 26 43 32 40 44 32 36 30 39 44 39 42

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 14TH 2021 All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:55 12:00 12:00 12:00 12:00 14:30 15:30 15:30 16:00 16:30 17:30 18:00 19:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 21:00 21:40

25 25 26 26 26 27 38 36 26 26 43 40 32 32 41 28 39

MONDAY FEBRUARY 15TH 2021 All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:55 12:00 12:00 12:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 14:30 15:30 15:30 16:00 18:00 19:00 19:00 20:00 19:00 20:00 20:30 21:30 21:00 21:40 21:00 22:00 21:00 22:00

An interview with Al Murray An interview with Angela Barnes An Interview with Iain Stirling An interview with Lucy Beaumont An interview with Stewart Lee An interview with Zoe Lyons Petrichor with Alex Owen, Ellie White, Lolly Adefope, Katy Wix & more My Life Over The Years Standup Comedy Online Show An interview with Tom Allen An interview with Nina Conti Laugh Term Comedy School Workshop (Beginner) Laugh Term Comedy School Workshop (Intermediate) School's Out Comedy Club I got bit by a monkey once Adele Cliff: In The Dark (Work In Progress) Birthday Girls House Party: Festival Edition With Special Guest Stevie Martin (Podcast Livestream) TIM KEY: HE USED THOUGHT AS A WIFE (THE RECITAL) Ram of God, the film Petrichor: Live Q&A Barbara Nice is having a Leicester Comedy Festival lockin

25 25 26 26 26 27 38 36 26 26 34 34 40 32 25 27 44 39 38 27

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 16TH 2021 All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins

An interview with Al Murray An interview with Angela Barnes An Interview with Iain Stirling

LCF Online Events LCF Online Events LCF Online Events

25 25 26

DIARY

Leicester Comedy Festival 2021

START TIME

END TIME

EVENT TITLE

All Day All Day All Day 10:00 12:00 12:00 12:00 13:00 14:30 15:30 18:00 19:30 20:00 20:00 43 20:00 21:00

60 mins 60 mins 60 mins 11:00 12:55 12:00 12:00 14:00 15:30 16:00 19:00 21:20 21:00 21:00

An interview with Lucy Beaumont LCF Online Events An interview with Stewart Lee LCF Online Events An interview with Zoe Lyons LCF Online Events Petrichor with Alex Owen, Ellie White, Lolly Adefope, Katy Wix & more LCF Online Events My Life Over The Years Standup Comedy Online Show LCF Online Events An interview with Tom Allen LCF Online Events An interview with Nina Conti LCF Online Events Laugh Term Comedy School Workshop (Beginner) LCF Online Events Laugh Term Comedy School Workshop (Intermediate) LCF Online Events School's Out Comedy Club LCF Online Events I got bit by a monkey once LCF Online Events Mark Thomas - Check Up: Our NHS @ 70 (live!) LCF Online Events Sooz Kempner: PlayStation LCF Online Events The Edi Johnston Bit: I'm only here to eat Pancakes and play songs on my Ukulele... and I'm fresh out of Pancakes!

21:30 21:40

Pappy's Flatshare Slamdown 'at' Leicester Comedy Festival Ram of God, the film

LCF Online Events LCF Online Events

37 39

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 17TH 2021 All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:55 12:00 12:00 12:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 14:30 15:30 15:30 16:00 18:00 19:00 19:00 20:00 20:00 21:00 20:00 21:00 20:00 21:10 21:00 21:40 21:00 22:00

An interview with Al Murray An interview with Angela Barnes An Interview with Iain Stirling An interview with Lucy Beaumont An interview with Stewart Lee An interview with Zoe Lyons Petrichor with Alex Owen, Ellie White, Lolly Adefope, Katy Wix & more My Life Over The Years Standup Comedy Online Show An interview with Tom Allen An interview with Nina Conti Laugh Term Comedy School Workshops (Age 11-14) Laugh Term Comedy School Workshops (Age 11-14) School's Out Comedy Club I got bit by a monkey once Tez Ilyas: RoUgH dRaFt Samantha Hannah - How to Win @ Life Sarah Johnson: Crafternoon With Carol Laura Lexx: Knee Jerk Plus Excerpts from Klopp Actually Ram of God, the film Hatty Ashdown: Dig Deep (Work-in-Progress)

25 25 26 26 26 27 38 36 26 26 34 34 40 32 42 39 39 34 39 31

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 18TH 2021 All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:55 12:00 12:00 12:00 12:00 15:30 16:00 16:00 16:40 18:00 19:00 19:00 20:15 19:00 20:00 19:00 20:00 20:00 21:00 20:15 21:15 21:00 22:00 21:00 21:40

An interview with Al Murray An interview with Angela Barnes An Interview with Iain Stirling An interview with Lucy Beaumont An interview with Stewart Lee An interview with Zoe Lyons Petrichor with Alex Owen, Ellie White, Lolly Adefope, Katy Wix & more My Life Over The Years Standup Comedy Online Show An interview with Tom Allen An interview with Nina Conti School's Out Comedy Club Jonny Awsum: The Gag Slinging Guitar Hero I got bit by a monkey once Scott Bennett : "Stand Up From The Shed" Live! Scott Capurro Live on Instagram Mamoun Elagab: Work in Progress Samantha Hannah - How to Win @ Life Stuart Laws: Single Father of None Laura Smyth: Work in Progress Ram of God, the film

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FRIDAY FEBRUARY 19TH 2021 All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins

An interview with Al Murray An interview with Angela Barnes An Interview with Iain Stirling An interview with Lucy Beaumont

LCF Online Events LCF Online Events LCF Online Events LCF Online Events

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Leicester Comedy Festival 2021 START TIME

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All Day All Day 10:00 12:00 12:00 12:00 15:30 18:00 19:00 20:00 20:30 21:00 21:00

60 mins 60 mins 11:00 12:55 12:00 12:00 16:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 21:40 22:05

An interview with Stewart Lee An interview with Zoe Lyons Petrichor with Alex Owen, Ellie White, Lolly Adefope, Katy Wix & more My Life Over The Years Standup Comedy Online Show An interview with Tom Allen An interview with Nina Conti School's Out Comedy Club I got bit by a monkey once Sikisa: BAD GUY (WIP) Paul Currie: TEET Pick of the Fest Ram of God, the film Dan Webber - Genre Fluid

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SATURDAY FEBRUARY 20TH 2021 All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:55 12:00 12:00 12:00 13:00 12:00 12:00 12:00 12:20 13:45 14:45 14:30 15:30 15:30 16:00 16:30 17:30 17:15 18:15 18:00 19:00 19:00 20:00 19:00 20:00 20:00 21:45 20:00 21:00 20:00 21:00 21:00 21:40 21:00 22:25 21:00 22:05

An interview with Al Murray An interview with Angela Barnes An Interview with Iain Stirling An interview with Lucy Beaumont An interview with Stewart Lee An interview with Zoe Lyons Petrichor with Alex Owen, Ellie White, Lolly Adefope, Katy Wix & more My Life Over The Years Standup Comedy Online Show An interview with Tom Allen The Joke Spot An interview with Nina Conti Jeddy Bear and Gary's picnic Paul Currie: TURBO FOOL Funny Mummies Podcast School's Out Comedy Club Loremen: LIVE Catherine Bohart: WIP I got bit by a monkey once Eshaan Akbar: Work In Progress Sam Serrano: Make Me Your Queen Tickled Pink Comedy Night Castival Podcast - Matt Hoss & Rob Auton Paul Currie: THE CHORUS OF GHOSTS LIVING IN MY SKULL KEEP TELLING ME TO SHIT IN THE FRUIT SALAD. Ram of God, the film THE (NOT SO) LATE NIGHT COMEDY CLUB ONLINE Dan Webber - Genre Fluid

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SUNDAY FEBRUARY 21ST 2021 All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins All Day 60 mins 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:55 12:00 12:00 12:00 12:00 12:30 13:30 14:00 15:00 14:30 15:30 15:30 16:30 15:30 16:00 16:30 17:30 18:00 19:00 18:00 19:00 18:00 19:00 18:30 19:00 19:30 20:30 20:00 20:50 20:00 22:10 21:00 21:40

An interview with Al Murray An interview with Angela Barnes An Interview with Iain Stirling An interview with Lucy Beaumont An interview with Stewart Lee An interview with Zoe Lyons Petrichor with Alex Owen, Ellie White, Lolly Adefope, Katy Wix & more My Life Over The Years Standup Comedy Online Show An interview with Tom Allen An interview with Nina Conti Two Non Blondes Only Joking? Comedy and COVID-19 Comedy Arcade Live Sarah Keyworth: Work In Progress School's Out Comedy Club Poppy Hillstead Has Entered The Chat: Leicester Special WIP I got bit by a monkey once Alasdair Beckett-King: Nevermore (Work in Progress) Fin Taylor: Irrelevant Material For a Post-Vaccine World The Bower of Love! Harry & Chris: Are Excited To See Each Other Glass Utopia Comedy Heaven Ram of God, the film

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INFORMATION

Leicester Comedy Festival 2021

WANT TICKETS?

visit www.comedy-festival.co.uk

Leicester Comedy Festival 2021

THE DEDICATED “SCHOOL” FOR ASPIRING STAND-UPS IS GOING ONLINE! Taking place over two days, our Beginner and Intermediate level workshops are both a fantastic opportunity to learn tips and tricks of the trade and get 1-2-1 coaching from real life comedians. Places are very limited so book now to avoid disappointment! Suitable for 13-18 years old. 15th & 16th February - £5 per session www.ukkidscomedyfestival.co.uk/laugh-term-comedy-school/

The UK Kids’ Comedy Festival present

JOKE SPOT

Get your thinking caps on, it’s time to write some jokes then join Rob Gee LIVE as he performs them! Short jokes, long jokes, punn-y poems and silly stories all welcome so make sure you visit The UK Kids’ Comedy Festival on Facebook and click ‘attending’ on the event.

What on earth could go wrong?! www.facebook.com/events/511859896444042

UK Kids’ The

“Second only to Edinburgh as a showcase for comedy talent” the guardian

Leicester Comedy Festival 2021

Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year

YEAR OF CELEBRATING COMEDY TALENT

2020 Winner Eric Roy Rushton

Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year Competition 2021 Saturday 5th June 2021 7.30pm The Y Theatre

Info & tickets at www.comedy-festival.co.uk

OUR LISTINGS EXPLAINED Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget that everything in our brochure is listed alphabetically rather than in date order. The performance dates for each show are shown under each entry in black. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve also included an A-Z list of all the performers in the festival, with page references so you can easily find them, and a festival diary, so you can see who is performing on each day. Online shows Differing times on different dates

Appearance dates in black with keyline, with Weekends underlined

Price Reserved / non reserved seating

Refers to map on pages 157-161

LCF Fridge Approximate finish time Beyond a joke Start time

Reserved Seating

Non Reserved Seating

LCF Fridge

Beyond a joke

WANT TICKETS?

