The top London comedy shows to see in November

What is it? Clown princess Natalie Palamides returns with her virtuosic new solo show. A parody of ’90s romcoms (kind of) its core concept is that Palamides plays both halves of a fractious young couple – Mark and Christina – at the same time. 

Why go? It is another virtuoso piece of batshittery from Palamides: on a technical level some of the stuff she’s doing is truly remarkable, like that thing where you pretend to make out with yourself, but elevated to Da Vinci like art. It is also goofy as hell, funny because it’s a totally ridiculous spectacle, with some delicious audience interactions and a high quotient of mad stuff (the finale is gloriously insane).

What it is? The big word-of-mouth comedy hit at the 2024 Fringe was this outlandish yet perversely enjoyable late night gem from newcomer Huddersfield comic Joe Kent-Waters, in which he played the titular Monroe, a working men’s club owner who has made a literal deal with the devil. 

Why go? Kind of like the degenerate, basement-raised offspring of ‘Phoenix Nights’ and ‘League of Gentlemen’ - not to mention Marlowe’s ‘Doctor Faustus’ - it’s a gloriously bizarre night out thoroughly deserving of the best comedy newcomer award it netted for Kent-Walters at the Fringe.

What is it? Amy Gledhill’s second solo show won the main comedy award at the 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe for her widely praised set revolving around questions of body image.

Why go? Because the initial post-Edinburgh run was impossible to get tickets to, but act quick and yopu can get in at this much bigger, end-of-tour gig. 

What is it? The endearingly – if often ascerbically – eccentric German comic returns with a new show in which he promises to offer ‘an unbiased look at climate change’.

Why go? Word from the tour suggests that this the show’s not really about climate change and he was probably just having some fun with the pun, but word also suggests another charmingly spiky hour of German-crafted oddity.

What is it? Cult comedy gameshow ‘Taskmaster’ makes the leap from small screen to live experience with this undeniably intriguing show, which takes place at the Dock X complex in Canada Water.

Why go? If you’ve ever dreamed of taking part in the show’s zany tasks then this, presumably, is for you, with the opportunity to step into a recreation of the Taskmaster house and take part in one of two ‘gameplay experiences’ dubbed Melon Buffet and Absolute Casserole. 

What is it? The superstar stand-up returns to his second home the Hammersmith Apollo for a fresh run of shows, part of his In the Moment world tour.

Why go? It’s a new set, but odds are extremely high that it’ll be the same old Mo, mixing his big-hearted, ultra-relatable yarns with tales from the world of showbiz he now finds himself embroiled in. Plus as a man of the people, ticket prices are very reasonable.