How to catch hot comedy in your city right now

We love to hear it! Get cracking with this hot tip from Munya:

'The best advice I can give for getting into stand-up is: get out your head and onto a stage. Now, I'm not talking about forcibly entering the Hammersmith Apollo and dropkicking Michael McIntyre halfway through his set; it can be a small stage.

My first stage was in a pub in Bexleyheath. I mean I say 'stage', it was a tiny patch of wooden flooring in front of some heavily tatted men drinking Stella. Sure, it wasn't the most glamorous of debuts but I avoided being glassed, got some decent laughs and instantly developed a ravenous appetite for my next gig. I skipped out that place absolutely buzzing. All the worries and nightmare scenarios I had constructed in my head were instantly disproven by the simple act of standing-up and doing the bloody thing.

So, I suppose my advice is 'Just Do It'. That's quite catchy actually! I might adopt that as a slogan – totally original and deffo no risk of a massive lawsuit from a trainer company.'

Love taking risks? You can’t go wrong with Top Secret: the Covent Garden venue where you could pay just £1 to see a secret act that might just be a proper celebrity. Over in north London, the Bill Murray Comedy Club hosts Angel Comedy, where you can regularly see work-in-progress shows by beloved comedians. Angel’s Camden Head venue runs ‘Raw Mondays’, where new comics give it everything they’ve got. South of the river, head to Up the Creek in Greenwich. Not only will you find top line-ups on Saturdays, but on Thursdays, you can watch upcoming comics compete in ‘The Blackout’ for a place on the stage. Thrilling stuff.

This coastal city is just as well known for its excellent nightlife and entertainment as it is for its pavilion, seagulls and sandless beach. Brighton’s comedy scene is no exception, with the award-winning venue The Forge leading the charge with fantastic line-ups at least three nights a week. Fans of cutting-edge comedy can’t go past Komedia Comedy Club, with each show giving you three exciting acts and an MC. Looking for something a bit left-field? The Secret Comedy Club hosts a night called Oddballs!, featuring the best in clowning, sketch, character comedy and improv. It’s weird, but in the best possible way.

Without a doubt, The Stand's Newcastle venue is one of the UK’s finest dedicated comedy clubs. World-class comics perform tour shows here regularly, and the Friday and Saturday mixed bills are always buzzing. Check out the open mic night 'Red Raw', held every Wednesday, which showcases up-and-coming acts. The Tyne Theatre & Opera House – the stunning Victorian theatre in the centre of the city – is also making its name for top-notch comedy programming. 

You can’t talk about comedy in Brum without mentioning The Glee Club. The line-ups here are refreshingly varied, with local and international acts taking to the stage on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Big-name comics bring their touring shows here, too – and even little ones get a look-in with lunchtime family comedy shows. Another top venue is Just the Tonic, which never fails with interesting line-ups of bigger names alongside emerging comics that might just become household names. 

Enter now for a chance to perform at Extra Hot Comedy Club, by Time Out and Nando’s.