Comedians hit Birmingham ahead of Edinburgh Festival

Edinburgh might be comedy king, but a host of comedians have chosen the Midlands to try out their festival gags.

Stars of TV and the Edinburgh comedy festival will descend on the West Midlands for an action-packed week at Birmingham's Glee Club.

A host of big names will line up with performances from Sarah Millican, Jason Cook, Dan Nightingale, Stewart Francis, Paul Tonkinson and Gary Delaney.

Sarah Millican and Jason Cook will line-up on July 21 for an Edinburgh preview show, while Nightingale, Francis, Tonkinson and Delaney will appear tonight and tomorrow.

Sarah Millican will present a work-in-progress show called Thoroughly Modern Millican.

The shambolic and exciting comedian is planning an hour of new material as she prepares for the Edinburgh fringe.

She's been tipped for big things with the Sunday Times saying: "Watch her transition to national treasure begin here" and Time Out describing her as "Adorable, filthy and fab".

Chris Ramsey, meanwhile, has a high-energy delivery, hugely engaging manner and off-the-cuff style, which have made him one of the most exciting new acts to hit the circuit in recent years.

He was a finalist in the 2008 Chortle Student Comedian of the Year Awards, and Nominated for the Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year Award 2009.

He is a regular compere at some of the biggest comedy clubs in the UK and has supported Lee Mack, Russell Kane and Stephen K Amos on national tours.

Gary Delaney, is a hard hitting, one-liner based comedian whose tightly written, original material makes him one of the most quoted comics on the circuit.

Respected by peers and audiences alike his brilliant, razor-sharp and often dark lines leave fans struggling to remember all the ones they want to tell later.

He is based in Birmingham and regularly comperes clubs up and down the country. His TV appearances have included BBC New Act Comp Final (BBC1, 2002) and BBC New Act Comp Semi-final (BBC Choice, 2002). His TV warm-ups have included Baddiel and Skinner Unplanned.

Paul Tonkinson is one of the brightest stars of British stand up. Nationally best known as the unlucky chap who had to step into Johnny Vaughan's shoes on the Big Breakfast, he has long been established on the stand up circuit as a vibrant performer who will illuminate any bill.

The funnyman was born in Scarborough in 1969 and studied drama before moving to London in '91, and then after barely a year on the comedy circuit, waltzing off with the prestigious Time Out Award for Comedy in '92. Since then he moved on to become co-host of BBC 2's Sunday Show, before gaining his own game show on Channel 4.

After the show's runaway success the call for the Big Breakfast was inevitable, his decision to take it was testimony to his fearlessness as a performer.

Sarah's show on Thursday is sold out but for tickets to see Stewart Francis and co, visit www.glee.co.uk/birmingham-comedy

Andy Richardson