Online

visit www.comedy-festival.co.uk

EVENTS

Leicester Comedy Festival 2021 Lee Martin for Gag Reﬂex Management & Andrew Roach Talent present

AARON SIMMONDS: HOT WHEELS - ONLINE "Four years ago, Aaron gained a nickname based solely on being in a wheelchair. Understandably this upset him as there is much more to him than his disability. Annoyingly, it's actually a really cool nickname. Discover the positive side of being disabled, from having a blue badge, to sex in disabled toilets and everything in between. Amused Moose Best Show Finalist (2019) As seen on 'The Stand-Up Sketch Show' (ITV2) SOLO SHOW DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 21:00 (22:00) Entry: £5

RBM Comedy Present

WORLD PREMIERE

ADELE CLIFF: IN THE DARK (WORK IN PROGRESS)

2020 UK Pun Champion Adele Cliff brings her new show about the power of knowledge and the power in refusing it to Leicester Comedy Festival. New jokes, new ideas and hopefully a new haircut. Dave's Funniest Jokes of the Fringe 2019, 2018, 2017 & 2016. SOLO SHOW, STORYTELLING DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 19:00 (20:00) Entry: £5

HD Management present

ALASDAIR BECKETT-KING: NEVERMORE WORK IN PROGRESS A work in progress show from Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year winner Alasdair Beckett-King. A true Renaissance man, Alasdair is 500 years old. **** "Magniﬁcent, wonderful and hilarious" (The Wee Review). **** "A master of comedic storytelling" (Broadway Baby). ***** (Edinburgh49). ****1/2 (One4Review). ****1/2 (Radio Ha Ha). **** (RGM). www.abeckettking.com SOLO SHOW DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 18:00 (19:00) Entry: £5-£6

Big Difference Company present

AN INTERVIEW WITH AL MURRAY Join Al Murray as he chats with Leicester Comedy Festival founding director Geoff Rowe about his comedy career, his highlights and views on the future of live comedy. Al has been performing live comedy since the 1990s and is perhaps best known as The Pub Landlord. All proﬁ ts from this event will go towards supporting Leicester Comedy Festival and the charity Big Difference Company (registered charity 1135167). Each Q&A lasts approx. 60 minutes. DISCUSSION DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: All day Entry: £5

Big Difference Company present

AN INTERVIEW WITH ANGELA BARNES Join Angela Barnes as she chats with Leicester Comedy Festival founding director Geoff Rowe about her comedy career, the highlights and views on the future of live comedy. After a career in health and social care, Angela took the plunge and embarked on her life-long dream to be a comedian. She has appeared on Mock The Week, Live At The Apollo and The News Quiz. Each Q&A lasts approx. 60 minutes. In aid of Big Difference Company. DISCUSSION DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: All day Entry: £5

Big Difference Company present

AN INTERVIEW WITH ED BYRNE Join Ed Byrne as he chats with Leicester Comedy Festival founding director Geoff Rowe about his comedy career, his highlights and views on the future of live comedy. Ed's stand up career began during his college years in Glasgow, and since then has toured across the UK and around the world, as well as appearing regularly on TV & radio. Each Q&A lasts approx. 60 minutes. In aid of Big Difference Company (registered charity 1135167). DISCUSSION DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

"One of the big events on the UK comedy calendar" the guardian

Time: All day Entry:

EVENTS

Leicester Comedy Festival 2021 Big Difference Company present

AN INTERVIEW WITH IAIN STIRLING Join BAFTA winning comedian Iain Stirling as he chats with Leicester Comedy Festival founding director Geoff Rowe about his career, his highlights and views on the future of live comedy. Iain is perhaps best known as being the "voice" of ITV's Love Island but his comedy career goes back some years and includes appearances on BBC Radio 4, Taskmaster, The Russell Howard Hour, Celebrity Juice. Each Q&A lasts approx. 60 minutes. DISCUSSION DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: All day Entry: £5

Big Difference Company present

AN INTERVIEW WITH LUCY BEAUMONT Join Lucy Beaumont as she chats with Leicester Comedy Festival founding director Geoff Rowe about her comedy career, the highlights and views on the future of live comedy. Lucy has most recently appeared in her TV sitcom "Meet The Richardsons" but has also won several comedy awards, including the BBC New Comedy Award in 2012. Each Q&A lasts approx. 60 minutes. In aid of Big Difference Company (registered charity 1135167). DISCUSSION DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: All day Entry: £5

Big Difference Company present

AN INTERVIEW WITH NINA CONTI Join award winning ventriloquist and comedian Nina Conti as she chats exclusively with Leicester Comedy Festival founding director Geoff Rowe about her comedy career, her highlights and views on the future of live comedy. As well as performing around the world with her brilliant shows, Nina has won a British Comedy Award, stormed Live at the Apollo, and made a BAFTA nominated ﬁlm - all without even moving her lips. DISCUSSION DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 12:00 (12:00) Entry: £5

Big Difference Company present

AN INTERVIEW WITH STEWART LEE Join Stewart Lee as he chats with Leicester Comedy Festival founding director Geoff Rowe about his comedy career, his highlights and views on the future of live comedy. Stewart is cited as the 41st best standup comedian ever, and has been gigging up and down the UK since he started performing comedy in the late 1980s. Each Q&A lasts approx. 60 minutes. In aid of Big Difference Company (registered charity 1135167). DISCUSSION DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: All day Entry: £5

Big Difference Company present

AN INTERVIEW WITH TOM ALLEN Join Tom Allen as he chats exclusively with Leicester Comedy Festival founding director Geoff Rowe about his comedy career, his highlights and views on the future of live comedy. Tom is a regular guest at Leicester Comedy Festival as well as performing sell out shows across the UK and his own show at the London Palladium. He is regularly seen on TV on shows including 'The Apprentice: You're Fired' and 'Bake Off: The Professionals'. DISCUSSION DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: All day Entry: £5

VOLUNTEER FOR US: Are you interested in going behind the scenes and experiencing the Festival in a different way? Join our team and help make 2021 truly marvellous. For more information contact us on volunteers@bigdifferencecompany.co.uk

WANT TICKETS?

visit www.comedy-festival.co.uk

EVENTS

Leicester Comedy Festival 2021 Big Difference Company present

AN INTERVIEW WITH ZOE LYONS Join Zoe Lyons as she chats with Leicester Comedy Festival founding director Geoff Rowe about her comedy career, the highlights and views on the future of live comedy. Zoe ﬁrst took to the stage as a comedian in 2003 after training as an actress, and has since won several awards, and appeared on Live At The Apollo, Celebrity Mastermind, Just A Minute and Mock The Week. Each Q&A lasts approx. 60 minutes. In aid of Big Difference Company. DISCUSSION DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: All day Entry: £5

BARBARA NICE IS HAVING A LEICESTER COMEDY FESTIVAL LOCKIN Join everyone's favourite housewife plus special guests for Barbara Nice Leicester Comedy Festival Lockin. With the brilliant musical talents of Kirsty Newton. Fun for all the family: Singalongs, games and special guests -what's not to like kids! 'Unﬂaggingly positive and gregarious, she's a super-spreader of good cheer, uniting the audience in silly games and cheeky in-jokes.' Chortle GAME SHOW DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 21:00 (22:00) Entry: £5

Songs to sing in the car! While you’re stuck on the bloody A47. BECKY FURY: TRUTHFAIRY Truthfairy- An investigation into identity and the authentic nature of the elf. Yo! I'm a bit brown and bisexual and so on trend right now. Join me for an irreverent poke into a subject I often take far too seriously; myself! 'I was blown away by her inventiveness ' Lancashire Evening Post. 'Finest sticks of comedy dynamite to be found for love or money - Scotgay. Won some awards at Edinburgh and Morecambe festivals. www.beckyfury.com SOLO SHOW, ALTERNATIVE DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 19:00 (20:00) Entry: £5

BIGGEST IDIOT PODCAST LIVE

WORLD PREMIERE

Live episode of cult hit podcast - Biggest Idiot. Harriet Dyer (BBC Radio 4) and Lindsey Santoro (Channel 4) discuss daft things that have happened to them and Jon Pearson (BBC Radio 4) declares one of them the Biggest Idiot. Expect tangents, chaos and a very fun time. https://www.ﬂow.page/biggestidiot PODCAST, STORYTELLING DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 16:30 (17:30) Entry: £5

WORLD BIRTHDAY GIRLS HOUSE PARTY: FESTIVAL EDITION WITH SPECIAL GUEST STEVIE MARTINPREMIERE (PODCAST LIVESTREAM)

Acclaimed sketch group Birthday Girls are going live and unleashed with a very special livestreamed episode of their hilarious podcast, nominated for a British Podcast Award for Best Comedy. It's Birthday Girls House Party: Festival Edition! Hosts Rose, Beattie and Camille will be joined by special guest Stevie Martin (star of Nobody Panic and Might Delete Later podcasts) for outrageous Glasto stories, musical games, and a lot of Portaloo chat. PODCAST, EVENT birthdaygirlscomedy.com/ DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

"One of the highlights of the comedy calendar" the independent on sunday

Time: 19:00 (20:00) Entry: £5

EVENTS

Leicester Comedy Festival 2021 De Montfort University present

BUSINESS ELEVENSES - LAUNCH OF LEICESTER COMEDY FESTIVAL 2021 The ofﬁcial business launch event of Leicester Comedy Festival 2021 - a celebration with guests and friends from businesses and organisations from across Leicester, Leicestershire & beyond. In partnership with De Montfort University, where the Festival ﬁrst began in 1994. Invitations to follow in January. EVENT DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 11:00 (12:15) Entry: By invite only

CASTIVAL PODCAST - MATT HOSS & ROB AUTON Welcome to Castival. This is the podcast where each guest is asked to pitch their dream, music festival line-up. It's a music appreciation podcast with humour, hypothetical questions and a touch of sentimentality. Guests will go into depth about why they think that their line-up is the best. They will be talking to Matt Hoss, the host, about all things Festival and why they love the music and artists they've chosen. DISCUSSION, PODCAST DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 20:00 (21:00) Entry: FREE

