An evening of stand-up awaits as some of the UK's funniest comedians unite to support Momentum Children's Charity.

Taking place at The Arthur Cotterell Theatre at Kingston College on Thursday, 9 July, this year's Comedy Night will be headlined by Surbiton-based comedian Chris McCausland, fresh from a hugely successful nationwide tour.

Chris McCausland is a much-loved comedian and familiar face on television, known for regular appearances across leading comedy and entertainment shows, and for winning the 2024 series of Strictly Come Dancing.

Joining Chris on the lineup is acclaimed comedian, Esther Manito, known for her sharp wit and relatable storytelling, and Michael Odewale who is well-recognised for his intelligent humour and delivering standout sets at venues and festivals across the country.

Returning for his fifth year as host is the local comedian and long-time supporter Erich McElroy, ensuring the laughter continues throughout the evening.

Talking about why he is supporting the event, McElroy said: "I'm really pleased to be hosting Momentum's Comedy Night for the fifth time.

"It's a brilliant charity doing incredibly important work for families with seriously ill children. This is the best kind of gig - people come in expecting to laugh, and if they don't, we can always call it 'raising awareness' instead.

"The Arthur Cotterell Theatre is a small, intimate venue, so don't leave it too late to get your tickets!"

advertisement

Tara Sherjan, Head of Public Fundraising at Momentum Children's Charity added: "We are absolutely thrilled to welcome back the brilliant Chris McCausland to headline this year's Comedy Night.

"It's always a standout evening - full of energy, laughter and incredible community spirit.

"Alongside Chris, we're delighted to have the hugely talented Michael Odewale and Esther Manito joining the line-up, with the hilarious Erich McElroy returning as host.

"A big thank you to the comedians who are donating their time and to Kingston College for sharing their venue for the night.

"Every ticket sold will help Momentum continue providing vital care and support to families facing the most difficult circumstances."

Speaking to Nub News, McElroy, who runs Crack Comedy Kingston - a weekly comedy night in Ram Jam Records in the Grey Horse pub, explained that he has lived in Kingston for 17 years and became connected to Momentum after the charity supported a child battling cancer who attended the same primary school as his daughter.

He said: "So, Momentum helped the family and I witnessed the wonderful things they do, and we [Crack Comedy] have our regular Friday night show that runs every Friday and the dad of the girl approached me and asked me if I would help do a fundraiser for Momentum.

"So that's how I got connected with them, and I've been in the Momentum community for a long time - my daughter is finishing her A-Levels now."

McElroy added that Crack Comedy has a whole range of acts working on their shows for its festival, which will be performed on Sundays for the next 10 weeks.

Speaking about hosting Momentum's Comedy Night ford the fifth time, the comedian said: "So, I've done around five comedy nights for them and it's a pleasure because it's such a nice group of people, with such an incredible mandate that they have.

"So helping them is just a joy, and it's great getting guests. We've had some amazing comedians come down over the years.

"We've had Brett Goldstein, Joel Domett, and many more, but those are two of the big names that stand out.

"And of course this year we've got Chris, Esther, and Michael, who are coming down to make us laugh, and raise some funds for Momentum."

He said that he continues to host the event each year because "it's helping out a local cause and a great charity".

McElroy added: I also love getting to see some of my favourite comedy people come and support, which is always a nice treat as well. When you're in a community for as long as I've been here, it makes such a difference.

"And London is this big, massive city, but Kingston really is a not-so-small village part of it. And so getting to contribute to that is great."

He said that guests of the event can expect "a brilliant night of comedy for a great cause" and a raffle which he says some people prefer over the comedy.

The comedian added: "And because it is a local event, you know, I love chatting to the lovely people in the breaks and so on and connecting. So it's very much about being a part of the community as well as helping the cause."

Speaking about the importance of raising money for Momentum, McElroy said: "Obviously the NHS does incredible care, but I think around the edges is where charities like Momentum can help out.

"I also support another cancer charity based in Wales called Valindra, who also offer additional support beyond what the standard NHS sort of package is.

"And I think that the NHS does great work, but I think you've got charities like this that are sort of micro-targeted and need a niche and can step in and help and really impact families, especially with children who are suffering.

"It's just heartbreaking to think about what their families have to go through and the siblings of the kids that are unwell and all those things. So helping that with doing a fun night of comedy once a year, that's such an easy thing to be able to do."

McElroy moved to the UK from the US 26 years ago when he "fell" into a job in Higher Education and says that Kingston is the longest place he has lived.

He said: "The comedy scene in the UK is just so incredible and robust, so I started doing comedy after I moved here.

"And then 2007 is when I was fortunate enough to inherit Crack Comedy here in Kingston. So I've run that for 17 years. It's a good little corner to be in.

As well as hosting weekly comedy nights, Crack Comedy also has a six-week stand-up comedy programme to help budding comedians.

You can find out more about the course here.

Momentum Children's Charity supports families across London, Surrey and Sussex whose children are facing cancer or a life-challenging condition.

The charity partners with local hospitals to offer personally tailored support to the entire family through their family support workers, both in hospital and at home.