Birmingham's Glee Club hosts some of Britain's best comics

Some of Britain's best comics will line up in Birmingham during a series of gigs at the region's most popular comedy venue,

The Glee Club, in Birmingham, will welcome funnymen like Trevor Cook and John Fothergill. There will also be a spotlight on the Midlands' finest comics, during a Rough Works night at the Glee Club's studio.

Trevor Crook will line up tonight and tomorrow alongside Andrew Stanley and Andy White.

Crook began his career at the Sydney Comedy Store in 1991 and received his first booking in just two months, his first television performance in six and capped off that first year by winning the Sydney Comic of the Year competition.

Within 18 months he was headlining regularly at the Comedy Store and touring with the likes of Jimeoin, Ben Elton and David Strassman. His television career also blossomed, performing on shows like The Midday Show, Tonight Live, and Hey Hey Saturday.

He made a series of visits to the UK, which included an acclaimed run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1996, before beginning to work extensively in England and Europe. He also became the first Australian comic to perform in the Arctic circle and was describing as "shining like a diamond" by the Edinburgh Evening News.

Andrew Stanley has performed at the Montreal, Australian and Edinburgh Comedy Festivals and becoming a regular fixture on the Kilkenny Cat Laughs Calendar.

His high-energy, quick-witted routines have endeared him to audiences at the Edinburgh Fringe, where he has taken a number of shows.

Chortle described him as "effervescent and upbeat – bursting with playful energy".

Andy White, meanwhile, is an energetic Brummie with an undeniably confident and entertaining act who has also won many plaudits.

The best of local comedians will line up at the venue on Sunday as part of Rough Works, which showcases the best new material from the Midlands' finest comics.

John Fothergill will then line up on Thursday and August 17 and 18, with support from Gary Delaney and Karl Spain.

Forthergill is a lively Geordie who spent the majority of his childhood trying to convince the rest of the community that he was a very special child. His early employment varied from cleaning the deck and galley of a gas rig in the middle of the North Sea, to being a sound man at a Quakers meeting.

It was while working as a casual scenery mover at a local theatre that he found his true calling.

Gary Delaney is a razor sharp one-liner comedian, who is widely regarded as being the most quotable comic on the circuit.

Karl Spain, meanwhile, set off on the road to comedy, after failing to become a Pretty Polly model.

This month's line comes ahead of a host of big name comics who will be visiting the Hurst Street venue over the coming months.

On August 23 TV?comic Zoe Lyons will play a gig there while in October comedy heavyweight Marcus Brigstock – who is currently touring in the Monty Python musical Spamalot – will stand up at the club.

Marcus plays on October 3 and will be followed on October 17 by rising star Chris Ramsey who is curently making waves at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Tickets for all of the shows mentioned are available at www.glee.co.uk