Rudi Lickwood at Bar Rumba

With an already perfectly comedic name, it was perhaps inevitable that Rudi Lickwood would go into stand-up comedy. Starting on the circuit as an Eddie Murphy impersonator in 1989, aged 26, he has since developed into a more conventional stand-up, focusing on acutely observed social comedy, and puncturing prejudice wherever he sees it. Part old-style club entertainer; with clear jokes and obvious comic rhythms, and part new-style stand-up; imparting personal tales and sharing opinions, it's all told with undeniable skill and appeal.