Life's a running joke for Jason Byrne

Jason Byrne is surprised by people's surprise that he ran the New York City marathon last November. He did it to raise money for Temple Street Children's Hospital.

One of the more likable of the arena comedians, John Bishop is all about being down to earth. Still, he isn't afraid of a big production number when the occasion demands it, and with this festive show, that's precisely what he delivers. Never mind the obligatory pop stars (George Ezra; Ella Henderson). Forget about the mainstream support acts (Jack Whitehall and Jason Byrne). Bishop doesn't just do a set, he also performs a routine with 16 members of the dance troupe the Tiller Girls.

Review: Jason Byrne You Name the Show

With such a receptive audience, it's not long before he has them engaged in a mass debate of sorts about local social hierarchy, while he tries to pronounce Holmfirth correctly.

Jason Byrne: You Name The Show review

There was a clear definition between material and crowd-work but it ended up that the majority of the show was unique to us, which was by no means a bad thing.

Jason Byrne offers cash prize for best show title

Each year Jason is asked for the name of his touring show and each year Jason has to think up a title. This year he is handing the power back to the people and is asking his audience to name the show for him. Hence the provisional title of You Name The Show. The best name will win £500. There will be a leader board on stage each night and by the end of the tour the show will have a name.

Jason Byrne: BBC 'buried' my family sitcom

Jason Byrne said the BBC 'buried' his sitcom Father Figure before he had time to iron out the kinks.

Jason Byrne interview

"It's literally an impossible task for a comic. The producer told me that I had five minutes, and I said to him, 'It takes me 20 minutes to say hello in my normal shows'. But the whole thing was great fun."

Review: comedy, Jason Byrne, Vicar Street, Dublin

There isn't anything didactic or any tut-tutting in Byrne's set. He doesn't engage in sneering at a new generation, but playfully chides them for more or less getting what they want, which involves ice-cream and Smarties rather than leftover offal and scraps from the butcher.

There's a long and troubled tradition of stand-up comics turning their hand to sitcom and Jason Byrne's Father Figure - with its poo jokes, 'bumbling husband' clichés and dodgy slapstick - was undoubtedly the worst example of the form since Frank Skinner's Shane.