Dave Johns: From Wallsend with laughs
THREE top comedians take to the Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club stage in the YO1 Live Lounge at York Barbican on Saturday.
After a lifetime as a comedian, Dave Johns was tipped for Best Actor at the Academy Awards for his lead role in Ken Loach’s I, Daniel Blake, having won at the Cannes Film Festival and picked up a BAFTA.
A string of further awards followed, culminating in Best Actor at the British Independent Film Awards.
Appearing on the stand-up comedy circuit since 1989, North Easterner Johns is a regular guest on comedy panel shows Never Mind The Buzzcocks (BBC2) and 8 Out Of Ten Cats (Channel 4).
Scottish comedian Paul Pirie: from the bitchy to the silly
Johns no longer tours the country or the world and is highly selective about where and when he performs comedy these days, so Saturday’s show will be a rare chance to catch him in York.
Joining Johns on the 8pm bill will be Paul Pirie, Josh Sedman and regular host Damion Larkin, the Laugh Out Loud promoter.
Pirie took up stand-up after giving up acting to pursue the funny man that lies within, establishing himself on the Scottish comedy circuit as long ago as 2004. Soon after, he was runner-up in the Scottish Comedian of the Year awards and he now combines live performances with television, film and radio.
Yorkshire comic Josh Sedman with his “Wetherby Teeth”
A physical, theatrical presence on stage, he specialises in rapid-fire comedy that blurs the lines between real-life anecdotes and flight of fancy. “It has been observed that he channels the late Robin Williams at his most excitable and many regard him as the natural hierarchy to Billy Connolly,” says Larkin.
“With a set that jumps from bitchy to silly, you’re never more than a line away from a great pun, insight or well-crafted punchline, delivered with a ferocity that makes Paul’s humble beginnings on the Scottish circuit seem such a long time ago,” says Larkin.
Award-winning Yorkshire comedian Sedman has enjoyed fast career progression since 2022, equipped with “Wetherby Teeth”(apparently Yorkshire’s superior version of “Turkey”, and a lovely head of hair.
Doors open at 7:30pm. Box office: https://www.yorkbarbican.co.uk/whats-on/laugh-out-loud-comedy-club-sept-2025/ or on the door.