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Bristol Comedy & Stand-Up Events

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Bristol's Comedy Scene

Bristol is an essential stop-off in the UK comedy circuit. The Comedy Box is probably the city’s most prolific stand up promoter, regular shows bring crowds to The Hen and Chicken, The Tobacco Factory and Colston Hall’s ‘The Lantern’. In summer The Comedy Garden in Queens Square brings a who’s who in British comedy with past guests including Stewart Lee, Marcus Brigstocke, Mark Watson and Shappi Khorsandi. The Loco Club (beneath Temple Meads train station) is home to occasional stand up nights promoted by Bristol Underground Comedy. In the city centre alongside the headliners found at Colston Hall and Bristol Hippodrome, Riproar Comedy host stand-up every Friday and Saturday evening.

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Our recent comedy recommendations

What country, friends, is this? The Oxford Rep Company reimagines Shakespeare’s gender-bending masterpiece as a dark, modern fable of post-party emotional wreckage, laying bare the story of heartache and estrangement beneath its comic revels. Theatre show produced by Oxford Rep company

Otakar Vávra’s nightmarish folk horror uses actual 1670s Moravian witch trial transcripts to craft a bleak story of persecution and paranoia. Its resemblance to the Soviet show trials of contemporary Czechoslovakia earned it an immediate banning in the Eastern Bloc; today it remains a pertinent parable of the violence perpetuated by judicial machinery and bureaucratic control. A notorious 17th-century witch trial turns into a powerful allegory of life under totalitarian rule, in this chilling Czech political fable.

The origin story of the UK Government’s public rap enemy number one is easily the all time funniest film about colonial oppression. Now lavished with His Majesty’s latest badge of honour (suspected terror charges), Kneecap is the musical revolution on everyone’s lips, screened alongside an exhibition of Sławek Rzewuski’s photos from the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Join us at KIT FORM for a screening of Kneecap, alongside the exhibition 'Architecture of Fear and Resistance'

Tim Robinson brings a confrontational cocktail of beige chaos and full-throttle absurdism to his first full-length feature. He and Paul Rudd navigate the disorienting tenderness of male intimacy with a tonal palette that veers from sitcom slapstick to Bergman-esque levels of dread. Essential one for the I Think You Should Leave fans. A black, absurdist comedy following a suburban dad who becomes obsessed with being friends with his charismatic new neighbour.

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What our editors say

“BAFTA-winning comedian Tom Davis returns to the stage with a brand new stand up tour packed with laugh-out-loud takes on life’s chaos. Known for Murder in Successville, King Gary, and his hit podcast Wolf and Owl with Romesh Ranganathan, Tom brings his unmistakable charm and sharp wit to this no-holds-barred live show. Big laughs, big heart, big lad — this is comedy at full throttle.”
From: Tom Davis: Spudgun

“Got a question about our venue or your tickets? Never been to a comedy show before? We’ve got a handy guide for you in The Gaffe FAQ: www.thegaffecomedyclub.com/faqs" target="_blank" >www.thegaffecomedyclub.com/faqs”
From: Eric Rushton: Innkeeper

“Got a question about our venue or your tickets? Never been to a comedy show before? We’ve got a handy guide for you in The Gaffe FAQ: www.thegaffecomedyclub.com/faqs" target="_blank" >www.thegaffecomedyclub.com/faqs" target="_blank" >www.thegaffecomedyclub.com/faqs" target="_blank" >www.thegaffecomedyclub.com/faqs”
From: Susie McCabe: Best Behaviour

“"He’s a brand of comedian that is getting rarer and rarer to come by these days, and if you’re among those who fear comedy has gotten too politically correct, this show will put those fears to rest." ★★★★ TimeOut”
From: Michael Shafar - Inappropriate

“Phil has been getting better at comedy since March 1987. One of these days he may just get it right. Until then Phil just keeps trying. If at first you don’t succeed, try and try your best. This is a tour of Phil, trying his best!”
From: Phil Nichol - Trying My Best