Count Arthur Strong, On tour
If ever there was a case of slowburn success, it’s Steve Delaney’s remarkable creation, Count Arthur Strong. Delaney had been performing as his alter ego onstage for years before netting his own BBC radio series – and it took a further decade before his transfer to TV (with a little help from Father Ted co-creator, Graham Linehan). In some ways they were years well spent: by the time the mass audience clapped eyes on him, the ridiculous, self-interested and eternally befuddled Count had become a fully realised character. A sort of faded variety star who was at his peak in the last days of the music halls, Count Arthur trades in self-aggrandising boasts, misremembered anecdotes and endless malapropisms that should be irritating, yet instead are somehow only hilarious. It’s fair to say that he may always be an acquired taste - but there are no shortage of devotees. This new tour, coinciding with a second run of his BBC1 sitcom, offers a chance to re-enter his unique comic world.
Katherine Ryan, On Tour
People may have groused about her comments on Adele and her outspoken support for Israel, but there’s no denying that the death of Joan Rivers last year left a vacancy for the much-coveted role of comedy’s queen bitch. Is it fanciful to imagine Katherine Ryan taking on the job? There’s no denying that this Canadian import has a corrosively acidic wit, and her blunt speaking – respecting neither taboos nor the feelings of others – has already made her a fixture on the panel show circuit. At times she comes across like an icy prom queen, punishing everyone unfortunate enough not to be like her. At others, she’s remarkably confessional, laying bare the details of her private life with a self-lacerating honesty. And throughout, she accessorises her act with cruel yet breathtakingly funny lines.
Leicester comedy festival
Leicester may not be the most obvious destination for live comedy but its annual festival has steadily built a reputation as a key early marker in the comedy calendar. It’s the place to see future Edinburgh fringe hits, watch big-name comics workshopping their forthcoming arena tours, and get a taste of the future via the reasonably prestigious Leicester Mercury comedian of the year award, which has a good track record of predicting the next big thing: previous winners include Jason Manford, Rhod Gilbert and Josh Widdicombe. In this opening week, you’ll be able to witness Black Books star and stalwart purveyor of sozzled gloominess Dylan Moran (Fri & 7 Feb) as he embarks on a new tour, as well as new shows from Edinburgh best newcomer Alex Edelman (Thu) and David Earl, in the guise of very peculiar “entertainer” Brian Gittins (Fri).
Various venues, Wed to 22 Feb
