Where to find funny this week
Sunday 12 May: You could pay nearly £45 to see Eddie Izzard at Wembley Arena tonight, or you could pay £30 and see Stewart Lee, Phill Jupitus, Jo Caulfield, Andy Hamilton, Jenny Eclair, Barry Cryer and Ronnie Golden raising money for Target Ovarian Cancer at the Rose Theatre in Kingston, in memory of Linda Smith (7pm).
Monday 13 May: Legendary new material night Old Rope has yet another great line-up at The Phoenix: Marcel Lucont, Nina Conti, Joel Dommett, Tiffany Stevenson, Johnny Candon, John Robins plus a special guest. Phil Nichol MCs (8.15pm, £5).
Tuesday 14 May: Three top-notch comedians in one hour at Hen and Chickens: sweet but sharp Canadian Mae Martin (pictured), character comedy from one-half of Kieran and Joe, Kieran Hodgson, and sketches from The Pin (9.30pm, £6.50).
Wednesday 15 May: We're kind of agog that Mitch Benn has never done a solo tour before. But he's doing one now, so catch his brilliant musical comedy at Leicester Square Theatre until Saturday (7pm, £14 / £12 / £10).
Thursday 16 May: Comedians ransack the past for inspiration during History's Greatest Monster at The Water Poet. On the bill are Gerry Howell, Making Faces (whose sketches we called "cry-with-laughter great", eventually, about 500 words into the review), Oli Bettesworth, Amy Howerska, Luke Connell and hosted by Mike Shepherd (8pm, £7 / £6).
Friday 17 May: If ever there was a Shoreditch comedian, Jessie Cave is not it: she's slightly less hipstery and annoying. Bethnal Green? Whitechapel? Anyway, she's doing her Bookworm show at the Soho Theatre tonight and tomorrow (7.15pm, £12.50 / £10).
Saturday 19 May: Another fundraiser, this time Bring It Home for Homelessness at the Union Chapel for St Mungo's and the Margins Project with a fantastic line-up of women: Roisin Conaty, Mae Martin, Cariad Lloyd, Aisling Bea, Zoe Gardner and Margaret Cabourn-Smith, Trodd en Bratt, Holly Burn, Grainne Maguire, The Birthday Girls, The Boom Jennies, Caroline Hardie, Gemma Whelan plus Alison Thea-Skot MCing (6.30pm, £15 + bf).
Tip us off to friendly, intelligent, alternative comedy around town [email protected], read our guide to watching live comedy in London and our top 10 themed comedy nights.
