Paul Smith - Happy

Paul Smith brings his new show Happy to Portsmouth Guildhall on Friday 20 November, part of what he's calling the biggest and boldest tour of his career. It's a wide-reaching run that goes well beyond the UK, hitting Ireland, Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand, so the Portsmouth date is one stop on a global circuit.

If you've come across him before, you'll know his style: a lot of crowd work, razor-sharp observations and true stories. Happy builds on that, taking the crowd interaction and the real-life anecdotes and pushing them a gear further. He describes it as fast, fearless and relentlessly funny, with a good deal of the night coming from the audience in the room rather than just a set list. At its heart, he frames the show as being about finding joy in the chaos, laughter in the everyday and comedy in everything.

Smith is a regular at Hot Water Comedy Club, and he's picked up a few accolades along the way, including being named Liverpool's New Comedian of the Year and making the finals of The Leicester Comedian of the Year. This tour follows a string of sold-out runs and viral success across the globe, so Happy is the result of that momentum rather than a starting point.

Doors open at 18:45 and the show starts at 19:30, running until 21:45. Tickets are £40.50 to £69.75, though you should be aware that the Portsmouth dates are currently sold out, with waiting lists available if you're still keen to get in.