MAKE a light-hearted date for Saturday, October 20, when the next Stagefright comedy night arrives. Stagefright nights at Ilkley Playhouse are a well-known landmark on the laughter map, and bring you well-known names alongside up-and-coming new stars on the comedy circuit. With a strong, diverse line-up every time, a great time is a certainty.

October’s Stagefright line-up provides a good example of why audiences keep coming back for more, as we welcome Glenn Moore, Simon Lomas, Gemma Roberts and Mo Haroon. You may know Glenn from Mock the Week and Absolute Radio; this year he was nominated in both the Edinburgh Comedy Awards and the Leicester Comedy Festival. Glengarry Glen Glenn was one of the best-reviewed debut shows of the 2016 Edinburgh Fringe, while this year, his unusually-titled second show, Glenn Glenn Glenn, How Do You Like It, How Do You Like It was nominated for the prestigious main Edinburgh award.

Glenn’s written jokes for Scrambled, Russell Howard’s Good News and Play to the Whistle, as well as Mock The Week, and is known for his off-beat one-liners on Twitter, which have earned him a huge following. Glenn is also half of the critically-acclaimed sketch duo Thunderbards, described by GQ as “without question one of the funniest sketch groups on the Fringe”.

Joining Glenn is Simon Lomas, a former English Comedian of the year runner-up and Petfringe Comedian of The Year 2018. Simon totes an unusual, original act: as the Evening Standard put it, he’s “different to any act I’ve ever seen before”. Also appearing are Gemma Roberts, described by the BBC as “a very impressive performer with an array of memorable quips”, and Mo Haroon, whose laid-back stage persona contrasts with his piercing, clever humour. The evening is compered by regular host Anthony J Brown, an ad-libber with an unusual stage presence that’s been compared to a dandy funeral director. He’s appeared on Phoenix Nights and The Arthur Smith Lectures.

Also lighting up the Playhouse in darkening October are Fire and Rain, an ensemble of high-calibre professional musicians based in Scarborough, who come together to celebrate the music of their heroes, 70s folk-rock titans James Taylor and Carole King. They’ll be joined by singer Gracie Falls, who’ll present hits by Carole King interspersed with her own King-influenced material. Expect an evening of timeless, high-qualify nostalgia.

Finally, we’re excited – as always – to welcome the Ilkley Literature festival to the Playhouse for the next two weeks.

Visit the festival’s website for details of the acts who’ll be appearing.

For more information about the season go to ilkleyplayhouse.co.uk. To buy tickets, either the website, or call the box office on 01943 609539 during box office opening hours.

l Claire Emmott