I have to admit I am still trying to catch up with the various acts coming to Manchester, well it will teach me a lesson for letting it slip!

So as I cherry pick the new bands I have included the Ricky Gervais tour Science, which is a fairly open subject. How on earth can he turn it into comedy I have no idea, but one thing is for sure it will be brilliant.

You may have guessed it I happen to be a fan of his embarrassing humour, maybe it is because at times it reflects some of the foolish things I have done or that it reminds me of people I have known over the years. Then again the best comedians have this wonderful ability to see something funny in just ordinary day to day life, Still you already knew that.

Saying that one topic he could have a field day with is the Recruitment Industry, although he did touch on it with a sketch for Microsoft, basically how not to do job appraisals. Excellent if I must say, being an ex recruiter of course plenty of potential I think.

The tour will be in Manchester on Wednesday 11th to Friday 13th November 2009 – 7.30pm and tickets can be bought here.

In addition I would recommend visiting his own website or even following his blog, strange he hasn’t succumbed to Twitter yet!

Russell Howard star of mock the week in his stand-up show started comedy as a teenager, making the finals of Channel 4’s So You Think Your Funny? competition in 1999 in only his fifth ever performance. Two year later, he was also a finalist in the BBC New Comedy Awards.

Russell´s success has continued particularly in many TV and radio appearances and his new show Dingledodies has been named “Best Theatre Show” at the 2009 Chortle Comedy Awards. His style can be described as Satire/Political satire, Observational comedy.

In addition his show Wandering was nominated for the if.comedy award – and he won the Chortle award for best compère. In 2006, he joined BBC Two’s topical panel game Mock the Week as a regular panellist. He has also made appearances on Would I Lie To You?, Live At The Apollo, Law of the Playground and Never Mind the Buzzcocks.

On radio, Howard has co-hosted Radio 2’s comedy show Out to Lunch with Rob Deering and appeared on the Banter and Political Animal for Radio 4. From November 2006 to July 2008, heco-hosted a Sunday morning on BBC 6 Music with Jon Richardson as his sidekick.

Russell will be at the Manchester Apollo on Friday 12th & Thursday 25th June 2009 – 8pm and tickets are available from here.

To get a feel of his style a video is below

Alastair James Hay or as we all know him as “Al” Murray a British comedian best known for his stand-up persona, “The Pub Landlord,” a stereotypical pub landlord, and indeed earlier in his career he performed in pubs.

In 2003, he was one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy in The Observer and in 2007 he was voted number sixteen on Channel 4’s hundred greatest stand-ups, which means it will be a great night in Manchester when he arrives.

Al Murray returns following the continuing success of his hit ITV1 show Happy Hour and a second Audience with Al Murray The Pub Landlord. The Guv’nor will be travelling to all corners of our green and pleasant land to raise a glass with you, the beautiful British public, on his Beautiful British Tour.

The Landlord will be musing over a heady brew of topics, as he attempts to put the Great back into Great Britain.

Al will be at the Manchester Apollo on Thursday 23rd to Saturday 25th April 2009 – 8pm and tickets can be purchased from here.

It is always good to have a local preforming in particular the famed comedian Jason Manford, who was born locally in Salford. Jason started out in a comedy club not as a performer but as a glass collector, fortunately form him and us, when one of the guests didn’t arrive Jason stepped up even only being 17 at the time. Six gigs later he was crowned The City Life North West Comedian of the Year.

He is probably best known locally on Xfm Manchester and as the team captain in 8 out of 10 Cats.

With Billy Connolly Tommy Cooper & Les Dawson have influenced his comic style, also interestingly he can be heard as the voice over on the Churchill Insurance adverts.

Jason will be at the Manchester Apollo on Wed 23rd & Thurs 24th September 2009 – 8pm and tickets are available from here.

So for a taster of a little bit of northern fun, his video is below

Michael MacIntyre will be preforming at the MEN Arena on the 21st October, in complete honest I do not know Michael hence the you tube video below so that you or more importantly, that I have a better idea of his style of comedy.

So this is what Michael says about his comedy style

“I don’t really do jokes, I just talk about things that I find funny. I tend to laugh at them myself as well because I find them funny. I don’t do gags, just observational comedy. I just collect all these stories and try them out and if people laugh I do them again and make them better.”

Still he was nominated at the 2008 British Comedy Awards for Best Live Stand-up and at the 2009 South Bank Show Awards for Best Comedy. In 2008 he was the fastest selling comedian at the Edinburgh Festival and sold out five nights at the London’s 3600 capacity Hammersmith Apollo, which says it all!

Tickets are available from here

Well it seems that Eddie has dropped the dress, for some slacks! It was a few years back when I went to see Eddie in Concert here in Manchester and then I did not really know who is was. Since then fame and fortune has followed, not that I had anything to do with it of course!

Eddie is a great performer incredibly articulate, I was trying to describe his humour then found a better description on Wikipedia

“His comedy style is expressed in rambling, whimsical monologue and self-referential pantomime. In addition to touring, he is also a television, stage and film actor and is active in charity work.” and decide in his own style to use it!

Still it will be a great night and tickets can be purchased here forMEN Arena for the 7th 8th November

Ken Dodd will be at the Palace Theatre on Saturday 13th June, I find it amazining that he is over 80 and is still working. It just shows you how much he loves his job.

Just off subject it really goes to show if you stay active, you can stay young and healthy. For me Ken Dodd was part of the good old days of TV when there was just 4 channels, good luck Ken.

What did surprise me was he has sold over 100 million records, what can one say.

You can buy your tickets at Ticketmaster

Also in the NW at Albet Halls (Bolton 6th &7th Feb ) and Southport Theater 23rd May

Rob Brydon of comedy fame with the likes of “Marion and Geoff” “I am Alan Partridge” “Little Britain” and others comes to Manchester from 29th March to Sunday 3rd May.

This I am sure will be a sell out with even an extra date added.

Tickets are available from Ticketmaster