The Spoonfed Comedy Team pick out the best gigs in London this November.
Tuesday 2nd Nov-Saturday 4th December
Bill Bailey: Dandelion Mind @ Wyndhams Theatre
We caught part of this as a work in progress a few months ago and it was thigh-slappingly funny then, so the polished West End production should be pretty special. Bailey's trademark musical meanderings are in good supply here (his re-work of Gary Numan's Cars played on bicycle horns is a must-see), plus some casual but observations and stories from the road. Excellent stuff.
Thursday 4th November
Malcolm Hardee Awards Show @ Dingwalls
If the thought of watching Michael McIntyre makes you want to punch yourself in the temple, this might well be the gig for you. Dingwalls are showcasing the winner and nominees of this year's Malcolm Hardee Award, given to the most exciting, original comic performers in the UK. Arthur Smith – Hardee's long-time friend and fellow Edinburgh Fringe legend will host the show, which features surreal Dadaist absurdist act Dr Brown (yes he is as weird as that sounds), unpredicatable American Lewis Schaffer, unemployed alcoholic turned B-movie film star, the anarchic Bob Slayer and Robert White, the only gay, Aspergers Syndrome, quarter Welsh, webbed-toed, dyslexic pianist comedian on the British comedy circuit. If you haven't experienced delightfully bonkers and innovative Fringe comedy yet, this is a good place to start.
14th and 21st November
The Horne Section @ Soho TheatreThere are two fantastic Horne Section shows in the Soho Theatre this month and we really couldn't choose between the two. Looking dapper and accompanied by Madness's tour band, Fringe favourite Alex Horne plays his namesake instrument and brings together some of the UK's best jazz musicians to accompany some of the UK's best comedians and cabaret acts with their material. It might be hard to imagine, but blimey does it work well. Special guest performances include award-winning comic poet Tim Key, the London Vegetable Orchestra, crazy dance duo New Art Club and cheeky magician Pete Firman.
Thursday 18th November
The Fix presents the Return of Boothby Graffoe @ Leicester Square Theatre
The mythical beast of musical comedy (no, not the mischievous, pipe-toting, goaty-legged god Pan, the seldom-spotted comedian named after a Lincolnshire market town, Boothby Graffoe) makes a rare appearance on the London circuit this month for a bi-annual gig in association with top comedy purveyors The Fix. Joining him will be one of the finest stand-ups in the business Stewart Lee, brilliant comic actor Kevin Eldon, alternative legend Simon Munnery and a secret guest TV star.
Monday 22nd November
Simon Amstell: Do Nothing @ O2 Shepherds Bush
Ex-Popworld presenter Simon Amstell's intimate gigs at the Pleasance and Soho Theatre have been hugely popular this year, with tickets selling out almost as soon as they go on sale. As a result, he's doing a one-off performance of his 2009 show Do Nothing at the larger venue of the Shepherd's Bush Empire this month to cater for his ever-increasing fanbase. Expect plenty of dry, caustic wit from this smart cookie (hecklers beware, he comes into his own when put on the spot) as he delivers amusing rants and anecdotes on everything from failed relationships with young boys to the inevitability of death.
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