CATHERINE BOHART: WIP An hour of new material from the star of BBC2's The Mash Report. As seen and heard on Roast Battle, 8 Out of 10 Cats, The Stand Up Sketch Show, Jon Richardson: Ultimate Worrier and The Guilty Feminist Podcast. 'Destined for stardom' (Evening Standard) 'The laughs keep coming and, ﬁnally, so does a tear or two. Marvellous' **** (Times) 'Beautifully-delivered hour' **** (Skinny) 'Packed full of laughs' **** (Herald) catherinebohart.com SOLO SHOW DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 17:15 (18:15) Entry: £5

Andrew Roach Talent Ltd

CERYS BRADLEY: A UNIFYING THEORY OF GAY For centuries the scientiﬁc community has asked so many questions about LGBTQ+ people, it's starting to seem like they're obsessed with them. Cerys Bradley (as seen on BBC One Wales) looks at the scientiﬁc research that has tried to understand what it means to be gay, how homosexuality happens, and LGBTQ+ people should be treated. There are jokes, real science, and a general level of disdain for the formal academic establishment. https://www.cerysbradley.com/ SOLO SHOW, STORYTELLING DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 20:00 (21:00) Entry: £5

Get Comedy presents

CHRIS BETTS VS THE AUDIENCE The cult hit returns! Comedian and contrarian Chris Betts will argue the opposite of anything anyone in the audience says. Part stand-up, part debate class. Since the topics are chosen by the audience, every show is completely new and different. Past topics include: anti-vax moms, legalised bestiality and a defence of crystal meth. WINNER Leicester Comedy Festival Best Improv Show 2020 �� "This is not your regular comedy show" Ed Fest Magazine thechrisbetts@gmail.com SOLO SHOW, IMPROV DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 20:00 (21:00) Entry: £5

COLIN HOULT IN THE DEATH OF ANNA MANN Join actress, singer, welder (gotta have a back up) Anna Mann, star of stage + screen as she recalls some wonderful tales from a life in the arts. Including some of the ﬁnest bits from her highly acclaimed shows, lots of new giggles + tons of audience interaction. She'll be previewing her latest full show The Death of Anna Mann (eek) before it can actually ﬁnally tour at last! With support from Andy Parker. www.twitter.com/colinhoult SKETCH, CHARACTER DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 20:00 (21:25) Entry: £5

WANT TICKETS?

visit www.comedy-festival.co.uk

EVENTS

Leicester Comedy Festival 2021 Neon Flamingo Presents

WORLD PREMIERE

COMEDY ARCADE LIVE

Part game show and part chat show. Your host, London Welsh comedian Vix Leyton, holds an ever-changing numbered list of 30 possible subjects - from everyday to current affairs - and invites three comics to compete to take the mic with stories, anecdotes, jokes or even songs, like a parlour game at the best fantasy dinner party you could ever imagine. The game - fun. The rules - highly convoluted. The laughs - constant. www.comedyarcadepodcast.co.uk PODCAST, GAME SHOW DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 14:30 (15:30) Entry: £5

Big Difference Company present

COMEDY HEAVEN The spectacular ﬁnale show for Leicester Comedy Festival 2021, in aid of local charities. Some of the best acts of the festival gather to raise money for good causes and see the festival out in style. Guests include Kemah Bob, Sarah Keyworth, Lauren Pattison, Sunil Patel, Kate Lucas, Ahir Shah, and more to be announced! In aid of Big Difference Company & Prostaid. MIXED BILL DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 20:00 (22:10) Entry: £10

Impatient Productions present

DALISO CHAPONDA: APOCALYPSE NOT NOW Finalist of Britain's Got Talent and star of BBC Radio 4's Citizen of Nowhere Daliso Chaponda is back with a new hour of the slickest, sharpest look at life. It's fair to say that 2020 didn't go to plan for Daliso, but he's been performing online daily to millions of viewers, and he's beaming his new show to Leicester Comedy Festival via a bespoke online stream - this is your ﬁrst chance to see what this master of satire has been cooking up! dalisochaponda.com/ SOLO SHOW DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 19:30 (20:30) Entry: £15

DAN WEBBER - GENRE FLUID Winner - Best Solo Show Morecambe Fringe Festival 2020 - The stand-up poet, reluctant bear and attempted vegan strips... away labels of life, love, the arts and the LGBTQ+ community in this fast-paced, honest and hilarious debut. Under constant pressure from marketing people to decide whether he is a comic or poet, Dan navigates through the confusing world of deﬁnitions. www.imgenreﬂuid.com SPOKEN WORD, THEATRE DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 21:00 (22:05) Entry: FREE

Watch Live on Twitch - Donations Welcome

ESCAPE THE NORTH: ESCAPE THE MIDLANDS SPECIAL EDITION FOR LEICESTER COMEDY FESTIVAL

REGIONAL PREMIERE

The world's only interactive livestream puzzle-adventure-roleplaying dystopian Midlands Simulator. Sign up to overcome challenging interactions and bizarre puzzles in an evolving world constructed by a team of perpetually indoors comedians. Befriend a worm, rescue your Nan, defeat a Toby Jug - anything is possible! Escape The North is created and performed by Foxdog Studios, Jack Evans, Jain Edwards, Jim-John Harkness and Sean Morley.IMMERSIVE, IMPROV DATES: 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Time: 20:00 (22:00)

Venue: LCF Online Events

Entry: FREE

Blue Book Artist Management present

ESHAAN AKBAR: WORK IN PROGRESS A work-in-progress (LOL) from Eshaan Akbar - as seen on Mock The Week, QI, Stand Up Sketch Show and heard on BBC Asian Network, But...Where Are You Really From #reallyfrom, #ninetwentynine and so much more besides. He has at least one very good joke about Asians in porn. youtube.com/eshaanakbarcomedy SOLO SHOW, SATIRE DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

"One of the highlights of the comedy calendar" the independent on sunday

Time: 19:00 (20:00) Entry: £5 - £10

EVENTS

Leicester Comedy Festival 2021

HOW TO BOOK TICKETS: You can book tickets for all of our Festival shows from our Festival box office. Visit our website www.comedy-festival.co.uk

Striplight presents

ESTHER MANITO: #NOTALLMEN Esther Manito brings you her brand-new stand-up hour '#NotAllMen' after a successful and critically acclaimed award nominated 2019 show. Esther's biographical show takes you back to the 90's: lad mags, calling landlines, the vast amount of cock n ball grafﬁ ti and trying to imagine what she should could ever hope for from a future spouse!?!?!?! Nuts mag didn't quite sell it. "Undeniable Stage Presence"The Scotsman "Incredible Comedian"EdFest Mag www.esthermanito.com SOLO SHOW, STORYTELLING DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 19:00 (20:00) Entry: £5-£8

FELICITY WARD: WARD-IN-PROGRESS Well after years without touring a new show, you'd think Felicity would have a new one ready and raring to go right? Wrong. She had a baby and they take ages. So instead she's trying out material she thinks you're going to love, but under the pretence that if you don't, that we're all learning and growing. NOMINATED - Best Comedy Show - Edinburgh Comedy Awards https://www.felicityward.com/ SOLO SHOW DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 21:00 (22:00) Entry: £5

PBJ LIve present

WORLD PREMIERE

FIN TAYLOR: IRRELEVANT MATERIAL FOR A POST-VACCINE WORLD

Fin took a year off from doing a new show in 2019, which was undoubtedly the most stupid decision he's ever made. He has a surfeit of material that has never seen the light of day, and a bunch more stuff about life in a pandemic that he has been unable to try in front of a live audience. It'll be 45 minutes to an hour in which you won't be unloading the dishwasher or cooking or staring at a wall waiting for the next thing to go wrong. ﬁntaylor.com/ SOLO SHOW DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 18:00 (19:00) Entry: £5

Big Difference Production present

FIRST NIGHT FUNNIES Join us on zoom to celebrate the ﬁrst night of the festival with some of our favourite acts! Hosted by Sikisa, featuring Tony Law, Prince Abdi, Jen Ives, Mo Omar, and Felicity Ward! MIXED BILL DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 19:00 (20:30) Entry: £5

FUNNY LOOKING KIDS GROWN UP COMEDY SHOW

REGIONAL PREMIERE

What?! A comedy club for kids (and their invited guests/handlers... ) beamed into your house with jokes, sketches, quizzes & mayhem! Ok then! From the ﬁrst sketch to the ﬁnal joke competition, Funny Looking Kids: Comedy Club is a rag tag bag of tomfoolery and nonsense. Chaos and cachophoney, silliness and stupidity. This club offers comedy for kids with an alternative twist. The only rules are! No peanuts, no swears, no uniforms bring jokes! https://funnylooking.co.uk/ CHILDREN'S, ALTERNATIVE DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 14:00 (15:00) Entry: £5

WANT TICKETS?

visit www.comedy-festival.co.uk

EVENTS

Leicester Comedy Festival 2021 Screaming with Laughter Production

FUNNY MUMMIES PODCAST Comedian Hatty Ashdown (Comedy Central, BBC, Soho Radio) hosts this comedy podcast with a bunch of blooming funny mums to have a laugh at the whole sprogs shebang and being bloody great women. For this show she's joined by co-host Gemma Beagley, author Viv Groskop and comedian Athena Kugblenu. "Hilarious, refreshing and grounding LOVE this podcast! So refreshing to hear the realities of parenting - the good, the bad, the ugly" ***** Apple Review Screamingwithlaughter.com PODCAST, DISCUSSION DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 14:30 (15:30) Entry: £5

GLASS UTOPIA

REGIONAL PREMIERE

Glass Utopia is a series of short, satirical ﬁlms which explore the view that all cities in the UK lack identity. Do you love living in a place that could be anywhere? Do you drive past clone towns at 100 mph, at the risk of prosecution, as the thought of seeing another generic town centre erodes your soul? Then these ﬁlms are for you! SATIRE, SKETCH DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 20:00 (20:50) Entry: FREE or Pay What You Want

HARRY & CHRIS: ARE EXCITED TO SEE EACH OTHER

WORLD PREMIERE

World-beating comedy-rap-jazz duo Harry and Chris haven't been apart this long since Chris went travelling for his honeymoon and we agreed it would be weird if Harry tagged along. Harry has made a Chris-speciﬁc quiz round to try out on him and you, and they've also bought each other Christmas presents that they haven't yet opened. Will also feature some old faves and plenty of comedy, rap and/or Jazz. www.harryandchris.com/ MUSICAL, SPOKEN WORD DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 19:30 (20:30) Entry: £5

HARRY BAKER: I AM 10555 On 5th August 2019 Mathematician-turned-World-Slam-Champion Harry Baker turned 10,000 days old in style with a brand new show celebrating numbers, words and life itself. 555 days later and he still hasn't been able to ﬁnish touring it, but he has had a lot of time to write while he waits, including a 5-star review of a toilet seat and a German Pop anthem. Expect old and new poems, a keytar cameo, and the best Zoom quiz round you'll see all 2021. www.harrybaker.co SPOKEN WORD, SOLO SHOW DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 19:30 (20:30) Entry: £5

