Comedy lovers in for a treat at The Witham

Comedy lovers are in for a treat as Barnard Castle Comedy Club, Funny Way To Be, unveils its ambitious autumn season.

Running at The Witham, the programme features 13 shows of established headliners, breakthrough acts and audience favourites.

Peter Dixon, who manages Funny Way To Be Comedy, said: “Some shows are already sold out and others are close to capacity.

“We’ve worked hard to create a programme that’s worth travelling for, and audiences from across the UK continue to support us.”

The season opens on September 10 with Simon Evans, BBC Radio 4 favourite, revisiting the blue remembered hills of his youth while squinting at an uncertain future.

Following his sell-out 2023 tour, Seann Walsh returns on September 25 with new hour of side-splitting comedy.

North East rising star Kelly Rickard brings Burning Love to Barnard Castle on October 3, sharing hilariously honest tales from life on the road.

She won the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe Best Show Panel Prize among other accolades.

With only a handful of tickets remaining, comedy favourite Jimeoin arrives on October 7 with his latest show, Ballyhoo! which is packed with razor-sharp observations, effortless charm and laugh-out-loud storytelling.

Laura Lexx brings her new show, Yo-Yo, to The Witham on October 16.

Slinky won best show at the Women in Comedy Festival.

Neil Delamere returns on October 24 with a brand-new stand-up show filled with tall tales and hilarious stories.

The star of The Blame Game, Live at the Apollo, QI and Celebrity Chase tackles life’s eternal question: if it ain’t broke, should he fix it?

On October 29 Daniel Foxx, described by Rolling Stone as “utterly hilarious and effortlessly charismatic” will perform in one of The Witham’s intimate spaces.

Connor Burns, rapidly becoming Scotland’s new stand-up superstar, returns to the Witham on October 31 following a month at the Edinburgh Festival.

Television favourite Alan Carr needs little introduction.

His work-in-progress show on November 11 sold out within hours of going on sale.

Mark Simmons returns on November 21 with his show Jest to Impress.

Winner of Dave’s Funniest Joke of the Fringe, Simmons is one of the country’s finest one-liner comedians.

A landmark celebration of British comedy comes to The Witham on November 25 as The Comic Strip Presents… arrives on the big screen.

Classic episodes and films, selected by creator Peter Richardson, will be followed by a live Q&A with Richardson and Phil Cornwell, offering a rare behind-the-scenes look at one of the defining comedy movements of the 1980s.

On November 26, former police officer Alfie Moore presents Fair Cop, taking aim at rising crime, global warming, artificial intelligence, culture wars and the soaring price of baked beans with his trademark blend of wit and sharp observation.

The season concludes on November 28 as Dom Joly celebrates the 25th anniversary of Trigger Happy TV.