Rising stars and big names are appearing at Cambridge Comedy Festival
Forget Edinburgh, we’ve got the cream of the comedy crop coming right to our doorstep this month, courtesy of the fantastic Cambridge Comedy Festival. Taking place 20-24 July, the event is now entering its tenth year, a milestone they’re celebrating with an exciting change of venue. For 2016, they’ll be pitching a series of marquees on the picturesque Jesus Green, where you’ll be able to enjoy a star-studded programme of comedy brilliance in the Jesterlarf Comedy Club Marquee, the Cambridge Junction Edinburgh Preview Tent and, most excitingly for us, the Cambridge Edition Fringe Tent!
Hungry? There will be tasty food on offer from Chip Chip Hooray and Planet of the Crepes, plus delicious pulled meat dishes from Pull Me Cheri and their cool retro Renault Estafette. Another vintage vehicle making an appearance will be the double-decker bus bar, fully stocked with tipples from Charles Wells. Bottoms up!
Festival top picks
Jesterlarf Comedy Club Marquee
With its monthly residency at Cambridge Junction, Jesterlarf Comedy Club is well known locally for its regular showcases of top comedy talent from around the UK. On each of the five nights of the festival they’ll be hosting a selection of great comics, kicking off on Wednesday 20 July with a gig headlined by Joe Lycett. A regular on BBC1’s Live at the Apollo, his subversive and imaginative brand of humour has earned him a fan base around the country – so much so that he’s just completed a sell-out UK tour. He’ll be joined by Scottish Comedian of the Year, Glaswegian raconteur Larry Dean, as well as Jenny Collier, who’s known for her fast-paced and clever schtick.
The following night it’s the turn of Rob Beckett (right), who you may recognise from TV’s Mock the Week. He likes to offer his take on all the big issues, from KitKats to flatbreads. Support comes from the razor-sharp wit of Zoe Lyons (below) and rising star Mark Simmons. 
Come Friday, it’s loud shirts and one-liners as master of the art, Milton Jones takes to the stage, displaying the rapid wit and wordplay that he uses to such good effect on TV’s Mock the Week and Radio 4.
The weekend yields another great crop of comedians, including deadpan king Gary Delany, German punner Henning Wehn and musical comedian Kate Lucas. Tickets to all shows are £15, with the shows starting at 8.30pm.
Cambridge Junction Edinburgh Preview Tent
Catch some of the biggest names on the circuit ahead of their Edinburgh shows at the Junction Tent, which will present a slew of famous faces. Highlights are sure to include Richard Herring (right), who kicks things off on the Wednesday night with a show at 7.15pm. The comedian, who’s previously taken on topics including death, religion and genitals in his routines, will be offering up the edited highlights of all his material so far for your delectation.
The next night, the ever-eloquent, ever hilarious Stephen K Amos (top) will be paying a visit to deliver a dose of his mischievous comedy, whilst the dynamic duo of Josie Long (below) and Grace Petrie take the slot immediately after.
On Friday, it’s the turn of Paul Foot, who’ll be pondering terrorism, Ant & Dec, immigration and the X Factor, followed by the absurdist genius of John Kearns. The all-star line-up continues into the weekend, with Sara Kendall, Phil Nichol and the inimitable Reginald D Hunter – who makes a welcome return to Cambridge Comedy Festival after having performed at the very first event way in 2007. Tickets to all shows are £11 or £18 for two, times vary so check online.
Cambridge Edition Fringe Tent
With the busiest line-up of the lot, there’s plenty to look forward to in our Fringe Tent over the course of the festival. Getting it all going on Wednesday evening will be Tom Lucy, who at just 18 years old is one of the youngest professional comedians on the circuit. Don’t let his baby face fool you though, his subversive style of stand-up and immaculate writing skills put him on a level pegging with the very best in the biz. Having recently supported the likes of Harry Hill and Jack Whitehall, this is your chance to catch him before he becomes a bona fide celeb.
On Thursday, catch Ed Gamble – a telly regular on shows including Russell Howard’s Good News, Drunk History and Mock The Week – who’ll be previewing his brand-new show. He’s joined on the Thursday billing by Rob Rouse (right), a man with eight Edinburgh shows and three UK tours under his belt who plans to “have a damn good rummage around inside himself for your entertainment”.
On Friday evening, it’s the turn of two exciting up-and-coming comics who wowed both critics and crowds at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe. First up is the winner of the Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Newcomer Award, Danish comedian and self-proclaimed world’s biggest Westlife fan, Sofie Hagen. She’ll be joined by Tez Ilyas, who has achieved huge acclaim (including the Fringe’s Funniest Newcomers 2015 award), with his bold and deeply personal ‘TEZ Talks’.
On Saturday, chuckle along with Good Bear and Matt Crosby in the first evening slot, then join gossip king Stephen Bailey. He’s sharing a slot with Kiri Pritchard McLean, who’s aiming to impress with an ambitious debut show covering genetics, gender and race.
There’s definitely no slowing down in the Cambridge Edition Fringe Tent as we head into the final day, in fact, it’s a doozy! Get cracking in the afternoon with Rob Deering’s Beat This Quiz: a live music-based pop quiz game show which employs mash-ups, megamixes (we miss those!) and lots of music trivia.
Phil Ellis, James Meehan and Mat Ewins will be on hand to fill the rest of your day with guffaws, giggles, chortles and chuckles, and then it’s onto the final act of the festival, Mr Will Duggan. He’ll be treating audiences to Lucky, Lucky You, his new show which covers such hard-hitting topics as the innate arrogance of horses and the discography of the band 5ive.
Show times vary, tickets are £6.
www.cambridgecomedyfestival.com
