Cricket Pitch: Ashes Special, London
These events were conceived to whet appetites for what could potentially have been a decisive final Ashes Test. As it is, from an English perspective, things have gone better than could reasonably have been expected. With the urn regained with a game to spare, there will be a celebratory air around these two evenings. Both nights are hosted by the Observer’s Emma John. At the first one, she’s joined by comedian and cricket nut Andy Zaltzman, along with former Ashes heroes Matt Prior and Simon Jones, broadcaster Bob Harris and one-time stalwart of the England women’s team Ebony Rainford-Brent. The second features a game Australian, Adam Hills, who will be taking his licks alongside Ashes vets Gladstone Small and Charlotte Edwards, and McBusted’s Harry Judd. Expect anecdotes, quizzes and a certain amount of English triumphalism.
Kia Oval, SE11, Mon & Tue
PH
Talking Comedy, Edinburgh
Clearly, stand-up can be considered a rather self-indulgent act in itself; the worst gigs can make you feel as if you’ve been taken hostage by somebody else’s inner monologue. So some might balk at the opportunity to hear a selection of comics droning on about themselves – and this time without any jokes. Yet hearing comedians talking earnestly and honestly about their work and the industry they operate in can prove a highlight of the fringe. This series of conversations sees some of the most well-established names on the circuit consider their careers thus far with Olly Double of the University of Kent’s British Stand-Up Comedy Archive. Comic and campaigner Mark Thomas kicks things off, with Stephen K Amos, Susan Calman, Jo Brand, alternative comedy veteran Alexei Sayle and ventriloquist Nina Conti appearing on subsequent days.
Assembly Rooms, Sun to Fri
RA
Jesse Jackson, London
Since his early days working alongside Martin Luther King, civil rights giant the Rev Jesse Jackson has dedicated his life to campaigning for equality. A two-time presidential candidate, next to Obama he’s arguably America’s most significant black political figure, and one of the most intriguing characters to enter that stage. Although his organisation Rainbow/PUSH fights on issues including universal healthcare, decent housing and a living wage, for some he’s a hothead given to overblown pronouncements and a disquieting ability to exploit the cameras during a crisis (or vice versa). Be that as it may, he’s a famously magnetic figure, whose performance, whether on the public stage or in the pulpit, is an experience not to be missed. For this talk, with BBC World News Today’s Philippa Thomas, he’ll focus on equality in America and the world. With the recent Charleston shootings, his message could scarcely be more pressing.
The British Library, NW1, Fri
SS
