This week's comedy previews

Alex Horne: Wordwatching, On tour Best known for his appearances on BBC4's We Need Answers, Alex Horne devotes his spare time to pursuing obscure Dave Gorman-esque quests. Having previously spent a year attempting to out-birdwatch his father, Horne's latest adventure sees him tackling the ever-sexy subject of lexicography. Wordwatching recounts the steps of our hero as he attempts to introduce a brand-new word to the English language. After some entertaining false starts, he reveals his greatest success so far to be with the word "honk", which he's attempted to popularise as a new slang term for money. Wearing his erudition lightly and telling his story with enormous skill (plus his trademark PowerPoint presentations), Horne provides a fascinating tale of one man's against-the-odds assault on the dictionary. The Library, Leeds, Sat; City Screen Basement Bar, York, Sun; Wycombe Swan, High Wycombe, Wed; Arlington Arts Centre, Newbury, Fri Brian Gittins, Roadside Cafe Owner, London Brian Gittins has left his roadside cafe in the hands of his loving wife Cheryl, and travelled to London in search of comedic fame and fortune, but it looks like a search that's well beyond him. Usually stricken with nerves, his attempts at banter with the audience are pitiful, and his sense of humour is peculiar to say the least (sample quip: "Knock Knock. Who's there? Linford Christie. What a nice surprise!"). But, of course, all this is part of the joke. The creation of actor David Earl, Gittins is an inspired spoof of the conventions of stand-up which milks its subject's inadequacies for laughs while still treating him with a surprising amount of tenderness. And as well as providing verbal pratfalls, his attempts to give an audience a good time do generate moments of surreal brilliance on their own terms; be prepared for a painfully funny audience-assisted rendition of the Hokey Cokey. Soho Theatre, W1, Thu to 27 Feb Jonny Sweet: Mostly About Arthur, London Each year, the Edinburgh fringe throws up a few out-of-nowhere success stories. One of 2008's most talked-about shows was The Meeting, an ensemble piece packed with great jokes and strong characterisation, featuring ex-Cambridge performers Simon Bird, Joe Thomas and Jonny Sweet. Bird and Thomas went on to achieve cult fame in The Inbetweeners, but Sweet's taken a little longer to shine. Mostly About Arthur, which won last year's Best Newcomer award, takes the form of a mock eulogy to the titular Arthur, who (we're told) was one of Britain's greatest writers of the blurbs you get on the backs of books. The resulting hour gives Sweet plenty of space to do what he does best: poke fun at the emotional reserve and social awkwardness of the middle class. Soho Theatre, W1, Sat; Battersea Arts Centre, SW11, Fri