Five must-see stand-up comedy shows in Scotland this April including Count Arthur Strong

If you’re looking for a good laugh this month, Scotland’s comedy clubs and theatres have you covered.

Shaparak Khorsandi will be headlining the Fab Big Comedy Show in Stirling this month.

The Glasgow International Comedy Festival may have just ended last week, but Scotland is the home of great comedy year-round.

Here are five great shows to book for this month.

Shazia Mirza (Aberdeen)

There will be two chances to see Celebrity Masterchef semi-finalist Shazia Mirza in the Granite City this month. She’s on the the Breakneck Comedy Club on Friday, April 26, and Saturday, April 27, accompanied by some as-yet-unspecified guests. Expect taboo-busting comedy from an artist who isn’t afraid to go to dark or controversial places in search of a laugh.

Count Arthur Strong (Touring)

This is billed as being ‘part one of Count Arthur Strong’s farewell tour’, so there’s an (admittedly small) chance that this is the last Scotland will see of Steve Delaney’s wonderful character - an out-of-work thespian who is as pompous as he is amusing. He’ll be performing at Aberdeen’s Tivoli on Thursday, April 25, followed by consecutive nights at Dundee’s Gardyne Theatre and Glasgow’s Pavilion.

Lauren Pattison (Edinburgh)

This two time Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee - she was up for Best Newcomer in 2017 for her show Lady Muck, then was shortlisted for the Main Prize in 2022 for It Is What It Is - is a real crowdpleaser. About to star in a new BBC Radio 4 show called Tom and Lauren are going OOT alongside fellow Geordie comic Tom Machell, you can get a sneak preview of her latest standup with a work in progress show at Edinburgh’s Monkey Barrel on Saturday, April 20.

Simon Munnery (Touring)

Perhaps the ultimate ‘comedian’s comedian’, Simon Munnery is a fixture at The Stand at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe each year. He’s returning to the venue for a one-off performance of last year’s show, Jerusalem, on Wednesday, April 17, with another performance at the Glasgow Stand the following evening. It’s a typical mix of old and new material that’s never anything less than wonderful.

Big Fab Comedy Show (Stirling)

Stirling’s Macrobert Art Centre is playing host to possibly the best mixed bill comedy show of the month on Friday, April 19. Headlining is television panel show regular Shaparak Khorsandi, who will be supported by Breaking The News star Eleanor Morton, Scot Squad’s Krystal Evans and Live at the Apollo’s Eshaan Akbar. Hosting will be none other than Scottish comedy legend Fred MacAulay.