Jen Brister: The Optimist

Stuart Laws takes an in-depth look at life after a pandemic and how the familiar we knew has changed forever. This mini series gets some of the UK's best comedians to ask the questions we've been afraid to ask like "What?", "How?" and "Why?"

Abhishek explains why he is pursuing comedy with a "real" story about his job as a chemical engineer at a refinery.

On December 17th 2019, I, James Acaster, filmed my 2019 tour show Cold Lasagne Hate Myself 1999 at EartH in Hackney. It was a show about the best year of my life (1999) and the worst year of my life (2017), I wore a very nifty jacket for it and I looked extremely cool.

Offbeat comic James Acaster covers the strange, the mundane and everything in between in this collection of four wide-ranging stand-up specials.

Patience Evans works in the Criminal Records Office in the city of York. She views the world in a unique way because she has a special gift – she is autistic. Patience has a special interest in solving puzzles and a secret fascination and talent for criminology—her unique perspective allows her to connect the dots through clues in a way others simply cannot. Detective Inspector Bea Metcalf recognizes her talents and takes her under her wing. Patience helps the police tackle a series of challenging cases by bringing her unique insight to crimefighting.

Stand-up comedian Fern Brady brings her unique take on contemporary culture and the state of the UK to a packed crowd in Glasgow.

A recorded version of Rhys' 2023 comedy tour show called Spilt Milk.

In Nish, Don’t Kill My Vibe, Nish Kumar brings his trademark blend of righteous fury and self-deprecating chaos to a world that feels like it’s permanently on fire.

James Acaster explores his love/hate relationship with standup by relinquishing control of his set and accepting a healthy dose of audience interference – AKA heckling. With his wiry observational eye and incomparable wit, Acaster shares hilarious on-the-fly meta-analysis of his own material, along with stories from his childhood that spurred him to pursue a career in comedy.

Josh Pugh made quite an impression at last year's Edinburgh Fringe, where he was deservedly nominated for best show in the Edinburgh Comedy Awards with Sausage, Egg, Josh Pugh, Chips and Beans. Josh performs his award nominated stand up show in front of a sold out Birmingham Town Hall on the final night of his first nationwide tour. A show about the last two years of his life, trying for a baby and losing Captain Tom's Birthday Cards

A sharp look at gender, class and Catholicism from this dark humoured ex-stripper. Male Comedienne addresses Brady's self-image, being mistaken for a man, and her complicated relationship with womankind.

Huge Davies presents his first comedy special "The Carpark". Combining his confident on stage presence, dark humour, surreal material and his one-of-a-kind customised keyboard, Huge has quickly risen to become one of the the most unique and hilarious acts in comedy. Join him as he prepares to present his musical about a carpark; well, if he ever gets round to it. With musings on Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes, Daft Punk & Gregorian chanting, be prepared for a musical adventure that teeters on the edge of the void. "The Carpark" was nominated for Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards and the No.1 comedy show in Timeout. Following a sold out run at the Edinburgh Fringe, it was given three extended runs at the Soho Theatre due to excessive demand.

Award-winning comedian Pierre Novellie’s latest stand-up special explores why he finds most things a 6/10 - and why he doesn’t see eye-to-eye with anyone else on what makes a 0/10 or a 10/10

Filmed live at Monkey Barrel Comedy in Edinburgh, “Oh No” is the debut comedy special by Scottish stand-up Christopher Macarthur-Boyd, featuring breezy laid-back jokes and stories about depression, tattoos, butter, and the meaning of life. What else can you say when the world ends, you lose your job, and you pee yourself, other than just, “oh no”?

While parenting teenagers, bogged down with knicker admin and considering dealing HRT on the black market, Kerry’s lost her mum bag but can’t remember what was in it as she’s outsourced her memory to her phone. Updates on wellness, influencers, robots, fashion, fermentation and small talk? This is the life of a middle-aged woman who hasn’t got the bandwidth for any of this.

Stuart Laws ('You'll struggle to find a comedian with a better jokes per minute rate... like a one-man episode of Arrested Development' Fest) acclaimed Edinburgh Fringe and tour show Stuart Laws is All In. The show sees Stuart reflect on the day his life changed forever: when he risked everything in a Las Vegas poker tournament. Is he a winner or a loser? Can he burn the candle at both ends? And has he been infected by the Willennium Bug? A show about making difficult decisions, choosing different paths and gettin' jiggy wit' it from the leftfield observationalist and intricate gag-weaver. “A deliriously fun and nonsensical hour full of tiny little treats, Stuart Laws Is All In defiantly stands proud as a show not to be taken seriously in any way, shape or form.” ★★★★ The List

When a legendary thief sets his sights on the Mona Lisa, he recruits two young strangers to help him before revealing they are long-lost siblings… and oh yes, by the way, he is their father. Thrown into a chaotic reunion they never asked for, this new family must learn to work together — and try not to kill each other — if they want any chance at pulling off the heist of the century.

