Comedy shows in Liverpool to make you chuckle in 2022

Rib-tickling comedy may be the only way to get through another year of Covid – so thank goodness for all the fantastic funny men and women heading Liverpool’s way (hopefully) during 2022.

Some shows are part of UK tours which have been postponed at least once, and in a few cases twice. Some are completely new for the New Year.

Whether it’s satire, surrealism, observational comedy or just plain rapid-fire gags, there are plenty of opportunities to be entertained and to forget about ‘real’ life for an hour or two.

Not forgetting of course all the fantastic comedy taking place every week at venues like Hot Water, Laughterhouse, Liverpool Comedy Club and Liverpool Comedy Cellar.

Here are some of the live shows set to take place over the year. Subject to you-know-what of course.

M&S Bank Arena

There’s quite the bill of household name coming to the M&S Bank Arena over the next few months, starting with everyone’s favourite comedian/musician/Strictly winner Bill Bailey who arrives with his optimistically titled new show En Route to Normal on January 8.

Using music, songs and memories, Bailey considers – among other things – our changing priorities, the wonder of dogs, how little things can keep you on track…and his new-found love of skydiving.

Irishman Jimeoin is next to the waterfront venue with his new tour Turn It Up! on February 26, and on February 27, join surrealist favourite Milton Jones who is on a comedy mission with Milton: Impossible.

Doctor Who’s new Scouse sidekick John Bishop is Right Here Right Now on March 4-5, while, like Bill Bailey, Russell Brand’s new live show – at the arena on March 13 - sees him pondering the strangeness of the past two years.

Nish Kumar, host of the Mash Report and stinging political comedy, brings Your Power, Your Control to Liverpool on April 8.

Omid Djalili (above) was originally due to perform The Good Times Tour in spring 2021. Now the ‘good times’ are set to roll on April 15.

The inimitable Alan Partridge arrives on May 11. With the country riven with discord, beset with disease and niggled by bickering, Partridge is touring the country with a message of home. And possibly a big plate, who knows?

Sewing Bee star Joe Lycett rocks up with his More, More, More! How do you Lycett? How do you Lycett? tour on May 28-29, Rob Brydon delivers a night on songs and laughter on July 11, and Sarah Millican is promising a real Bobby Dazzler of a show on July 16 and 17.

Last but not least, Jimmy Carr will be hoping it’s third time lucky for his twice postponed Terribly Funny tour, in the diary for August 20-21, while Jason Manford’s rescheduled date of his latest show Like Me is on October 1.

More details and booking from the website HERE

Philharmonic Hall

It’s that man again! No, not Tommy Handley but Jimmy Carr who is set to pop up on the Philharmonic stage on February 11 with his Terribly Funny live show, postponed from last May.

In Family-Friendly Comedian, Paul Chowdhry tackles the UK’s handling of the pandemic, while the rules of six only worked for white people, fame, England football fans, and Tom Cruise landing his helicopter in someone’s garden. See him on March 2.

Julian Clary is finally Born to Mince on March 27 after postponed dates in 2020 and 2021, and BAFTA and Perrier award-winning Dylan Moran arrives with I Blame You on March 29.

April 20 sees Ed Gamble (pictured) charged up and ready to flick the switch on another night of attention seeking, while Alistair McGowan is tickling the ivories as well as tickling ribs with his impressions on April 29.

Liverpool’s Adam Rowe (host of the smash hit podcast Have a Word) is in Hope Street with his latest stand-up show Imperious on May 27.

Stewart Lee delivers a double bill of back-to-back sets, Snowflake/Tornado, on June 17, and QI host Sandi Toksvig asks Next Slide Please in her visit on June 18 – a date rescheduled from 2021.

Finally, Al Murray’s The Pub Landlord brings ancient bar-room lock in wisdom along with his new show Gig For Victory on November 9.

More details and booking from the website HERE

Liverpool Empire

Romesh Ranganathan is live on stage at the Empire for two nights, May 29-30, with the Cynic’s Mixtape – a carefully-curated selection of all the things he’s found unacceptable since his last tour. It could be a long evening!

Meanwhile Kevin Bridges is booked in for four nights over the summer, bringing The Overdue Catch-Up to Lime Street from July 13-16.

Then Dara O Briain asks So…Where Were We? on September 17. After he finished his previous 20-country, 180-date tour in March 2020, the Mock the Week host said he was ready for a break. He would now like to apologise for saying that and will never wish for anything like that again.

More details and booking from the website HERE

Royal Court

Over in the Royal Court Studio, comedian Eddie Fortune is Burning the Candle at Both Ends on February 11, while the following evening he returns in Karen, Can I Speak to Your Manager?

Expect service industry hell, screaming babies and St Helens’ hen parties asking why their Pornstar Martinis don’t contain passionfruit.

And rising star Steve Bugeja (above) arrives at the studio on June 11 with his latest stand-up show Tried to Start His Own Nickname.

More details and booking from the website HERE

Everyman and Playhouse

British Comedy Award winner and ‘queen of ventriloquism’ Nina Conti is first at the Liverpool Playhouse in the New Year, bringing The Dating Show to Williamson Square on February 2-3.

Sisters (and multi award-winning musical comedy duo) Flo & Joan follow on February 9 with Sweet Release, their biggest UK tour to date, and Reginald D Hunter is at the theatre on February 10 with The Bombe Shuffleur.

Everyman and Playhouse favourite John Shuttleworth’s Back Again (that’s both a statement of fact and the title of his new show) on April 20, while stand-up, writer and actress Lou Sanders (pictured) pays her first visit to the venue on April 23 with One Word: Wow.

And finally, the inimitable Count Arthur Strong arrives on May 4 to talk all about himself in And This Is Me, his most personal show to date as he celebrates 20 years of making people laugh.

More details and booking from the website HERE

Unity Theatre

Unity regular Mark Watson arrives at the Hope Place theatre on February 9 with not one but two shows – How You Can Almost Win, followed later the same evening as This Can’t Be It.

In the former the anxious comedian channels his time on Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls into a motivational talk, while in the second show Watson marries spiritual enquiry with high-octane observational comedy.

February 12 brings a visit from the fearless Fern Brady (pictured) with her fifth solo show, Autistic Bikini Queen.

Daliso Chaponda makes a date with the Unity on June 11. The Britain’s Got Talent finalist and Liverpool favourite turns his attention to how the last two years have treated him in Apolcalpse Not Now.

And Edinburgh Comedy Award winner Sofie Hagen presents Fat Jokes – a show “bursting with big jokes and fat punchlines” on October 13.

More details and booking from the website HERE