Reasons to be cheerful up North this month

In the early years of festivals – any kind of festivals – there is much talk about how any current year will be ‘the biggest yet’.

What tends to happen next is that festivals reach a point of critical mass and talk of expansion is changed for a process of refinement.

The three big comedy festivals in Yorkshire – Sheffield, Hull and Harrogate – have been picking up speed, audiences and acts for the past few years and it now feels as though all three are at the point where they have reached their limit in terms of size. They are now setting about a process of refining their offer, working out exactly what it is that makes them the festival for comedy lovers in Yorkshire.

The biggest of them all, and the grandaddy of the Yorkshire comedy festival scene, is Grin Up North, the Sheffield based event that gets going tomorrow with shows at the Lescar pub, an old comedy venue favourite, the City Hall and the Greystones pub.

Curated by comedian Toby Jones, known in Sheffield as a DJ and stand-up and known best outside his home city as a member of the Phoenix Nights team, the Grin Up North has only been running since 2005, but thanks to its sheer size and volume, already feels like an institution.

Running through the whole of October, it is clear that the man at the top of the tree, organising the events, is himself a comedian with an eye for the big acts, but also for the less well known comedians on the verge of a breakthrough.

As a result you get acts like Lee Evans, selling out the Sheffield Arena, appearing in the same festival as Tony Law, a comedian who has just started to win recognition (and awards) for his work in the last year.

Tony Law is also making an appearance at the smaller, niche, Harrogate Comedy Festival. Running for just under a fortnight at Harrogate Theatre, it features more than 30 comedians in 12 days and is the most eclectic of Yorkshire’s festivals – with Al Murray and Nicholas Parsons on the same bill (on separate nights).

The other festival that has really picked up momentum is the Hull Comedy Festival. Run for five years by John Gilbert, he has stepped down and passed the torch to a new director this year. New man Rich Quelch says: “Not only is it the first time in its five-year history that it will run for a full month, but the amount of household names involved is incredible.”

The reason Quelch is feeling quite so pleased is that he has pulled off a major coup by landing Tim Minchin, comedy music god, for the festival. And, of course, Jimmy Cricket.

Comedy heaven on the doorstep

Grin Up North, Sheffield, Oct 1 - 31. www.sheffieldcomedyfestival.com

Hull Comedy Festival, Oct 21 - Nov 21. www.hullcomedy.co.uk

Harrogate Comedy Festival, Oct 10 - 22. www.harrogatetheatre.co.uk, 01423 502116.