EVENTS
SASHA ELLEN @Thirsty
A brand new hour of comedy from the hilariously funny, aggressively nerdy and down right adorable Sasha Ellen. Sasha asks the big questions. Is it hard to find love in this here modern world? Does size matter? How have Dick and Dom got away with it all this time?
"Honest, hilarious and horrifying... the comedy future looks good for Ellen” Canal-St.
“Smart, self-possessed and with great heart… comedy done well” ★★★★ TheStudent
“This is a comedian you need to keep an eye out for” ★★★★ Phoenix Remix.
Nominated for Best New Show at Leicester Comedy Festival 2022.
Material heard on BBC Radio 4 Extra
ESTHER MANITO: HELL HATH NO FURY (WORK IN PROGRESS) @NCI Centre
Esther has always been told “Anger is not a good quality in a woman” and therefore has tried so very hard to keep a lid on it. Sadly, she failed and has decided to embrace her rage. How on earth can anyone be a woman, and a mother, and not continuously have their patience tested? She is fed up of every feeling being labelled hormonal, she is sick of being considered dead at 40, she is sick of online comments loaded with misogyny but most of all she is so sick of her coat rack which has way too many coats on it, its mocking her in it’s encapsulation of the perfect metaphor.
Come join Esther for a show of rage celebration, ladies we aint crazy, we are seething, and it feels great.
Seen on
Live at the Apollo
ITV stand up sketch show
Dave Hypothetical
4OD The prank podcast show
Heard on
Radio 4 News Quiz
Radio 4 Mark Watson What is life
**** The Standard
**** Three Weeks
**** The List
**** Funny Women
**** The Voice
**** One4review
**** Why Now
NICK HELM: MASTERWORKS IN PROGRESS ‘23 @Cambridge Junction (J3)
After fixing all the World’s problems last year, living legend and national treasure in waiting, Nick Helm returns to the stage with a WIP that promises to be every bit as awe inspiring, good looking and humble as the last one. Content in development.
LOW EFFORT SKETCHES: THE FIRST EFFORT @Thirsty
Join award-winning double act Low Effort Sketches (Andy Bucks and Alice Wickersham) for an hour of silly sketch comedy! Andy and Alice have a problem: they want to be respected for their witty sketches and punchy one-liners, but their best material just consists of singing a popular Disney song at an extremely high pitch. This show charts their mission to write a sketch funnier than their terrible vocals. They will explore increasingly desperate sketch premises, including a reimagining of the UK Singles Chart, an alternative explanation for how World War 2 started, and a vicar working in a bureau de change. For fans of Mitchell and Webb or Armstrong and Miller.
Winners of Leicester Square Theatre Sketch Off 2022
“Unfollowable. Hilarious” - Chortle
As heard on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire
Photo Credit: Andy Hollingworth
ELLIOT STEEL (WORK IN PROGRESS) @NCI Centre
Marked as 'One to Watch' by the Independent, Elliot Steel (co-host of hit podcast Btec Philosophers) is a rising talent on the UK's comedy circuit.
Receiving critical acclaim at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with his show Merked in 2019, you won't want to miss this brand-new work in progress show. As seen on Comedy Central's Roast Battle and Live from the Comedy Store, and as heard on BBC Radio 1's Comedy Lounge and BBC Radio 4. Best Debut Show Nominee at Leicester Comedy Festival 2015.
Confident, accomplished and very clever… it is worth noting that he is a rising star. A talented comedian with much to say and one to be watched. If he’s on a bill, go and see him.’ FringeReview
‘Astute quips which leave us all in tears from laughing’ ★★★★1/2 - Short Com
‘His millennial pearls of wisdom definitely deserve bigger crowds’ ★★★★ - The List
AHIR SHAH: WORK IN PROGRESS @Cambridge Junction (J3)
Double Edinburgh Comedy Award ‘Best Show’ nominee Ahir Shah is one of the fastest-rising comedians of his generation. Shah’s sharp, intellectual brand of stand-up features a blend of philosophical inquiry, political vigour, and sweet gags.
Ahir has performed internationally at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, the Adelaide Fringe and Just for Laughs Montreal, and has toured in continental Europe and India.
He has performed stand-up on Live At The Apollo (BBC 2), The Now Show (Radio 4) and Stand Up Central (Comedy Central). Outside of stand up, Ahir has also been seen on shows including Have I Got News For You (BBC1), FrankieBoyle’s New World Order (BBC 2), Catastrophe (Channel 4), and Campus (Channel 4).
He has also performed and regularly writes on The Mash Report (BBC 2) and has written and starred in the short films Ahir Shah’s Summer (Sky) and Ahir Shah’s Life Lessons (BBC Three) and has developed two sitcom pilots for Channel 4.
LULU POPPLEWELL: ACTUALLY ACTUALLY (WORK IN PROGRESS) @NCI Centre
Can smoking crack ever be as relatable as finding true love at Christmas? Lulu argues yes.
An hour of brilliant stand-up about the much loved/hated rom-com Love Actually (delete as appropriate) and how it's secretly all about drug addiction/ sunburn/ The Daily Mail (delete as appropriate).
'A simply hilarious and thoughtful comedian. Sharp, witty and cleverly constructed' - Varsity
ALI WARWOOD: LUCKY ME @Thirsty
‘Lucky me’ is Ali Warwood’s 2nd solo show. Ali is returning with a new show, not because she wants to, but because she feels she should. People keep telling Ali how lucky she is, which felt good the first 25 times but now her sense of agency is slipping away and what better time to write a comedy show than in the middle of an existential crisis?
Ali is a Cambridge local and runs Commoners’ Comedy Club.
Trigger warning: this show contains a scary amount of musical comedy.
