WE could all do with a laugh this year after the trauma of the last 12 months and luckily the Theatre Royal in St Helens has a great line up of comedy scheduled throughout 2022.

First up on January 25 is Irish comic Ed Byrne. During his 20 years in comedy, Ed has enjoyed huge critical and popular success in the UK and Ireland.

St Helens Star: Ed Byrne

Ed Byrne

He has performed hit tours, sold out many runs at the Edinburgh Fringe, had a successful two-week stint in the West End and appeared on radio, television, the stage and the big screen.

He might not be everyone’s cup of tea but right wing favourite Jim Davidson has certainly enjoyed a lengthy spell at the top of his profession.

From hosting the television shows Big Break and The Generation Game to winning Celebrity Big Brother, 68-year-old Jim has done it all in his long career and he is promising to be “more outrageous than ever” in his new stand up show which comes to the Theatre Royal on February 22.

May 13 sees the legendary Roy ‘Chubby’ Brown bring his unique style of adult humour to St Helens with the following night seeing the ever-popular Jason Manford’s new Like Me show visit the Theatre Royal.

Jason said: “After the fun we had on my last tour ‘Muddle Class’, I’m excited to get back on the road with my new stand up show, ‘Like Me’. In these trying times it’s always important to be able to get away for a couple of hours and exercise the old chuckle muscle!”

St Helens Star: COMEDIAN Jason Manford is performing a live stand-up comedy show in memory of long-time friend Michelle Mulane, from Alderley Edge, who recently lost her battle with cancer

Jason Manford

Another household name arrives in town on May 24 with controversial comic Russell Brand bringing his new live show 33 to the Theatre Royal. The show is promising to feature Russell “performing stand up on the strangeness of the last 18 months: what have we learned and not learned? And how do you ‘get back to normal’ if you’ve never been normal?”

St Helens Star: Confessed sex addict - Russell Brand

Russell Brand

Jimmy Carr (below) makes an appearance at the Theatre Royal on July 8 with Joe Pasquale appearing as Frank Spencer in Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em between August 2 and August 6.

St Helens Star: Fair tax protest planned for comic Jimmy Carr's Poole gig

Tickets for all shows from sthelenstheatreroyal.com