HARRY WRIGHT - SMALLTOWN BOY (WORK IN PROGRESS) Gay boy with autism explores a lifetime of trying to ﬁ t in with other men, with mixed results. Harry Wright examines his autism and his sexuality, and how these intersect with his class identity, growing up in a deprived area of Yorkshire. Harry considers how sex, relationships and music have helped him become a better man, in theory anyway. Plus numerous dick jokes. SOLO SHOW DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 20:00 (20:45) Entry: FREE

Cheryl Hayes Management present

WORLD PREMIERE

HATTY ASHDOWN: DIG DEEP (WORK-IN-PROGRESS)

"Wonderfully inventive, consistently funny"- Time out. Join Hatty (co-writer & creator of Give out Girls on Comedy Central, presenter of Funny Mummies podcast on Soho Radio, host of Screaming with Laughter comedy club) for an hour of comedy as she digs into the joys of surviving the everyday. Hatty explores how we ﬁnd the mental strength and willpower for parenting, grief, and emptying the dishwasher. hattyashdown.com SOLO SHOW, STORYTELLING DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

"Three weeks of laughs in Leicester" the mail on sunday

Time: 21:00 (22:00) Entry: £5

EVENTS

Leicester Comedy Festival 2021

We have a cunning plan – to play more comedy than anywhere else! Blue Book Artist Management present

HELEN BAUER: GOOD TIT (WORK IN PROGRESS) Nominated for Best Newcomer at Edinburgh Fringe 2019, sweet angel stand up comedian Helen Bauer presents a work in progress show of her new thoughts and feelings on pretty much everything. "What follows is an hour of comedy so perfectly put together, you'd be forgiven for doubting this could possibly be someone's debut show." (The Skinny). As heard and seen on BBC Radio 4, BBC2, BBC3 and Comedy Central UK. https://helenbauer.co.uk SOLO SHOW DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 19:00 (20:00) Entry: £5

Little Wander present

HERE TO JUDGE - LIVE PODCAST Leila Navabi (Tourist Trap, The Leak with Tom Price), Priya Hall (Who Said That?) & Robin Morgan (The Now Show, Romesh Presents...) scour the internet for disturbing dilemmas to dish out advice and decide who's to blame. Inspired by the notorious Am I the Asshole? Reddit thread from "Is it ok if my partner doesn't let me upstairs in the house we own together?" to "My friend refuses to make to make my dog a birthday cake & now we're not speaking" https://littlewander.co.uk/little-wander-podcasts/here-to-judge/ PODCAST, DISCUSSION DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 14:30 (15:30) Entry: £5

I GOT BIT BY A MONKEY ONCE

REGIONAL PREMIERE

Four true stories: a monkey; a bus trip; an arrest; and a mugging. How would you get out of getting mugged? Ever been propositioned for a road trip in a bus station bathroom? What's the wildest animal you have been bitten by? Ever been arrested? Matt Harvey has done a lot of dumb things. And he knows you have too. Join Matt for "an amazing hour" of storytelling. mattharveystuff.com STORYTELLING DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 18:00 (19:00) Entry: £5

Jericho Comedy

I'VE HAD A ROSÉ, LET'S TALK ABOUT FEELINGS WITH SAM LAKE Comedian Sam Lake (The Joy of Missing Out - All 4, Winner of Leicester Square Theatre New Comedian of the Year) brings his hilarious & emotion fuelled podcast to Leicester Comedy Festival. In his ﬁrst ever live streamed special, Sam will be joined by some extra special guests (TBA) chatting about how they engage with their precious little feelings. Expect rosé based giggles. www.samlakecomedy.com PODCAST, DISCUSSION DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 16:30 (17:30) Entry: £5-£7

Big Difference Company present

IS COMEDY ART? There has been a rise in comedy studies in the past few years and Arts Council England explicitly included comedy in their recent CRF funding, but is comedy art? Join comedian, Pope Lonergan and a panel of academics from across the country as they discuss, debate and (hopefully) offer a new perspectives on the age old question. DISCUSSION DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 14:00 (15:30) Entry: FREE

WANT TICKETS?

visit www.comedy-festival.co.uk

EVENTS

Leicester Comedy Festival 2021 JEDDY BEAR AND GARY'S PICNIC

REGIONAL PREMIERE

Jeddy Bear and Gary's Picnic Live From The Woods If you go down to the woods today you're in for a big surprise! Join comedy duo Jed and Gary as they tell you a story, well that is until a very naughty bear storms the stage! They'll be Live from the woods for a very special show, expect mayhem and madness, in this not-so-traditional telling of the Teddy Bear's Picnic. There'll be games to join in with, music, dancing, and pie facing madness... CHILDREN'S, INTERACTIVE DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 12:00 (12:20) Entry: FREE

JEN IVES: PEAK TRANS

REGIONAL PREMIERE

As the public discourse on trans people becomes more toxic in the UK, comedian & trans-woman Jen Ives is here to sort it all out, hun. Is JK Rowling The Devil? Can a man love a trans woman and still be straight? And can Jen get away with taking maternity leave at work? (work in progress show) Funny Women Awards FINALIST 2019 / Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year 2019 FINALIST Hat Trick Productions and BBC Newsjack contributor hannahlaytonmanagement.com/jen-ives SOLO SHOW DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 19:00 (20:00) Entry: £5-£7

Ebdon Management present

JESSICA FOSTEKEW PRESENTS THE HOOVERING PODCAST LIVE 2021 Jessica Fostekew is a comedian (QI & Live at the Apollo) and Hoovering is a podcast all about eating. The highs, the lows, the everything. Jess will scoff up Leicester foraged food with Leicester foraged awesome celebrity guests including superstar GRACE PETRIE and more to be conﬁrmed. Feel free to bring snacks cos it will make you peckish. "So much more than just a food podcast" - The Guardian "Consistently hilarious" Fest jessicafostekew.com MIXED BILL, PODCAST DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 14:30 (15:30) Entry: £5-£8

Ebdon Management present

JESSICA FOSTEKEW: WORK IN PROGRESS A brand new work in progress from Jessica Fostekew. You've seen her on Live at the Apollo and QI. You've heard her on the Guilty Feminist podcast, News Quiz and The Now Show. Her last show Hench was nominated for Dave's Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Show and even better for Best Show at Leicester Comedy Festival, so there. "Absolutely ﬂawless" - Fest "Great stuff" The Guardian "Masterful storytelling" Scotsman jessicafostekew.com SOLO SHOW, STORYTELLING DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 18:00 (19:00) Entry: £5-£8

Lee Martin for Gag Reﬂex Ltd presents

WORLD PREMIERE

JONNY AWSUM: THE GAG SLINGING GUITAR HERO

A fantastic 40 minutes of Britain's Got Talent star Jonny Awsum, performing his special feel-good brand of family friendly musical comedy, live on screen. A comedic whirlwind, Jonny guarantees fun & laughs, songs & games, suitable for all ages! Plus all his greatest hits, including those made famous with Ant & Dec and David Walliams "pure unadulterated fun" What's on Stage "Brilliantly inventive" David Walliams "a brilliant comic" Jason Manford https://www.jonnyawsum.com CHILDREN'S, MUSICAL DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 16:00 (16:40) Entry: £5

Andrew Roach Talent in association with Ingenious Fools

JULIETTE BURTON: REDEFINED In March 2020, Juliette was on tour with her critically acclaimed show Defined. Then her tour, our lives, the world were suddenly Redefined. Her original show was about how everything in Juliette's life in 2018 changed overnight making her re-evaluate how to define love, life and labels. Now she's back to explore how 2020 Redefined EVERYTHING. Recommended Lockdown Comedy The Guardian "Huge talent" ***** Daily Mirror www.julietteburton.co.uk SOLO SHOW, STORYTELLING DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

"The festival offers big names... and innovative curios" the times

Time: 19:00 (20:00) Entry: £5

EVENTS

Leicester Comedy Festival 2021 Big Difference Company present

LAUGH TERM COMEDY SCHOOL WORKSHOP (BEGINNER) The dedicated "school" for aspiring teenagers is going online! Each workshops will develop young people's skills and give them an experience of performing live(ish) comedy. Both workshops will be different so join to learn tips and tricks of the trade from real life comedians. Suitable for young people aged 14-18 who have NOT done Laugh Term Comedy School before. Places are very limited so participants get maximum 1-2-1 support, book fast! https://ukkidscomedyfestival.co.uk/ CHILDREN'S, INTERACTIVE DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 13:00 (14:00) Entry: £5

Big Difference Company present

LAUGH TERM COMEDY SCHOOL WORKSHOP (INTERMEDIATE) The dedicated "school" for aspiring teenagers is going online! Each workshops will develop young people's skills and give them an experience of performing live(ish) comedy. Both workshops will be different so join to learn tips and tricks of the trade from real life comedians. Suitable for young people aged 14-18 who HAVE done Laugh Term Comedy School before. Places are very limited so participants get maximum 1-2-1 support, book fast! https://ukkidscomedyfestival.co.uk/ CHILDREN'S, INTERACTIVE DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 14:30 (15:30) Entry: £5

Big Difference Company present

LAUGH TERM COMEDY SCHOOL WORKSHOPS (AGE 11-14) The dedicated "school" is going online for your younger teenagers! Workshops will develop young people's skills and give them an experience of performing live(ish) comedy. Suitable for young people aged 11-14 and no performance experience necessary, just a willingness to learn and have fun. Places are very limited so participants get maximum 1-2-1 support, book fast! https://ukkidscomedyfestival.co.uk/ CHILDREN'S, INTERACTIVE DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 13:00 (14:00) & 14:30 (15:30) Entry: £5

KEEP IN TOUCH Find us online to stay up to date with all the news and gossip from this year’s festival… Follow us on Twitter @LeicsComedyFest

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Youtube Leicester Comedy Festival

Impatient Productions present

LAURA LEXX: KNEE JERK PLUS EXCERPTS FROM KLOPP ACTUALLY Following a sold-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe which earned her a prestigious Comedian's Choice Award for the second year in a row, Lexx has a laugh in your living room with society's big issues: social media, mental health, climate change and conceiving...but come for the jokes, not answers. Followed by a reading of excerpts from Laura's really rather hilarious book, Klopp Actually. www.lauralexx.co.uk/ SOLO SHOW DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 20:00 (21:10) Entry: £10

