Star date: 1st November 2014

HUGE COMEDY LINE UP AT THE KINGS ARMS

For the next ten days, a massive line up of top comedy acts take to the stage at The Kings Arms for the Greater Manchester Comedy Festival 2014.

With acts ranging from dodgy magicians to iffy characters and strange psyched lads and girls, there should be something to tickle even the dourest Salfordian with comedians arriving from Wales, Birmingham, the North East and the, er, Urmston Institute for the Comically Disturbed...

Full line up here...

The Greater Manchester Comedy Festival begins today and runs for ten days at The Kings Arms on Bloom Street. Here's the full line up from Sunday 2nd November...all prices are exclusive of online booking fees...

Sunday 2nd November:

6:15pm COMEDY SCRATCH NIGHT WITH FRAN GARRITY, ALLAN MCWILLIAM and SPOKEN WORD SNAIL one hour, three comedians £5

7:30pm ROD SHEPHERD'S HISTORY OF CONSPIRACY Croydon's leading conspiracy theorist on a journey to discover the real truth £5

7:30pm MAKING OTHER PLANS After years of doing nothing but going to the pub; watching terrestrial television and eating crisps; Chris has found himself with a house, a job and a child. How did this happen? £3

8:45pm COMEDY SCRATCH NIGHT WITH TOM TOLSON, ROS BALLINGER, MIKE MILLING and JENNIFER BANKS One hour three comedians £4

8:45pm GOOD TIMES A wry look at today's society with Cassie Atkinson and Tom Gill £2

10pm FAILING @ BEING FUNCTIONAL.CA.UK WITH HALF AN HOUR OF IAN No storytelling or observations, just relentless fannying about with wigs and cardboard. And falling over. £4

10pm GRANT CURNOW: AMATEUR (TIMELORD) HOUR Dalek speed dating, Syria and Christmas pudding factories £2

Monday 3rd November

8:30pm GEIN'S FAMILY GIFTSHOP'S BARGAIN BASEMENT - `A unique and pioneering jewel in Manchester's underground comedy crown'

Tuesday 4th November

7:30pm AN EVENING WITH ANGELS New Manchester comedy group doing cutting edge satirical sketches aimed at the art and political worlds £4

9pm TONY JAMESON: Football Manager Ruined My Life `Life affirming' North Eastern humour that's not all about football and lots about mid-life £8/£6.50

Wednesday 5th November 

7:30pm ONE OR MORE OF MY FAMILY DIED `emotional and review garnering journey from happy-go-lucky cheeky northern funster to facetious and sarcastic show misname' £3

8:45pm STEVE BUGEJA SHOW IN PROGRESS winner of the BBC Radio New Comedy Award 2013... £5

8:30pm Open Mic free

Thursday 6th November  

7:30pm STEPHEN KELLY - NOT QUITE A FULL SHILLING growing up comedy from Manchester £2

8:45pm THE MAN WITH THE CARRIER BAG AND FRIENDS dark and twisted comedy characters on a mission to redefine comedy £4

Friday 7th November 

8:45pm COMEDY SCRATCH NIGHT WITH THOMAS RACKHAM, LUKE HELLY, LUCY THOMPSON and DANNY CLIVES one hour, four comedians £4

Saturday 8th November 

6:15pm THE ANTI-DUHRING BATTALION SHOW characters mingle in burlesque, political satire and showbiz excess £5

7:30pm A SPAGHETTI NORTH WESTERN The Good, The Bad and the Hopefully funny as comedy gunslingers Joe Hughes, Gary Lunt and Matthew Gabrielli bring an hour of stand up and sketches £4

7:30pm PAOLO FERRARI PRESENTS URBAN BUFFOON `A vivacious post Brechtian tale of exploration and discovery set to analyse contemporary society' s regression to mediocrity in a metaphysical and symbolic way, with the occasional dick joke here and there' £8/£5

8:45pm ONE DAY ALL THIS WILL BE FIELDS expect swearing, moustaches and anarcho-veganism from Will Setchell £2

8:45pm COMEDY SCRATCH NIGHT WITH JENNIFER BANKS, STEPHEN ARMSTRONG, ROS BALLINGER and SEAN THORPE – one hour, four comedians £5

8:45pm EL BALDINIHO: Totes Amazebald – comedy magic and upset tricks £5

10pm JOHN COOPER: PICTURES OF CATS...PICTURES OF YOU – the joys of not having kids, the quest for happiness and pictures of cats Free

Sunday 9th November

6:15pm PICNIC stand-up comedy, art and literature with Bilal Zafar and Immodium Nitrate

7:30pm PAOLO FERRARI PRESENTS URBAN BUFFOON (see previous listing)

7:30pm ADVENTURES IN LIMITED SPACE Jordon Brookes on pining to be a magician as a kid plus some dancing, props and time travel £4

8:45pm HEAT PUMPS, KATE GARRAWAY and OTHER NICHE CONCERNS Phil Lucas and Julie Oliver talk about their niche concerns with the aid of Powerpoint £3

10pm ALL KINDS OF EVERYTHING – an evening with four bards of comedy £5

Monday 10th November

7:30pm URMSTON UNUSUALS COMEDY SKETCHES with Alex Flitcroft, Ilaria Passeri, Kerry Spillane, Joseph Stacey, Marcus McMillan, Micheal Jacob and Zoe Iqbal, who met while undergoing group therapy at the Urmston Institute for the Comically Disturbed. £3

For booking details see WeGotTickets – click here

For more details of the Festival and acts see the Kings Arms website – click here

The Kings Arms, 11 Bloom Street, Salford, M3 6AN
0161 839 8726

Main photo shows Paolo Ferrari - plays 8th and 9th November