One of the stars of long-running topical comedy panel show Mock the Week will be visiting Darwen on his new stand-up tour.

Following a sell-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe and the autumn leg of his tour, Andy Parsons is back on the road and will visit Darwen's Library Theatre to get the audience in stitches.

Parsons' show, Baffingly Optimistic, aims to find the positivity in life after a rough few years of disease, death, war and the rising cost of living.

The show comes to Darwen's Library Theatre on Friday, March 22, with only a few tickets remaining at Andy Parsons' website or bwdvenues.com.

After starting his comedy career writing for a Radio 4 show, he became one of the main writers on the original Spitting image, before getting his own Radio 2 series for six years and becoming a regular panellist on Mock the Week.

Between that, and alongside touring his stand-up, the 55-year-old has appeared on a whole host of comedy TV shows including QI and Live at the Apollo, and won a series of awards around the world for his performances.

On the new show, he said: "There are lots of different strands. It's partly about parenting and what kids need to understand about the world.

"The world has slightly gone t*ts up recently and, obviously, our politics has gone the same way over the last 12 months as well.

"So it's marrying that to having an 11-year-old son and seeing the world a bit through his eyes in terms of prospects going forward, whether it's to do with houses or jobs or being able to work in Europe.

"I think there are reasons to be hopeful. It's not a depressing show, you won't want that on your night out. It's full of big laughs.

"The positive side is the pandemic is over, we are statistically more united as a nation than it might seem. And despite what you've heard, comics are not being cancelled."

Andy Parsons' Bafflingly Optimistic full tour schedule

  • Thursday 22 February       Tring, Court Theatre
  • Friday, 23 February           Basingstoke, Haymarket Theatre
  • Wednesday, 28 February   Cheltenham, Town Hall
  • Thursday, 29 February      Lichfield, Garrick Theatre
  • Saturday, 2 March             Bridgwater, McMillan Theatre
  • Wednesday, 6 March        Southampton, MAST Mayflower Studios
  • Saturday, 9 March             Norwich, Playhouse
  • Friday, 15 March               Folkestone, Quarterhouse
  • Saturday, 16 March           King’s Lynn, St George’s Guildhall
  • Thursday, 21 March          Shrewsbury, Theatre Severn
  • Friday, 22 March               Darwen, Library Theatre
  • Saturday, 23 March           Kendal, Brewery Arts Centre
  • Sunday, 24 March             Lancaster, Grand
  • Thursday, 28 March          Colchester, Mercury Theatre
  • Wednesday, 10 April         Redruth, Regal
  • Thursday, 11 April             Launceston, Town Hall
  • Friday, 12 April                  Plymouth, Quad Theatre
  • Saturday, 13 April              Paignton, Palace Theatre
  • Thursday, 18 April             Bury St Edmunds, The Apex
  • Friday, 19 April                  Wakefield, Theatre Royal
  • Saturday, 20 April              Newcastle, Northern Stage
  • Thursday, 25 April             Nottingham, Playhouse
  • Saturday, 27 April              Newbury, Corn Exchange
  • Wednesday, 1 May           Redditch, Palace Theatre
  • Thursday, 2 May               Tenbury Wells, The Regal
  • Saturday, 4 May                Milton Keynes, The Stables
  • Wednesday, 15 May          London, Leicester Square Theatre
  • Friday, 17 May                  Wedmore, Arts Festival
  • Thursday, 23 May             Evesham, Town Hall