United Agents present

LAURA SMYTH: WORK IN PROGRESS Laura Smyth is a comedian and winner of The Funny Women Awards 2019. This, her ﬁrst WiP comedy hour, explores all the advice she has ever been given and ignored, or attempted and forgotten. You haven't heard of her, but people you have heard of have. As seen on Jonathan Ross' Comedy Club (ITV). "A Naturally Funny Woman" Jo Brand. "A force of nature." Steve Bennett, Chortle. "Sounds like she has been doing it all her life." Bruce Dessau. SOLO SHOW DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 21:00 (22:00) Entry: £5

WANT TICKETS?

visit www.comedy-festival.co.uk

EVENTS

Leicester Comedy Festival 2021 Blue Book Artist Management present

LILY PHILLIPS: SMUT (WORK IN PROGRESS) Female comedians are often criticized for only talking about vaginas and periods, which is offensive, but in Lily's case 100% true. Follow newcomer Lily Phillips on her journey to feminism and stand up. Lily will be bringing her work in progress show SMUT to Leicester comedy festival and with it her unique brand of Vaginal based comedy. Pleasance Reserve Comedian 2019, Funny Women Finalist 2018 and she has ﬁlmed for Comedy Central and BBC3. www.lilyphillipscomedy.com SOLO SHOW DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 21:00 (22:00) Entry: £5

LOREMEN: LIVE Loremen is a podcast about local legends and obscure curiosities from days of yore (Rated 4.9/5 on Apple Podcasts). Comedians James Shakeshaft and Alasdair Beckett-King "investigate" funny and forgotten folklore. This Leicester special will be the ﬁrst fully live outing for the Loremen, whose previous mysteries include the Manchester Mummy, the Witch of Wookey Hole and the Ghost Duck of Stoke. www.loremenpodcast.com STORYTELLING, PODCAST DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 16:30 (17:30) Entry: £5-£7

United Agents present

MAMOUN ELAGAB: WORK IN PROGRESS A work in progress hour from a rising star of the circuit. "Chilled composure and a fascinating back-story... a comic who you'd like to hear more from" (Chortle). Mamoun's natural ﬂair has made him a winner and ﬁnalist of numerous comedy competitions, including Leicester Square New Comedian of the Year and BBC New Comedy Awards 2018. As seen in Pleasance Reserve, Edinburgh Fringe 2019. SOLO SHOW DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 19:00 (20:00) Entry: £5

Tin Cat Entertainment present

MARK THOMAS - CHECK UP: OUR NHS @ 70 (LIVE!) Mark spent a month shadowing nurses, consultants and staff at the Imperial Group of NHS hospitals. From gastric sleeves to major trauma to dementia wards and back again, Mark was there to witness our NHS in action. This is the story he tells interspersed with interviews. The result is a surprisingly emotional look at the state we are in. www.ytheatre.co.uk STORYTELLING, THEATRE DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 19:30 (21:20) Entry: £5

Impatient Productions present

MARK WATSON: HOW YOU CAN ALMOST WIN + THIS CAN'T BE IT (PREVIEW) In 2017, Mark Watson - a man prone to considerable anxiety, with multiple phobias and a history of piss-poor self-esteem - was asked to go on Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls. It really wasn't for him at all because his favourite things include safety, comfort, food and not being scared and miserable. But the experience changed the shambolic comedian for the better, and now he's written a sort of motivational talk about what it taught him. www.markwatsonthecomedian.com/ SOLO SHOW, STORYTELLING DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 20:00 (21:50) Entry: £15

Sinthujha

WORLD PREMIERE

MID 30 CRISIS

My name is Sinthujha, a female comedian from Canada but living in Sweden! Marriage is tough, my bowls are torn up in stress and I'm in a new country. Join me as I laugh and cry over my mid 30 mess of a life. SOLO SHOW, IMPROV DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

"Three weeks of laughs in Leicester" the mail on sunday

Time: 18:00 (18:40) Entry: £5

EVENTS

Leicester Comedy Festival 2021 MOMMY DEAREST & ME

REGIONAL PREMIERE

Mommy Dearest & Me is a New York City-based two-person comedic variety show that dives into the fun and playful relationship between a real-life mother and daughter duo. With a shared passion for comedy and performance, Bonnie Q and Niecey showcase their unique dynamic through Saturday Night Live-style sketches, short-form improv games, song parodies, and lots of celebrity impersonations! https://www.bonnieq.com/shows IMPROV, SKETCH DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 19:00 (20:00) Entry: FREE

Fire Donkey Productions present

REGIONAL PREMIERE

MONKSPOTTING

To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Royal Society for the Protection of Monks (RSPM), Monkspotting is going digital. Fire Donkey Productions present an absurd monastic parody of wildlife observation, with monk experts taking your questions, handy tips to increase your chances of spotting a monk, and footage sent in from the monkspotting community, giving us a snapshot of the rich tapestry of monks indigenous to the British Isles. www.ﬁredonkey.co.uk ALTERNATIVE DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 20:00 (21:00) Entry: FREE

Wendy Belcourt

WORLD PREMIERE

MY LIFE OVER THE YEARS STANDUP COMEDY ONLINE SHOW

Yes, I was born funny according to my father and at Sheridan College, I realized that my slapstick comedy work with one other person was very good as well as improv and sketch work especially unscripted with the right calibre of funny people to work with. I have done a little bit of classes at Second City as well. I will start out with online showing and will consider doing live shows at a more non Covid time as we may not have live even in 2021 https://wendybelcourt.com SOLO SHOW, SPOKEN WORD DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 12:00 (12:55) Entry: £20

The Rat Pack Productions Ltd

REGIONAL PREMIERE

NATHAN CASSIDY: ROSES FROM JOE (PREVIEW)

Nathan's grandma sends him on a quest for happiness, and to bring her back to life! The sequel to the critically acclaimed, Leicester Comedy Festival Best Show 2020 award-nominated 'Observational'. **** 'The best show at this year's Fringe. A classic, structured, rollercoaster hour. Star-in-waiting, he is untouchable.' The Times 2020 'An extraordinary story richly accessorised with laughter.' The Scotsman 2020 www.nathancassidy.com/rosesfromjoe SOLO SHOW DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 19:00 (20:00) Entry: £5-£7

OLGA KOCH WORKS FROM HOME As seen on Mock The Week, the Edinburgh Comedy Award and Leicester Comedy Festival Best Show nominee returns with another work in progress! This year, she tackles her identity as an immigrant, a drama queen, a ZipCar Premium member and the biggest Vampire Weekend fan the world has ever seen. www.rocknrolga.com SOLO SHOW DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 21:00 (22:00) Entry: £5

The Centre for Comedy Studies Research and Big Difference Company present

ONLY JOKING? COMEDY AND COVID-19 The COVID-19 pandemic has led to lots of comedy about the virus. From memes to TikTok videos we are sharing COVID-19 comedy. What are the reasons for this? What is the content of COVID-19 comedy? How does this compare to jokes told during other crises? These questions will be discussed by Sharon Lockyer (Director, Centre for Comedy Studies Research). Please bring along your best COVID-19 joke if you have one! DISCUSSION DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 14:00 (15:00) Entry: FREE

WANT TICKETS?

visit www.comedy-festival.co.uk

EVENTS

Leicester Comedy Festival 2021 PAPPY'S FLATSHARE SLAMDOWN 'AT' LEICESTER COMEDY FESTIVAL

A chance to watch your favourite podcast, PAPPY'S FLATSHARE SLAMDOWN, live from the comfort of your own home! WITH SPECIAL GUESTS CARIAD LLOYD & ANGELA BARNES (this show is presented in association with the Leicester Comedy Festival) Pappy's Flatshare Slamdown is the hilarious and anarchic panel game hosted by award-winning sketch heroes Pappy's and featuring great guests from the world of comedy. www.pappyscomedy.com/ GAME SHOW, IMPROV DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 20:00 (21:30) Entry: £5

PARTLY POLITICAL BROADCAST - LIVE A live version of the comedy politics podcast hosted by comedian Tiernan Douieb. It will contain jokes about whatever awful things the government have done that week, and will probably have some local guests to talk about current political issues. www.partlypoliticalbroadcast.co.uk Top Ten Politics Podcasts - The Observer partlypoliticalbroadcast.co.uk SATIRE, PODCAST DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 16:30 (17:30) Entry: £5-£7

Watch For Free on Facebook Live - Donations Welcome

PATRICK MONAHAN: LIVE & UNLEASHED ONE OFF INTERNET SHOW FOR LEICESTER COMEDY FESTIVAL A bespoke, Free / Pay What You Want live show on Facebook with your favourite Iranian Teesider. 'Terriﬁc comic... His overwhelming warmth makes this a truly delightful hour', Scotsman, 2019. "Fringe legend", Mirror ��, "plays to packed audiences", One4Review, 2019 �� SOLO SHOW patrickmonahan.co.uk/ DATES: 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Time: 20:00 (21:00)

Venue: LCF Online Events

Entry: FREE

Watch for Free on Instagram - Donations Welcome

PAUL CURRIE: TEET A show that explores with great respect and truth bomb precision the utter lactose obsessed mess of the human race.. like inequality, veganism, racism and why the "Grimm Reaper" itself has pretty much had enough of all this ignorance and sugar coated surrender monkey garbage we're all consuming. And the question on everyone's lips for many millennia.. Men's nipples? Shall be answered. SOLO SHOW DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 20:00 (21:00) Entry: FREE

Watch for Free on Instagram - Donations Welcome

WORLD PREMIERE

PAUL CURRIE: THE CHORUS OF GHOSTS LIVING IN MY SKULL KEEP TELLING ME TO SHIT IN THE FRUIT SALAD.

A show about mental health written and 'performanced' by an openly proud to be mentally unhealthy-healthy human person, taking you on a gondola oblongata along the cerebral canals into the awkward streams of consciousness that stop us all from communicating about the sensitive subjects in life that are only sensitive because we're told by they are. So let's drink from the happy joy babble tea tap. Because it's ok to not be ok with being not ok. SOLO SHOW DATES: 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Time: 20:00 (21:00)

Venue: LCF Online Events

Entry: FREE

Watch for Free on Instagram - Donations Welcome

PAUL CURRIE: TURBO FOOL Strap in tight as the the entire family are taken for a supersonic ride, through the egg shell blue sky's of hairy man child and professional clown, stand up artist & Jim Henson muppeteer Paul Currie's ﬂuffy brain clouds. CHILDREN'S DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 13:45 (14:45) Entry: FREE

"Leicester's mammoth annual bash lands like an avenging angel amid the late-winter gloom" the i

EVENTS

Leicester Comedy Festival 2021 Leicester Cathedral Presents...

