Hang on to your mind’s world, David O’Doherty, the viscount of rumpled whimsy, the marble fawn of tiny keyboard based musical comedy is coming!

Taking part in his first tour, the musical comedy star will appear at South Street Arts Centre on Thursday, part of Reading’s Comedy Festival.

Born 12 days before Tiger Woods, the comedian shares his name with a mathematician, a violinist and an Australian barrister.

The comedian has performed in Melbourne, New York and Iceland, toured with Demetri Martin and The Mighty Boosh’s Noel Fielding.

His recent TV appearances include Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Comedy Live Presents and his own series for Irish television, The Modest Adventures of David O’Doherty.

Ever busy, David has also written a book and a play for children and is currently writing a book about pandas while making an appearance in the forthcoming feature film A Film With Me In It with his brother Mark and Dylan Moran, who brings his act to The Hexagon on Wednesday.

David O’Doherty first attempted stand up comedy in 1998, winning Channel 4’s newcomer competition a year later. This year, a mere decade later, he won the if.comedy award for best show at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Of his act on Thursday, he says there will be some sitting, some standing, there will be two small keyboards and a chair. “There may be a song called Bangin’,” he adds.

The Scotsman, on reviewing his Edinburgh show, says: “Can there be anything more evil than someone trying their damndest to give musical comedy a good name?

“Dublin’s David O’Doherty not only attempts this malevolent feat, but succeeds to the point of very nearly elevating this stand-up subgenre to true art.”

David’s set starts at 8pm on Thursday at South Street Arts Centre. Tickets cost £10, for details, call (0118) 918 3030 or log on to www.readingarts.com

Tim tunes in

Get out your best rock star sunglasses and prepare to be dazzled!

Reading Comedy Festival welcomes superstar musician, comedian, writer and actor Tim Minchin for his new show, Ready for This?

Featuring new material and direct from a sell-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe festival, Tim’s set will confront all the pressing issues of the day; sex, death, dancing bears and ginger body hair.

Since moving to the UK from his native Australia Tim has developed a large fan base and picked up numerous accolades with The Times calling him “the best musical comedian since Bill Bailey” and The Scotsman hailing him as “an extraordinary performer”. 

Tim also has a large following in the United States where he performed a six-week run in New York earlier this year as well as winning the award for Best Alternative Comedian at the HBO Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen.

In Australia he has performed sell-out shows across the country, most notably at the Sydney Opera House. 

You can catch Tim at The Concert Hall on Saturday from 8pm. For tickets, which cost from £12, call the box office on (0118) 960 6060 or log on to www.readingarts.com.