Comedy: Gig Of The Week

Alan Davies Mon

Comedy Store, London SW1 (0171-344 4444) Alan Davies' acting career goes from strength to strength. He is in a feature-length Jonathan Creek on BBC1 on Christmas Eve and a pilot of a new comedy, A Many Splintered Thing, for BBC1 on Christmas Day. There are even unconfirmed whispers that he might be the new Dr Who. But all the while, he has held on to his stand-up roots. While mounting a major national tour in February, he is keeping his hand in this week by topping an "Essex-mas Special" bill featuring Terry Alderton, Ricky Grover, Mandy Knight, John Mann and Keith Dover at the Comedy Store. An almost old-fashioned "one man and his mike" stand-up who eschews gimmickry, Davies picks out the absurd details of everyday life with the accuracy of a miniaturist painter.

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The Man Who Thinks He's It

Last-minute shoppers could do worse than pop a comedy video into the trolley. These provide perfect post-festivity entertainment, as they don't require much thought. Perhaps the best on offer is Steve Coogan's The Man Who Thinks He's It, in which he plays naff Mancunians Paul and Pauline Calf, dismal comedian Duncan Thickett, and singer Tony Ferrino. The highlight of the show, however, is failed chat-show host Alan Partridge.

Mike Wilmot

Mike Wilmot's act is blue, but he thinks that audiences relate to his act because "everyone has sex or is affected by it. My act is just a warped vision of it. All men want to believe they are magnificent lovers, and all women believe they know everything about sex and all the problems are their husbands' fault. They need me to cut through the crap."

Ha Bloody Ha, Harrow, Middlesex (0181-566 4067), tonight