PAUL KERENSA: THE KNEEL-DOWN STAND-UP SITS DOWN Stand-up (well sit-down) comedy from the British Comedy Award-winning writer of Miranda, Not Going Out + TFI Friday. Paul's the only comic to appear both at London's Comedy Store and on Radio 2 Breakfast Show's Pause For Thought. That is, when allowed to leave home. Recorded at home for Leicester Cathedral, expect biblical, observational, ecclesiastical, hysterical, fun, funny, and other words. Thou shalt laugh. "Ingenious" Evening Standard SOLO SHOW DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 20:00 (21:00) Entry: £5

TALK TO US: We’d love to hear what you think about the Festival, and the shows that you have seen. Tweet, email or write to us to share your thoughts

Watch for free on Youtube

PETRICHOR WITH ALEX OWEN, ELLIE WHITE, LOLLY ADEFOPE, KATY WIX & MORE Petrichor is a long good series about a short bad film. We follow a deluded auteur trying to make the short film 'Petrichor'. But he's more in love with the idea of making a film than the film he's actually making. Stars Alex Owen, Ellie White, Al Roberts, Lolly Adefope, Katy Wix and more. "Cringingly funny web sitcom with a fantastic cast...Will Farrell and Ben Rowse's four-parter shows there's life in the mockumentary yet." **** (Guardian) https://youtu.be/hqTpplTesQs SKETCH, CHARACTER DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 10:00 (11:00) Entry: FREE

PETRICHOR: LIVE Q&A

WORLD PREMIERE

The co-creators of the web series Petrichor host a Q&A about Petrichor. Because they've got nothing better to do and nothing else to talk about. If you've got any questions about the show or how it was made or why the creators think they're cool enough to get away with this, ﬁre away! Smell ya later wackos!!! Watch the series for free on YouTube in advance of this exclusive Q&A. www.twitter.com/PetrichorSeries DISCUSSION DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 21:00 (22:00) Entry: £5

Big Difference Company present

PICK OF THE FEST This sell-out show returns online this year, with a handpicked selection of festival favourites. This year's stellar line-up includes Charlie Baker (The Last Leg, Harry Hill's Tea Time, Comedy Central at the Comedy Store), Eshaan Akbar (Mock The Week, QI, BBC Asian Network), multi awards winner Katie Pritchard and Sophie Duker (Frankie Boyle's New World Order, Bake Off Extra Slice, Mock The Week). More to be announced. MIXED BILL DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 20:30 (22:00) Entry: £5

POPPY HILLSTEAD HAS ENTERED THE CHAT: LEICESTER SPECIAL WIP The hit podcast 'Poppy Hillstead Has Entered The Chat' is coming to Leicester Comedy Festival for a one off live show! Join Poppy and guests as they re-create her adventures speaking to real people in real chatrooms. From Hypnosis roleplay to pretending to know about Carp angler ﬁshing techniques, yes things usually end up in a dick pic, but Poppy is determined to blend in. Join us for this, very much work in progress, live version of the pod! MIXED BILL, PODCAST DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 16:30 (17:30) Entry: £5-£7

WANT TICKETS?

visit www.comedy-festival.co.uk

EVENTS

Leicester Comedy Festival 2021 PBJ Management present

RACHEL FAIRBURN: MANIAC (WORK IN PROGRESS) This is a brand-new show from Rachel. She's no idea what it's about yet but a lot has happened, hasn't it? One thing she can promise is dark humour, a bit of ﬁlth and probably some misplaced outrage about everything from insomniacs to slasher movies. "Huge presence in a pint-sized frame - ****" Chortle "Bright, brave and bitterly enjoyable - ****" The Skinny "Gag-heavy, opinionated and smart - ****" Funny Women SOLO SHOW DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 20:00 (21:00) Entry: £7

PBJ LIve present

RACHEL FAIRBURN: STORIES NIGHT - COMEDIANS TELLING EROTIC STORIES Light some candles, pop the prosecco and dust off the satin sheets to join Rachel Fairburn and her line up of ﬁlthy comedy guests for a night of online matchmaking, cocktails and some very sexy stories. Treat your valentine to a live cam date or join us from home, alone like every other year! Conﬁrmed so far Shappi Khorsandi and Will Duggan www.twitter.com/RachelFairburn STORYTELLING, MIXED BILL DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 19:30 (22:25) Entry: £8

Theodora van der Beek present

REGIONAL PREMIERE

RAM OF GOD, THE FILM

With inﬂuences from seventies horror, music documentaries and cereal adverts, a playful takedown of masculinity and its shadowy cheerleaders that joyfully tackles the new possibilities and limitations of presenting theatre on screen. 'Wickedly funny... its view of the world is wholly singular and utterly deserving of attention' ***** A Younger Theatre 'Brilliantly understated comic with the punk spirit of the Sex Pistols' **** The Scotsman www.tdbeek.com THEATRE, HORROR DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 21:00 (21:40) Entry: £5 (£3)

SAM SERRANO: MAKE ME YOUR QUEEN Serrano is one of the most promising new comics on the circuit with their trademark self deprecating and dark style. "killer lines... expect to see more" Chorlte "Put the X in X Factor" York Press "Laugh-out-loud funny" Yorkshire Post "Game changer of an act" Concept Comedy Great Yorkshire Fringe Comedian of the year 2018 (2nd) Leicester Square New Comedian of the year 2019 (ﬁnalist) LGBT Comedian of the year 2019 (runner-up) SOLO SHOW DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 19:00 (20:00) Entry: FREE

SAMANTHA HANNAH - HOW TO WIN @ LIFE Death has killed over 100 billion people so far. Sadly, experts believe this number will only go up. From the creator of How to Find a Husband in a Year and How to Find Happiness (in a Year), this annum, Sammy was set to take on life. Then, the world changed. So she's tackling life online instead. An interactive, virtual, multi-media experience. With puppies and kittens. And jokes. SOLO SHOW, INTERACTIVE DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 20:00 (21:00) Entry: FREE

Spikey Productions present

SARAH JOHNSON: CRAFTERNOON WITH CAROL Self-acclaimed Craftaholic, Carol, has been inﬂuencing the creative minds of multiple people for weeks now. Her work has been featured on all her own social media platforms. Carol's mission - 'Inspire many humans to feel joy and conﬁdence through cutting and sticking. So why not join this phenomenal multicrafter, in her Crafternoon Masterclass and take-home skills you never wanted. "Johnson is an excellent performer" 4.5****(One4Review) sarahljohnson.co.uk/ SOLO SHOW, STORYTELLING DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 20:00 (21:00) Entry: £5

"Leicester's mammoth annual bash lands like an avenging angel amid the late-winter gloom" the i

EVENTS

Leicester Comedy Festival 2021 Chambers Touring present

SARAH KEYWORTH: WORK IN PROGRESS An hour of new material from Edinburgh Comedy Award-nominee Sarah Keyworth. Winner: Herald Angel Award. Winner: Pleasance Best Newcomer Award As seen and heard on Roast Battle, 8 Out Of 10 Cats, The Stand Up Sketch Show and The Now Show. ***** Herald **** Times **** Telegraph sarahkeyworth.co.uk SOLO SHOW DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 15:30 (16:30) Entry: £5

Building cities on Rock & Roll. Except Milton Keynes, that’s built on roundabouts. Philip Simon presents

SCHOOL'S OUT COMEDY CLUB Keep your kids giggling more than that time they saw their teacher's dirty washing on Google Classroom with this hilarious comedy show where all the jokes have been sent in by children for Philip to tell. The BBC called him "the Comedy World's Joe Wicks", & you'll see why when you join his daily live streams, and maybe let your kid take the virtual stage to tell their own jokes. Find previous YouTube shows by searching "School's Out Comedy Club". https://www.philipsimon.co.uk/school-s-out-comedy-club CHILDREN'S DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 15:30 (16:00) Entry: FREE

Fluid thinking and Blue Book AM present

WORLD PREMIERE

SCOTT BENNETT : "STAND UP FROM THE SHED" LIVE!

As a result of the pandemic, comedian Scott Bennett had the stupid idea of doing a weekly live streamed stand up show from his own garden shed. Months later, "Stand up from the Shed" is still going strong. With his loyal army of "Shedshowdians" sending emoji's, his wife Jemma keeping him in line and his parents on speed dial, it's a fun packed variety show of stand up, features and sketch comedy. As featured on BBC News, Sky News and Five Live. www.scottbennettcomedy.co.uk SPOKEN WORD, SOLO SHOW DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 19:00 (20:15) Entry: FREE

Fluid Thinking and Blue Book AM present

WORLD PREMIERE

SCOTT BENNETT : THE VOICE IN MY SHED (WIP)

On the 14th March 2020 Scott did what was to be his last real life stand up gig for six months. He then found himself alone in his garden shed with time to kill. This show is the result of that time in isolation. From the creator of the viral lockdown hit, "Stand up from the shed" Double Leicester Comedy Festival Best Show Nominee, Chortle One To Watch 2018 and 2019, as heard on The Now Show (BBC) "Great material, a very funny man" Rob Bryon. www.scottbennettcomedy.co.uk SOLO SHOW, SPOKEN WORD DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 21:00 (22:00) Entry: £5-£7

Watch on Instagram

SCOTT CAPURRO LIVE ON INSTAGRAM Comedy is for everyone, except some people. And like most world leaders, Scott Capurro ignores boundaries and destroys the admiration he desperately desires and deserves. If your emotional journey can be outsourced, please do, and enjoy my hypocrisy! "Comic equation: Larry Grayson x (Lenny Bruce + Chris Rock) = Scott Capurro." - The Guardian https://www.instagram.com/scottcapurro SOLO SHOW DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 19:00 (20:00) Entry: £4

WANT TICKETS?

visit www.comedy-festival.co.uk

EVENTS

Leicester Comedy Festival 2021 SIKISA: BAD GUY (WIP)

From South London, Barbadian citizen Sikisa (as seen on ITV and Comedy Central) presents her work in progress show about being a work in progress. Always doing the right thing, Sikisa is fed up being a good girl - she wants to cause trouble. The problem is that she has always been placed in a box but does she really tick all the boxes? Sikisa explores the brutal but funny truth about her life and herself. The question is, who is the real bad guy? SOLO SHOW DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 19:00 (20:00) Entry: £5

Rachel E. Thorn presents:

WORLD PREMIERE

SKETCH UP!

