Now January’s out of the way, let’s get on with enjoying 2016. A riot of comedians are heading for the county this week. We round up the gaggle of gag-makers for you.

Daphna Baram

Five up-and-coming comedians are making a beeline for the Lighthouse pub in Deal. Stand Up On The Strand will be headlined by Daphna Baram, an Israel-born, London-based comedian. Also on the bill are Eshaan Akbar, Sindhu Vee, Stephen DiPlacito, and curator Nessie Ward plus Gary Sansome compering.

The show, on Wednesday, February 10, starts at 8pm; tickets £6 in advance. For details, visit www.thelighthousedeal.co.uk

He may be controversial, but the huge number of tour dates speaks volumes about Jim Davidson’s popularity. The south Londoner has added a further 17 dates to his Charlton Nil UK tour, which includes Maidstone’s Hazlitt Theatre on Thursday, February 11. Born and bred in Charlton, the comic has been in the business for decades but performed for the first time at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2013, the same year he won Celebrity Big Brother.

For tickets to the show at the Earl Street theatre, call 01622 758611 or visit www.parkwoodtheatres.co.uk

Lee Hurst

Comedian Lee Hurst’s Comedy Show No. 9 does exactly what it says on the tin – it’s his ninth full-length show where the audience turn up, laugh and go home happy. Having earned his stripes over 20 years on the circuit, the former They Think It’s All Over panellist has built up a following with his quick wit, sharp observation and easy manner.

He’ll be at Folkestone’s Quarterhouse on Saturday, February 6, at 4pm. Tickets for the show for ages 14 and older cost from £14.50; call 01303 760750 or go www.quarterhouse.co.uk

Stewart Lee

He maybe pretty deadpan, but Stewart Lee still has a Chortle Award to his name. The Bafta-winning funnyman is known for bringing the intimacy of a small comedy club to big venues.
Apart from his extensive stand-up career, Stewart also directed the Mighty Boosh’s breakthrough show in Edinburgh in 1999. He is the author of several books including What Would Judas Do? and has hosted radio documentaries on diverse subjects including Satanic music and American clowns.

The 47-year-old comedian brings his show, A Room with a Stew, to the Assembly Hall in Tunbridge Wells, on Friday, February 5, at 8pm. For tickets, call 01892 530613 or visit www.assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk

Rob Newman

After volunteering for a brain-imaging experiment meant to locate the part of the brain that lights up when you’re in love, funnyman Rob Newman has emerged with more questions than answers. His new show, The Brain Show, takes a sceptical approach to some grand claims made by neuroscience. Can brain scans read our minds? Are we our brains? While looking for answers, there’ll be plenty of weird and wonderful electronic props to look out for.

The Brain Show is at Maidstone’s Hazlitt Theatre on Saturday, February 6, at 8pm. Tickets £16.50; visit www.parkwoodtheatres.co.uk or call 01622 758611. The former comedy partner of David Baddiel will also be at the Gulbenkian, Canterbury, on Saturday, February 13, at 7.30pm. For tickets, call 01227 769075 or visit www.thegulbenkian.co.uk

Romesh Ranganathan

Rising star of the comedy world Romesh Ranganathan has a string of sold-out dates in the county coming up. The Sri Lankan British stand-up has come a long way since quitting his career as a maths teacher and has appeared on BBC1’s Live At The Apollo, Jack Dee’s HelpDesk, Have I Got News For You, BBC2’s Mock The Week, The Apprentice: You’re Fired, to name but a few.

On Sunday, February 7, Romesh will be at Margate’s Theatre Royal before visiting Maidstone’s Hazlitt Theatre on Wednesday, March 2; Folkestone’s Quarterhouse on Saturday, March 5; the Trinity Theatre, Tunbridge Wells on Friday, June 3; and the Brook Theatre in Chatham on Saturday, June 4.

Tom Stade is every inch a superstar in the making. Oozing charisma, the candid Canadian will be ruminating on life’s oddities and revelling in his own shortcomings this weekend.

He will be at Canterbury’s Gulbenkian on Sunday, February 7. For tickets, priced £17, call 01227 769075 or go to www.thegulbenkian.co.uk. Tom will also be at the Trinity Theatre, Tunbridge Wells, on Friday, March 4. Tickets £17 at www.trinitytheatre.net

Tiff Stevenson

Heartfelt and hilarious, Tiff Stevenson’s Mad Man solo show was one of the best-reviewed shows at the Edinburgh Festival last year. Her TV credits include The Apprentice: You’re Fired, Mock The Week and Never Mind The Buzzcocks.

Tiff be at the Marlowe Studio in Canterbury on Thursday, February 11, at 8pm. Tickets cost £11; telephone 01227 787787 or visit www.marlowetheatre.com

Fondly referred to by the Metropolitan Police as a “general rabble-rouser” and “alleged comedian”, Mark Thomas discusses ramblers in Trespass. He poses the question: “If the ramblers of the 1930s were here now, what would they do to open up the cities?
“How do we turn the skyscrapers and corporate squares into our playgrounds?”
Inspired by a desire to claim back our countryside for the people, the 52-year-old turns his eye to how the government has sold off the majority of our communal spaces.

Mark Thomas will be at the Trinity Theatre, Tunbridge Wells, on Friday, February 5.
For tickets, call 01892 678678. Book at www.trinitytheatre.net

Also on tour in 2016 this spring

Camp comic Julian Clary, who lives in Aldington, will be in Tunbridge Wells and Canterbury in April with his Joy of Mincing tour. He’ll be at the Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells, on Friday, April 22, and at The Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury, on Sunday, April 24.

Another big hitter, comedian and actor Omid Djalili, is on a 41-date UK tour and has three nights booked for Kent. He will be at Maidstone’s Hazlitt Theatre on Friday, April 22, but before that plays consecutive nights at the Horsebridge Centre in Whitstable on Wednesday and Thursday, March 30-31.

Comedian, impressionist, actor and reality star Bobby Davro has three dates in the county this year. He will be at Dartford’s Orchard Theatre on Sunday, May 12; Leas Cliff Hall in Folkestone on Wednesday, May 15; and Bromley’s Churchill Theatre on Thursday, May 16.

Irish funnyman Ed Byrne will be at the Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells, on Sunday, March 6, and at Dartford’s Orchard Theatre on Tuesday, April 19.

TV regular Bill Bailey will be examining the gap between how we imagine our lives to be and how they really are in Limboland at Margate’s Winter Gardens on Tuesday, June 28.

In his 40-year career, Brian Conley has clocked up several awards, starred in his own sitcom and performed with a list of stars including Elton John and Dame Edna Everage. He’ll bring his 2016 Alive and Dangerous tour to Kent twice – the Central Theatre in Chatham on Saturday, March 12, and Margate’s Winter Gardens on Saturday, March 13.