Comedy Festival set to bring big laughs to Birmingham
The Birmingham Comedy Festival is once again set to bring big laughs to the city.
The annual 10-day city-wide extravaganza mixes big comedy names with emerging talent.
This year’s festival sees over 60 performances including the Taskmaster himself, Greg Davies, Doctor Who, Shooting Stars and Little Britain star Matt Lucas, Brian Pern (aka The Fast Show’s Simon Day) and Have I Got News For You and bizarrely, Bake-Off; an Extra Slice, regular, Henning When.
There will also be appearances from Simon Amstell, Mrs Barbara Nice, Phill Jupitus, Comedy Central’s Impractical Jokers and two chances to catch Joe Lycett.
The festival has been drawing attention to the city’s vibrant (and often unsung) comedy scene since 2001 when the debut festival hit the road running thanks to appearances from Peter Kay and Sean Lock in a programme of over 40 events.
Since then, the festival has grown into one of the largest independent arts festival in the region.
Alongside a vast range of new local acts, the festival has featured such A-list heavy-hitters as Lee Evans, Michael McIntrye, the cast of cult TV sketch series The Fast Show, Lenny Henry, Ross Noble, John Bishop, Miranda Hart, Jimmy Carr, Alan Carr, Al Murray The Pub Landlord, Sarah Millican, Russell Brand, Jack Whitehall, Stephen Merchant, Adam Hills, Josh Widdicombe, Harry Hill, and even Ken Dodd.
There have been celebrations dedicated to Red Dwarf, Brum’s own Tony Hancock, Ealing Studios, Laurel and Hardy, Monty Python and The Goon Show.
Future talent spotters will be keen on visiting The Glee Club, which is hosting the Birmingham Comedy Festival Breaking Talent Award 2017.
This features a hand-picked selection of emerging acts from across the West Midlands, each competing for the prestigious annual title.
This year’s line-up features Alex Black, Gemma Layton (as Beverley Vegas), Eric Rushton, Rob Kemp, and Kai Samra.
To complement this year’s festival, event sponsor Edinburgh Gin has devised a 10-day trail where visitors can pick up a passport from one of the nine venues and sample different drinks in each.
Kicking off tonight (Friday) and running through until the end of the festival on Sunday October 15, each of the host venues will be showcasing special cocktails based around the Edinburgh Gin range.
The hub of the festival, Glee Club, has two exclusive drinks on offer. The Raspberry Gin Fizz features Edinburgh Gin’s Raspberry Liqueur, topped up with Prosecco and The Quintessential is a classic G&T served up with Edinburgh Original Gin.
The Glee Club’s new neighbour, Olivia’s Townhouse, is getting in on the action with three drinks: Miss Olivia, which features Edinburgh Gin’s Elderflower Liqueur teamed with spicy black pepper and apple liqueur; The Elegant blends Rhubarb & Ginger Liqueur with mango purée, topped with Perrier Jouët Champagne; and The Classic, brings Edinburgh Gin and 1724 Tonic together in a classic comninatiojn which benefits from a slight twist with a garnish of coriander and black pepper.
