Jarred Christmas

Few comics own a room the way Jarred Christmas does. The New Zealand-born, UK-based stand-up is a force of nature behind a mic — all quick-witted spontaneity and high-energy storytelling, the kind of compere who can turn a flat night electric inside two minutes.

The circuit knows it, and so do the judges: he's twice been handed the Chortle Award for Best Compere, a rare double. Since arriving in Britain in 2000 he's cut his teeth supporting the likes of Ross Noble and Tommy Tiernan, become a Fringe regular and taken his act to Just for Laughs in Montreal. The telly credits stack up nicely too — Mock the Week, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, 8 Out of 10 Cats and Argumental among them.

Loud, fast, warm and wonderfully unpredictable, he's a headliner who treats every gig like the best night out you'll have all month. Hang on tight.

The sort of high-voltage chaos we put on the bill and grin about.

Also on the bill: Wilson Milton · Baron Fortitude · Bobbin Dixon · Emma Ashleigh King