April is an average sort of month on the comedy scene in the county with a good variety of stand-up available for the discerning but no household names appearing at city centre theatres, although Micky Flanagan is at the New Theatre on April 28 and he’s increasingly familiar from television.

I hope that he can get away from the staple material he’s used lately. This is that the former market worker now lives in a desirable corner of south-east London.

This all new tour should give him a chance to leave his comfort zone – in both senses. The truth is that most comedians do rely heavily on personal experience.

There is nothing wrong with that and, arguably, their material should start there. But it’s not where it should end.

Let’s take the two highly-skilled comedians appearing at Banbury Mill Arts Centre this month, Henning Wehn on the 12th and Jo Caulfield on the 28th.

I’ve often mentioned Wehn’s rich vein of humour examining the British obsession with Germany and ‘the War’ but let’s hope that he’s now moving on, as of course should we!

Similarly, Caulfield’s frustration with obstacles in everyday life, like, in her view, inefficient shop assistants, hits something funny which echoes with her audience. But is it time to try something more ambitious?

Guardian columnist and radio arts man Sarfraz Mansoor is a comedy beginner and includes Didcot Cornerstone in his debut tour on April 27.

In these circumstances his stories of his upbringing and his belief that you can solve every problem by referring to Bruce Springsteen lyrics are fine. But he, too, should diversify.

However the most obvious case in point is Richard Herring, one of our most gifted comedians, who visits Didcot on April 18. After his recent tours with rather tired themes, his latest is called Talking C**k and it’s what it says on the tin.

I’m not suggesting that this can’t be funny, inventive or even intellectual. But, in the end, a k**b joke is a k**b joke and I’m disappointed that Herring has chosen the idea. On the other hand, I know plenty of people for whom it’s just the thing!

Also at Didcot on the 5th is the Canadian, Katherine Ryan, another whose reception might depend on how sensitive you are about sex. The Cornerstone selects its comics with care and seems to be getting rather adventurous.

At Oxford’s North Wall there’s a local emphasis on April 11th. Matt Richardson hosts Rob Deering and Eric Lampaert. Meanwhile there’s a solid Glee programme on every Friday and Saturday in the month.