Jonathan Trew: The big telly names are all on tour to promote their new DVDs in time for Christmas

my ribs have been split and, on a couple of occasions, such was my mirth that I even spat my merlot on the unfortunates in front of me. As a result, my appetite for funny men and women is not what it was.

If your funny bone is made of sterner stuff then autumn is a prime time for comedy. The big telly acts are all on tour to promote their new DVDs in time for Christmas and, on a more local level, the circuit acts are riding the ripples of the Fringe. Jason Manford, who performs at Edinburgh Playhouse tonight, is in the first camp.

Until recently, the Manc comic seemed to have it made. His cuddly, homespun humour was in demand following the backlash against harder-edged comics such as Frankie Boyle. His rise to the top of light entertainment seemed certain when he was made co-presenter of The One Show. Then he blew it all with ill-advised social media flirting which ruined his family man image and led to him shuffling off The One Show sofa.

Away from the brain-frying lights of the television studios, Scotland’s circuit comics continue to pull the crowds. This is the opening weekend of the Kirkcaldy Comedy Festival. Big hitter Fred MacAulay brings his well-reviewed Legally Bald show to the Adam Smith Theatre tomorrow evening while Susan Morrison, Darren Connell, Mikey Adams, Keir McAllister and the inappropriately named Gary Little all provide a snapshot of the Scottish comedy scene at the Victoria Hotel this evening.

After six years, Stéphane Denève is bowing out from his tenure at the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. His stepping down coincides with the 150th birthday of Claude Debussy so it makes sense that the Auld Alliance is one of the central themes of the RSNO’s current season.

Tonight at the Glasgow Royal Concert Halls, Denève conducts the RSNO in Debussy’s Marche Ecossaise and La Mer. Star violinist Nicola Benedetti takes to the stage for Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy. The RSNO have also commissioned a piece called Le Parfum d’Aphrodite from the young French composer Fabien Waksman. Conceived as a companion piece to La Mer, it completes tonight’s programme.

During Denève’s time at the RSNO, the number of young people attending concerts has gone up considerably. Apparently, nine per cent of the audience is now under 26. This can only be a good thing for the future of classical music in Scotland. I recently spoke to a musician who had taken part in a performance of Mozart’s Requiem at the Usher Hall. About 20 minutes into the concert, the most striking aspect of the view from the stage was the shining bald pates as the more elderly music-lovers drifted off.

www.jasonmanford.com; www.kirkcaldycomedyfestival.com; www.rsno.org.uk