After a chance encounter sparks a sweeping romance, Maya's future is suddenly upended, sending her on an unexpected journey to love and live again.

Will Radford is a top analyst for Homeland Security who tracks potential threats through a mass surveillance program, until one day an attack by an unknown entity leads him to question whether the government is hiding something from him... and from the rest of the world.

Olive Smith, a biology PhD candidate, and Dr. Adam Carlsen, a hotshot professor and well-known tyrant, enter into a fake relationship, seeing each of their carefully calculated theories on love get thrown into chaos.

Noah must leave her city, boyfriend, and friends to move into William Leister's mansion, the flashy and wealthy husband of her mother Rafaela. As a proud and independent 17 year old, Noah resists living in a mansion surrounded by luxury. However, it is there where she meets Nick, her new stepbrother, and the clash of their strong personalities becomes evident from the very beginning.

George Hardy is a shepherd who reads detective novels to his beloved sheep every night, assuming they can't possibly understand. But when a mysterious incident disrupts life on the farm, the sheep realize they must become the detectives. As they follow the clues and investigate human suspects, they prove that even sheep can be brilliant crime-solvers.

Estranged half-brothers Jonny and James reunite after their father's mysterious death. As they search for the truth, buried secrets reveal a conspiracy threatening to tear their family apart.

Ry, a college student with a chronic illness, escapes to Mallorca for the summer with her mother, where she unexpectedly falls for a local and begins to embrace living in the moment. But as her condition worsens and long-hidden family secrets come to light, everything she has found before summer's end is threatened.

After being separated for 15 years, the Sword of Power leads Prince Adam back to Eternia, where he discovers his home shattered under the fiendish rule of Skeletor. To save his family and his world, Adam must join forces with his closest allies, Teela and Duncan/Man-At-Arms, and embrace his true destiny as He-Man — the most powerful man in the universe.

Marfil, daughter of a powerful Spanish businessman, sees her life in New York turned upside down when she is kidnapped and released without explanation. Her father hires Sebastian Moore as bodyguard and, forced to spend every minute together, an inevitable attraction ignites in a world where nothing is as it seems.

After Santa Claus (codename: Red One) is kidnapped, the North Pole's Head of Security must team up with the world's most infamous tracker in a globe-trotting, action-packed mission to save Christmas.

In the near future, a 'Grand Lottery' has been established - the catch: kill the winner before sundown to legally claim their multi-billion dollar jackpot. When Katie Kim mistakenly finds herself with the winning ticket, she reluctantly joins forces with amateur lottery protection agent Noel Cassidy who must get her to sundown in exchange for a piece of her prize.

Maia Marten, a brilliant London lawyer, has her life shattered by a single call on her morning run: her son has been taken. To get him back, she must keep running, obey every ruthless command, and trust no one-each second a test of how far a mother will go to save her child.

Alma Lancaster, 18, appears to lead a perfect life within a wealthy family who believes she is studying law. In secret, she pursues her true dream: filmmaking. On campus, she meets Vadim Arcadi, 20, a magnetic and solitary rebel with a troubled past. Forced to collaborate on a student film, they clash, grow closer and fall in love — despite themselves. But someone is watching them, determined to tear them apart and expose secrets that could destroy both Alma and Vadim.

The love between Noah and Nick seems unwavering despite their parents' attempts to separate them. But his job and her entry into college open up their lives to new relationships that will shake the foundations of both their relationship and the Leister family itself.

A troupe of ballerinas find themselves fighting for survival as they attempt to escape from a remote inn after their bus breaks down on the way to a dance competition.

Popular, outgoing Fujino is celebrated by her classmates for her funny comics in the class newspaper. One day, her teacher asks her to share the space with Kyomoto, a truant recluse whose beautiful artwork sparks a competitive fervor in Fujino. What starts as jealousy transforms when Fujino realizes their shared passion for drawing.

When an elusive thief whose high-stakes heists unfold along the iconic 101 freeway in Los Angeles eyes the score of a lifetime, with hopes of this being his final job, his path collides with a disillusioned insurance broker who is facing her own crossroads. Determined to crack the case, a relentless detective closes in on the operation, raising the stakes even higher.

Stephanie and Emily reunite on the beautiful island of Capri, Italy for Emily's extravagant wedding to a rich Italian businessman. Along with the glamorous guests, expect murder and betrayal to RSVP for a wedding with more twists and turns than the road from the Marina Grande to the Capri town square.

The UK Prime Minister and US President have a public rivalry that risks their countries' alliance. But when they become targets of a powerful enemy, they're forced to rely on each other as they go on a wild, multinational run. Allied with Noel, a brilliant MI6 agent, they must find a way to thwart a conspiracy that threatens the free world.