Recommended age: 14+
CAN’T EVEN THINK STRAIGHT: @Cambridge Junction (J3)
Cambridge local comedian Ali Warwood has curated and hosts a line up of LGBTQ+ comedians.
Featuring:
Ania Magliano:
Ania is a 22 year old comedian and writer based in London.
She has written for Frankie Boyle’s New World Order (BBC2), Newsjack (BBC R4), The Now Show (BBC R4) and is one of the 4 regular writers on the Have I Got News For You Twitter account.
Her previous shows received 5 stars from Diva Magazine, and have been recommended by Comedy Central as a ‘show not to miss’. She was a Funny Women Finalist 2020, 2Northdown New Act of the Year Finalist 2019 and Chortle Student Comedy Award Finalist 2018.
She is a former member of the Cambridge Footlights as one of the first Access Officers, and a founder of Stockings Comedy, a comedy collective for female and non-binary comedy performers.
Sam Williams:
Your Mum's favourite bleach-haired bisexual comedian, Sam Williams takes every day subject matters and twists them in "inventive" and "vivid" ways with "a relaxed and assured presence" (Chortle).
2021 Chortle Student Comedy Award Runner Up/2022 Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year Finalist.
This show is suitable for 16+, there might be some swearing but it will generally be lovely and joyful. We'd love you to come along and also BRING EVERYONE!
ANDY BUCKS: NIGHT OWL (BUT NOT A WISE ONE, JUST STUPID) @Thirsty
Cambridge Footlights member (and owl lookalike) Andy Bucks has ruined his sleep schedule to bring you a very silly debut hour of stand-up comedy. The later it gets, his brain functions more worsely. What you’re about to witness is a series of increasingly severe brain farts.
This will be a hoot!!!!!!!!! lmao
"A classy writer, able to make a fantastic running joke” - Chortle
"Excellent material, great stage presence and confident going off script. A worthy runner up in a strong field" (South East New Comedian of the Year 2018 judges)
ALISON SPITTLE: WET (WORK IN PROGRESS) @Cambridge Junction (J3)
Alison loves to do star jumps in the water. She also likes to watch people fight in chip shops. Her two worlds collide as a fight breaks out in aqua-aerobics and she’s never felt so alive.
When the foam settles, Alison realises she’s an outwardly nice person who lives for confrontation.
Host of BBC Sounds Wheel of Misfortune, The Guilty Feminist podcast and writer for Have I Got News For You.
“A kind of genius” **** The Irish Times
“A master class in stand-up comedy” MEG.IE
ANIA MAGLIANO: ABSOLUTELY NO @Thirsty
Ania is a 22 year old comedian and writer based in London.
She has written for Frankie Boyle’s New World Order (BBC2), Newsjack (BBC R4), The Now Show (BBC R4) and is one of the 4 regular writers on the Have I Got News For You Twitter account.
Her previous shows received 5 stars from Diva Magazine, and have been recommended by Comedy Central as a ‘show not to miss’. She was a Funny Women Finalist 2020, 2Northdown New Act of the Year Finalist 2019 and Chortle Student Comedy Award Finalist 2018.
She is a former member of the Cambridge Footlights as one of the first Access Officers, and a founder of Stockings Comedy, a comedy collective for female and non-binary comedy performers.
ADELE CLIFF: IN THE DARK @Thirsty
Adele’s 3rd hour long show. Standup combining one liners and anecdotes. All about knowledge and whether it’s good to know everything or to leave some things unknown.
AARON SIMMONDS: HOT WHEELS @Thirsty
Five years ago, Aaron gained a nickname based solely on being in a wheelchair. This upset him as there is much more to him than his disability, but annoyingly, it’s 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 Russell Howard Hour (Sky 1), ‘The Stand-Up Sketch Show’ (ITV2), ‘Guessable’ (Comedy Central) and ‘Undeniable’ (Comedy Central)
“EASY TO SEE WHY HE’S AN AWARD WINNER” ★★★★ Scotsman
“HAS THE AUDIENCE IN THE PALM OF HIS HAND” ★★★★ Broadway World
★★★ Metro
"Amiable, likeable, and a commanding presence on stage, Aaron Simmonds is an exciting talent”
– ★★★★ Broadway Baby
HARRIET KEMSLEY: HONEYSUCKLE ISLAND (WORK IN PROGRESS) @Thrive
Fed up with being told how to look and behave since she was a teenager, Harriet is taking a long hard squint at the beauty industry through her two remaining false eye lashes.
As seen on Live at the Apollo, 8 Out of 10 Cats does Countdown, Hypothetical, Roast Battle, Guessable, As Yet Untitled, Comedy Central at The Comedy Store & Bobby & Harriet Get Married.
'At the dawn of her TV career.' (Radio Times) 'Packs in high calibre jokes' (Guardian) 'A masterful hour' (Skinny) ★★★★ (Guardian) ★★★★ (Scotsman) ★★★★ (List) ★★★★ (Fest Mag).
This show is free to attend but please book to help us manage demand. A bucket collection will be taken at the end of the show with all proceeds going to the performer.
HELEN BAUER: MADAM GOOD TIT (WORK IN PROGRESS) @Thrive
Helen is basic, well basic-plus because she is self-aware with it. Last year’s Best Newcomer nominee returns with an hour about self-confidence, self-esteem and self-care. It’s the year of ‘self’. Taking care of yourself has never been more ‘in’. Inspirational quotes and facemasks are a big industry and, like all her friends, Helen is trying to ‘be the change she wants to see’. From BBC One, Dave, ITV2, Comedy Central and Radio 4. “A personality that will fill a stadium… This girl will not be performing in small venues for much longer” ***** Sunday Express
A work in progress show, an hour of stand up all about the self!