Comedy: Ardal O'Hanlon

Ardal O'Hanlon's material is never going to topple the Government. No one is going to storm the barricades because of a joke about how unfit he is: "Fun Run - those two words should never be seen in the same sentence. Running is something you do when there's another man chasing you with a knife." But the comedian best known as the holy fool, Father Dougal Maguire in the Channel 4 sitcom, Father Ted (right), wins audiences over with his sheer charm. His national tour opens this Friday at the Norwich Theatre Royal (01603 630000).

James Rampton