A smorgasbord of original radio sketches for you to dip into at your leisure! Witty, intelligent and irreverent, we take a sideways glance at modern living. If you like John Finnemore, you'll love "Sketch Up!" As heard on BBC Upload. And absolutely no coronavirus references! Performed by Letty Butler, Melanie Crawley, Gerard Fletcher, Rowe David McClelland, Ali Mylon and Rachel E. Thorn. https://soundcloud.com/rachel-e-thorn/sets/sketchup/s-2s7ob SKETCH DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 18:00 (19:00) Entry: FREE

Watch Live on Twitch - Donations Welcome

SOOZ KEMPNER: PLAYSTATION Sooz got a PlayStation, the ﬁrst adult console, when she was 14 and was ﬁnally a grown-up. Now though, at 36, she's not feeling particularly adult. Gaming, growing up and getting to know who you really are in a stand-up show for anyone who remembers the 90s and had big dreams as a kid. Suitable for nongamers! "a new wave of comedy" The Guardian "incredible...it shouldn't work but it really, really does" The Independent https://www.twitch.tv/soozkempner SOLO SHOW, MUSICAL DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 20:00 (21:00) Entry: FREE

A Stellar Production

WORLD PREMIERE

STELLA GRAHAM: UNDERCURRENT

A rollicking hour of laughs about life, love and trying to survive. Stella's not a bright spark but she's trying. Flighty temper, she'll lose her nut in an instant if she gets a wet sock. Can she turn it around? Come have a laugh, see if you can swerve past the pitfalls she's clumsily dragging herself out of. It's hard not to put your foot in it with size 8 feet. "If you're a TV executive, drop what you're doing and go see her now" - The Skinny www.stellagraham.com SOLO SHOW, SPOKEN WORD DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 18:00 (19:00) Entry: £5

Benjamin Bankole Bello

STOLEN BY PRESIDENT OBONJO Stolen by President Obonjo - Work in Progress

CHARACTER, SOLO SHOW DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 20:00 (21:00) Entry: £5

STUART LAWS: SINGLE FATHER OF NONE

WORLD PREMIERE

Let's be honest: Stuart "You'll struggle to ﬁnd a comedian with a better jokes per minute rate" (Fest) Laws is returning with a new "structural masterpiece" (EdFest Mag). "A deliriously fun and nonsensical hour full of tiny little treats" (The List), "delivered in an assured & affable manner" (Wee Review). Stuart will cover loads of stuff but also his life now he knows he won't ever have children (elective vasectomy, not anything dark and sad) www.stuartlaws.com SOLO SHOW, STORYTELLING DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

"Three weeks of laughs in Leicester" the mail on sunday

Time: 20:15 (21:15) Entry: £5

EVENTS

Leicester Comedy Festival 2021 TERRIBLE TALES AND INCREDIBLE BEASTS WITH THADDEUS BENT

WORLD PREMIERE

Can you take a Unicorn on the bus? Is it safe to keep a Dragon in my suburban allotment? Can you feed a Jacalope pop rocks? These are all good questions and they may or may not answered in an exciting hour of silly stories and stupendous beasts with master storyteller Thaddeus Bent and his wonderous minagerie of badly behaved mythical creatures! Just for an hour of terrible tales and brilliant puppets, with laughs and magic thrown in! https://www.thewonderousfunderstorm.com/ CHILDREN'S, STORYTELLING DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 14:00 (15:00) Entry: FREE

UTC Artist Management present

TEZ ILYAS: ROUGH DRAFT Tez Ilyas is back! As silly, smart and subversive as ever, join him for this brand-new hour of hilarious stand-up. Star of The Tez O'Clock Show (C4), TEZ Talks (BBC Radio 4) and Man Like Mobeen (BBC Three). **** 'Radiantly entertaining' The Times. **** 'Blackburn's Chris Rock' The Guardian. **** 'Tez Ilyas' political stand-up is candyﬂoss with a razorblade inside: sweet and familiar at ﬁrst, then shockingly, painfully sharp' The Telegraph https://tezilyas.com/ SOLO SHOW DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 19:00 (20:00) Entry: £5-£8

Big Difference Production present

THE (NOT SO) LATE NIGHT COMEDY CLUB ONLINE Our traditional Late Night Comedy Club comes back online this year! Join us every Saturday for a brilliant line up handpicked by the Festival team! Guests include Myra Dubois, Louise Young, Nathan Caton, Jen Ives, Jen Brister, Pete Otway, Esther Manito, Thanyia Moore, Rosie Jones, Laura Lexx, Michael Odewale, Jessica Fostekew, Angela Barnes, Sunil Patel & more... MIXED BILL DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 21:00 (22:25) Entry: £5

Big Difference Company present

THE AFTER WORK FESTIVAL SPECIAL Join us to unwind & have a laugh after work - with this special online festival show. Featuring your host double act Shelf (The LOL Word, BBC3, LADBible), and enjoy performances from Ignacio Lopez (ITV Show me the funny, BBC Wales), Tanyalee Davis (as heard on Radio 4, BBC 2 & 5live, Live at the Apollo), Thanyia Moore (Funny Women Champion 2017, semiﬁnalist BBC New Comedy Award 2018) and star of Live at the Apollo Larry Dean. MIXED BILL DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 18:30 (20:00) Entry: £5

Watch Live on Twitch - Donations Welcome

THE BOOK CLUB (WITH STEVIE MARTIN) An interactive improvised hour where Stevie Martin (English literature BA Hons graduate 2010) discusses this week's book that has deﬁnitely not been made up on the spot with a highly academic guest (past professors include Richard Herring, Jordan Brookes, Kiell Smith-Bynoe). The Book Club welcomes everyone provided you've read the novel in advance & hold a degree from Oxford, Cambridge, Oxbridge or Reading. www.Twitch.tv/5tevieM IMMERSIVE, CHARACTER DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 19:00 (20:00) Entry: FREE

Enter Edem

WORLD PREMIERE

THE BOWER OF LOVE!

There is a universal language, and baby, that's the Bower of Love... Bonkers, bright and hilarious, take a look at dating through the eyes of love birds, penguins, and even some pigeons! Bringing us all together on a disco danceﬂoor, it's simply the nest as we get crazy in laughter with Lionel the Lovebird, Dolly the Bower Bird and DJ P-Cox in the ridiculous and silly Bower of love! https://www.enteredem.co.uk/touring-shows-and-experiences/#bower CHARACTER, SATIRE DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 18:30 (19:00) Entry: FREE

WANT TICKETS?

visit www.comedy-festival.co.uk

EVENTS

Leicester Comedy Festival 2021 Claire Sedgwick and Big Difference Company present

THE CULTURAL ECONOMY OF COMEDY IN THE EAST MIDLANDS A discussion on the experiences of stand-up comedians in the East Midlands, focusing speciﬁcally on how precarity within the industry reinforces existing inequalities and marginalisation. Hosted by Claire Sedgwick, Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Nottingham, who will chat with comedians from the region about their experiences and share preliminary ﬁndings from her current research project. https://culturaleconomyofcomedy.wordpress.com/ DISCUSSION DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 14:00 (15:00) Entry: FREE

Gag Reﬂex present John Robertson's

THE DARK ROOM YOU AWAKE TO FIND YOURSELF IN A DARK ROOM! You, the audience, are trapped in an interactive, retro gaming nightmare; choose an option, ﬁnd the way out, and escape The Dark Room! So will you: A) Find the Light Switch? B) Go North? C) Abandon Hope? The Dark Room comes to Zoom with the help of Next Up Comedy the streaming partner for Leicester Comedy Festival 2021. www.thejohnrobertson.com/thedarkroom/ IMMERSIVE, INTERACTIVE DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 19:30 (20:30) Entry: £8

Jericho Comedy present

THE DINNER PARTY In each episode of The Dinner Party, Conor McReynolds asks guests to describe their dream dinner parties. We ﬁnd out the venue, the menu and the guest list. Who are their ideal guests? Why are they invited? And how would the conversation go? It's always a fascinating chat about the people who have inspired our guests most. Previous guests have included Laura Lexx, Geoff Norcott & Josh Berry. The Dinner Party is a Jericho Comedy production. www.jerichocomedy.com DISCUSSION, PODCAST DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 14:30 (15:30) Entry: £5-£7

Leicester Cathedral Presents...

THE EDI JOHNSTON BIT: I'M ONLY HERE TO EAT PANCAKES AND PLAY SONGS ON MY UKULELE... AND I'M FRESH OUT OF PANCAKES! What's going on in The Edi Johnston Bit's life may be very similar to yours right now - the same four walls EVERY day. But let's make that a little better with some Ukulele Comedy songs on Pancake Day about the way things used to be! Especially produced for LCF 2021, come and see this very unique one off show, and join Edi Johnston (as seen on ITV & C5) as he shares his particular view on all manner of subjects in a show for the whole family. MUSICAL, SOLO SHOW DATES: 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Time: 20:00 (21:00)

Venue: LCF Online Events

Entry: £5

Big Difference Company and Leicester Libraries present

THE JOKE SPOT Get your thinking caps on, it's time to write some jokes (or ﬁnd your favorite from a joke book borrowed from the library) then join Rob Gee LIVE as he performs them as you send them in! Short jokes, long jokes, punn-y poems and silly stories all welcome so make sure you visit The UK Kids' Comedy Festival on Facebook and click 'attending' on the event. What on earth could go wrong? https://www.facebook.com/The-UK-Kids-Comedy-Festival CHILDREN'S, INTERACTIVE DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 12:00 (13:00) Entry: FREE

Tickled Pink Comedy Leicester present

TICKLED PINK COMEDY NIGHT Tickled Pink Comedy Leicester invites you to celebrate talented women in comedy with an all female line up. You will feel empowered and inspired. This is a supportive night and good fun. Be the change you want to see. Bring your friends, mothers, daughters, sisters, and men folk. Women in comedy talk about all sorts and give a different perspective on the world. MIXED BILL DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

"One of the highlights of the comedy calendar" the independent on sunday

Time: 20:00 (21:45) Entry: £10

EVENTS

Leicester Comedy Festival 2021 PBJ LIve present

TIM KEY: HE USED THOUGHT AS A WIFE (THE RECITAL) Tim Key reads some poems, cooks some crap up, plays some pitiful ﬁlms and ambles around his ﬂat. A continuation of his pre-Xmas Online gigs, this time with his new book in his hands. Largely Soviet soundtrack. timkey.co.uk SPOKEN WORD, STORYTELLING DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 20:30 (21:30) Entry: £8

TONY LAW: A NOW BEGIN IN AGAIN An ageing so called comedian comes out the other end of the plague of Justinian while time traveling and learns absolutely nothing going into our most recent pandemic. How(sic) is life about? Does anyone else dream in Zelda? Start what again? It was way shitter for way more people than me but that doesn't stop me feeling sorry for myself. Really hadn't handled that well until I harnessed the power of time travel. https://www.mrtonylaw.com/ SOLO SHOW, ALTERNATIVE DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 19:00 (20:00) Entry: £5-£10

