Paul Smith - Happy

Paul Smith brings his new tour, Happy, to York Barbican on Saturday 1 August and Wednesday 5 August, both shows starting at 7:30pm. It's billed as the biggest and boldest show of his career, and if you've come across his clips online, you'll have a good idea of what to expect. He's built a following on his trademark crowd work—picking out people in the audience and running with whatever they throw at him—and Happy takes that to a new level, with a set that leans heavily on the interaction.

Around that, there are the true stories and the sharp observations he's known for, the kind of material that doesn't rely on a script and changes depending on who's in the room. He describes the show as fast, fearless, and relentlessly funny, packed with outrageous audience interaction and stories pulled straight from real life. It's the sort of gig where the crowd is as much a part of the night as the comedian himself, so if you're the type who likes to stay quiet in the back, you might want to keep that in mind.

Smith is a resident compere at Hot Water Comedy Club, and he's picked up a few accolades along the way: he was crowned Liverpool's New Comedian of the Year and made the finals of The Leicester Comedian of the Year competition. Happy is a wide-reaching tour, stopping across the UK, Ireland, Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand, so York is one of many stops on a pretty global run.

With two dates in the city, you've got a choice of the Saturday or the Wednesday, both at York Barbican and both starting at 7:30pm.