Greenwich Comedy Festival, London
The comedy industry may still be nursing an almighty hangover after the Edinburgh fringe, but a whole host of acts will be gritting their teeth and preparing for a metaphorical pint of hair-of-the-dog in the shape of the Greenwich Comedy Festival. Conceived in partnership with leading south London comedy venue Up The Creek (itself the brainchild of the late godfather of alternative comedy and long-time Greenwich resident Malcolm Hardee), the organisers will be looking to build upon the success of last year's inaugural event with a rather intriguing and eclectic lineup. Alongside performers direct from Edinburgh (including Stewart Lee, Casio-playing oddball David O'Doherty and the always entertaining Stephen K Amos), they've rustled up one or two surprises. Maverick US comic and former MTV star Tom Green will be making a rare UK appearance on Tuesday, while Friday sees a set from low-key surrealist (and landlord to Flight Of The Conchords) Eugene Mirman. Look out too for Dan Renton Skinner as burger-van proprietor Angelos Epithemiou, whose moments of brilliance on Shooting Stars give a flavour of his bizarre but increasingly assured stage act.
Various venues, Mon to 12 Sep
Doug Stanhope, London
There's something in the line that a prophet is never recognised in his own land, at least judging by the success of certain US comics over here. Like Rich Hall or Bill Hicks before him, Doug Stanhope has found that the kind of against-the-grain thoughts that limit his appeal back home have made him a cult figure here. Partly, this is down to appearing as an uncompromising talking head on Charlie Brooker's Newswipe, but it's mainly due to his powerful live shows. His current residency at London's Leicester Square Theatre gives the unconverted a chance to see what they're missing. You can't always tell what you're going to get with Stanhope, whose, uh, refuelling habits are legendary in themselves. But that weakness matches his compelling and ultra-bleak outlook on life – for Stanhope, recreational substances are one of the few saving graces of existence – which he somehow turns into sublime comedy.
Leicester Square Theatre, W1, to 11 Sep
Sarah Silverman: The Bedwetter, Book
If you were in the audience for Sarah Silverman's quasi-car crash of a UK live debut back in 2008 (where we were charged more than £40 for a show that ran less than three-quarters of an hour), you'll be reassured to hear that her new book is more like value for money. Structured as a freewheeling memoir covering her troubled adolescence, the frequent controversies she's experienced as a stand-up and life behind the scenes of her acclaimed but now defunct Comedy Central sitcom, the book's at its best when it's a platform for Silverman's brilliantly acidic gags. In the past, some have written her off as a simple shock tactician, but it's clear she knows how to write a meaty gag. While this falls some way short of a warts-and-all confessional, the memoir form gives Silverman ample room to explore the deliberate self-obsession that powers all of her best stuff.
Faber, £12.99