TWO NON BLONDES A podcast you can ﬁnally relate to. Much like a low brow, more graphic Womens Hour. Openly addressing the unavoidable issues and experiences that women endure through their teens, 20's, 30's and beyond. Growing up as we go and sharing it all, shamelessly. Expect hideously honest chat, unﬁltered language and a lot of love for dungarees, getting your clavs out and Jane McDonald. www.twononblondes.co.uk PODCAST, STORYTELLING DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 12:30 (13:30) Entry: FREE

UK Pun Off

UK PUN OFF The massively popular weekly UK Pun Off show comes to the festival bringing all of the one liner fun straight to your front room. The last 4 winners of the UK Pun Championships, a 2 time runner up and 2 time semi ﬁnalist will battle it out for pun supremacy and try to take home the trophy of the ﬁrst annual UK Pun Off tournament. And it's up to the audience to decide the winner and tell us your favourite puns in the process! EVENT DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 19:00 (20:00) Entry: £5

Written and Directed by Adam Larter

WEIRDOS PRESENT GARY AND THE CRISP FACTORY Gary Lineker is a small boy growing up in Leicester and dreaming of one day being a footballer. But his humble background means he is unlikely to play for the mighty Leicester City Football Club - until one day he ﬁnds a golden potato and takes a magical trip to a fanciful crisp factory. This play is a reworking of a musical show, originally created as a one-man play 6 years ago and now returns to Leicester Comedy Festival online. twitter.com/WeirdosComedy CHARACTER, STORYTELLING DATES:

Venue: LCF Online Events

Time: 20:00 (21:30) Entry: £8

Impatient Productions present

WOMEN TALKING BOLLOCKS WITH JEN BRISTER, MAUREEN YOUNGER AND ALLYSON JUNE SMITH Jen Brister, Maureen Younger & Allyson June Smith are Women Talking Bollocks. An irreverent magazine show with bracing, anarchic chat from three middleaged, funny women tackling whatever takes their fancy, live from Leicester! Don't expect: chat about makeup, diets, and what the bloody Kardashians are EVENT, PODCAST doing. They don't care. Do expect: cultural, ﬁlm and TV recommendations, daft tales, problem sorting, and exasperated life ranting. DATES: 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Time: 16:30 (17:30)

Venue: LCF Online Events

Entry: £5-£7

WANT TICKETS?

visit www.comedy-festival.co.uk

Leicester Comedy Festival 2021

“Leicester’s mammoth annual bash lands like an avenging angel amid the late-winter gloom” i

Leicester Comedy Festival 2021

A butterfly is just a moth with a marketing budget

Developing brands since 1995 reachmarketing.co.uk // 0116 233 565

WANT TICKETS?

visit www.comedy-festival.co.uk

Leicester Comedy Festival 2021

Big Difference Company presents

In aid of

2021

Sponsored by The Miller Partnership and De Montfort University

Supported by Media Partner Crosscut Media

Featuring:

Matt Holt – MGL MEDIA & Spoon Jar Films Sarah Thomson – De Montfort University Gary Pitt – Howes Percival Laura Hailstone – De Montfort University Jon Ashworth MP – Leicester South

LIVE SHOW Thursday 17th June 2021 at The Y We are still seeking further participants to take on the Stand Up Challenge If this could be you or someone you know get in touch with katherine@bigdifferencecompany.co.uk Tickets to watch the live competition and show your support for the participants will be available soon – visit www.standupchallenge.co.uk

“The festival offers big names… and innovative curios” the times

Leicester Comedy Festival 2021

SUPPORT Big Difference Company is a registered charity that delivers ambitious festivals and projects, which aim to improve social, economic and cultural wellbeing. As well producing the annual Leicester Comedy Festival and The UK Kids’ Comedy Festival, we create a variety of projects that bring communities together.

THREE WAYS YOU CAN SUPPORT US • GET INVOLVED – Organise or join in with our fundraising events and challenges • COLLABORATE – Be part of community projects that promote wellbeing, education and the arts • DONATE – Support our work via www.bigdifferencecompany.co.uk

To find out more about how you can support us contact Katherine@bigdifferencecompany.co.uk

Support us at www.bigdifferencecompany.co.uk Registered Charity (1135167)

WANT TICKETS?

visit www.comedy-festival.co.uk

Leicester Comedy Festival 2021

INFORMATION

A pretty broad grin Comedy comes in many forms and Leicester Comedy Festival has always tried to reflect that in the events programmed and the people who are involved in creating each festival. This approach has existed since the event began in 1994 and has resulted in numerous projects and partnerships with organisations across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. We’re proud of the work we do with others, as we try and ensure the festival remains “a pretty broad grin” (The Guardian) for as many people as possible.

ACCESS GUIDE

For the 2021 festival we will once again be producing an Access Guide to the festival, which can be downloaded from our website www.comedy-festival.co.uk The guide will give information about physical access to the majority of our venues. If you need further information, please contact us by emailing info@bigdifferencecompany.co.uk We are also producing a Mental Health toolkit to the festival, which we piloted last year in partnership with LAMP, The Samaritans and De Montfort University. The toolkit provides information about how you can visit the festival and remain happy and healthy throughout the 19 days. If you have any comments about how we can continue to make the festival more accessible, please do get in touch via email info@bigdifferencecompany.co.uk

If you have any have any comments about how we can continue to make the festival more accessible, please get in touch info@bigdifferencecompany.co.uk

Leicester, Leicestershire & Rutland

Giving a voice to all people whose lives are affected by mental health since 1989. Providing local advocacy, help and support to access mental health services to those with mental health issues and their carers. If you would like to access our services, or would like to be involved locally, please contact Lamp on 0116 255 6286. Registered Charity Number: 702057

“Three weeks of laughs in Leicester” the mail on sunday

INFORMATION

Leicester Comedy Festival 2021

CONTACT Big Difference Company, LCB Depot, 31 Rutland Street, Leicester LE1 1RE Registered charity 1135167

Email: info@bigdifferencecompany.co.uk Website: www.bigdifferencecompany.co.uk

PEOPLE FESTIVAL PATRONS:

TONY SLATTERY, THE LATE SEAN HUGHES, SUE TOWNSEND & SIR NORMAN WISDOM OBE

BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

Martyn Allison (Chair), Asgoo Pirbhai, Max Schurer, Andrew Brown, Steph Osborn, Emma Anderson, Jonathan Kerry, Laura Hailstone, Julian Haywood

STAFF:

CEO

Laura Arends

Festival Director

Geoff Rowe

Festival Producer

Charlotte Laidet

Partnership & Events Manager

Katherine West

Festival Assistant Producer

Fern Beard

Partnership & Events Assistant

Charley Smith

Finance Manager

Asma Manjothi

Office Manager

Jen Pethick

Marketing Manager

Sophie Holt

THANKS TO JOHN SYMONDS PR Manager

Anna Arthur PR

anna@annaarthurpr.com

Design and production

Reach Marketing

www.reachmarketing.co.uk

THANKS TO Thanks to: Sir Peter Soulsby, Piara Singh Clair, Andy Keeling, Mike Dalzell, Joanna Jones, Maggie Shutt, Sarah Harrison, Brian Lisowy, Andy Salkeld and everyone at Leicester City Council, VS Foundation, Sarah Thomson, Mark Charlton, Emma Breward, Callum Corley, Laura Hailstone, Sunita Patel, Jeremy Clay, Tony Graves, Richard Fletcher and everyone at De Montfort University, Donnach, Ian, Giles & everyone at Union Jack Radio, John Rance, Jake Harvey and everyone at Phoenix Square, Julie Smith, Peter Leone, Antony Flint, Pete Mitchell & everyone at De Montfort Hall, Steve Bennett, Chris, Nikolai, Claire, Aidan & everyone at Curve, Marcus Dockerty, Anna Arthur, James, Paul, Sue, David & everyone at LCB Depot, everyone at NextUp Comedy, Chris Sturgess, Nichola Moore & everyone at Sturgess, Claire Cannell, Erika Hardy & Everards, Hiten & everyone at Beanser, Colin Bowles, Matt & everyone at Firebug, Michael & everyone at The Y, Adam Moss and everyone at Leicester Mercury, everyone at The Belmont Hotel, everyone at Highcross, Louise Grainger, Asgoo, Gary, Owain, Lucy & everyone at Reach, Simon Jenner & BID Leicester, Michaela Butter & Attenborough Arts, Lis & Ken, Leicester Fridge, everyone at BBC Leicester, Chris Perkin, Sharon Lockyer, Alex Hylton, NCF Comedy, Darrell Martin, Martin & everyone at Just The Tonic, everyone at PETER Pizzeria, Lindsey, Derek, Fee, Martin & everyone at Fringe Box Office, Daniel Nicholas and all promoters, Pete Miller, Christian & C&C Bank, Smudge & Esquires Coffee, Greg, Marina & all at Octopus Energy, Andrea, Louisa & all at PPL PRS, team at Ramada Encore Hotel, everyone at St Martins Lodge & House, Simon & Red Monkey, Eileen & ER Recruitment, everyone at Crosscut Media, Jenny & Cross Productions, to all our Silver and Charity level Business Partners Club members (including A.D.), volunteers, venue staff and performers! With special thanks to our dearly departed friend Tracey Miller, for her boundless generosity, kindness and passionate support with a cheeky smile.

WANT TICKETS?

visit www.comedy-festival.co.uk

Leicester Comedy Festival 2021

LEICESTER COMEDY FESTIVAL celebrating British comedy since 1994

THIS YEAR WE’VE GOT PODCASTS COMING OUT OF OUR EARS!

ON AIR GET UP CLOSE (WELL, 2 METRES) AND PERSONAL WITH YOUR FAVOURITE PODCASTERS, FIND WHAT GOES ON BEHIND THE SCENES AND HOW MUCH THEY ACTUALLY EDIT OUT! JOINING US THIS YEAR ARE... DADDY LOOK AT ME PODCAST: LIVE!

PARTLY POLITICAL BROADCAST

I’VE HAD A ROSÉ, LET’S TALK ABOUT FEELINGS

THE DINNER PARTY

IT JUST SO HAPPENED

A THIN LAYER OF FILM

CASTIVAL

WOMEN TALKING BOLLOCKS

THE HOOVERING PODCAST LIVE 2021

LOREMEN

TERRIBLE LIZARDS

POPPY HILLSTEAD HAS ENTERED THE CHAT

THIS PARANORMAL LIFE

AND MANY MORE!

Leicester Comedy Festival - 3 - 21 February 2021 - Official Festival Guide

Articles inside

COVID SECURE FESTIVAL

ACCESS GUIDE TO THE FESTIVAL

WATCH OUT FOR

FESTIVAL INFORMATION

WELCOME