Welcome to Karel Beer's "Laughing & Music Matters in Paris" web site.
Standing up for comedy in Paris since 1995

We are proud to present some of the world's greatest stand-up comedians
and sometimes simply the best concert acts you can hear anywhere in the world.

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Whilst He Prepares To Celebrate 40 Years In Stand-up
Laughing Matters in Paris Brings Back
Mark Thomas
30 Years, Almost To The Day

A Man Who Takes More Than The Biscuit

mt

Wednesday 6th May 2026 8pm
cg
11, rue des Canettes Paris 6
prix des places 25€ / !7€ students

reservations / book here

https://markthomasinfo.co.uk/

Mark has been performing comedy for 40 years
He has written 6 books and 5 play scripts
Curated and authored 2 art exhibitions with artist Tracey Moberly
Won 8 awards for performing, 4 for human rights work and 1 he invented for himself
His work with playwright Ed Edwards -England and Son and Ordinary Decent Criminal-
has won a further 5 awards
He has taken the police to court 3 times and has won each time. A fourth is in the pipeline
He made 6 series of the Mark Thomas Comedy Product for Channel 4
He made 3 Dispatches for Channel 4
He was commissioned to write 1 new show for the Royal Opera House
He has made 5 series of the Manifesto for Radio 4
He was a Guinness World Record holder for holding 20 protests in 24 hours
He has given evidence to Parliamentary select committees on 2 occasions
He has walked 724km around the length of the Israel Wall in the West Bank
He has been credited with changing the law on tax avoidance bringing in £1,000,000s for HMRC
He has performed in 4 continents and in 10 countries, 1 liberal synagogue,
a squatted MP’s second home, on the roof of a multi-storey car park and outside a US military base.
He has performed 4 shows at the National Theatre
He has cost 1 councillor and one government minister their job
He has tried to get the government in court over the Iraq war once
He cost BNF over £1m in clean up operations after exposing irradiated pigeon shit
He was a columnist for the New Statesman magazine for 4 years though it might be 5.
The 100 Acts of Minor Dissent campaigned successfully for trade union recognition for cinema workers, got a multinational to change their practices, brought 4 court cases and annoyed lots of people
He started a comedy club in Palestine with Dr Sam Beale
How to describe his work?
A mix of standup, theatre, journalism and the odd bout of performance art. He is 63 years old
He has an honorary doctorate from Bradford University
and an honorary doctorate from the University of Kent
He is an online pastor legally able to perform weddings and funerals in America
He was born in South London in 1963

Karel's back in 1996 postering for Mark's show on the 4 May!

kjb




Laughing Matters in Paris Can Guarantee You A
"Good Time"
with

Fred MaCaulay



Monday 1st June 8pm
cg
11, rue des Canettes Paris 6
prix des places 25€ / !7€ students

reservations / book here


Peter H
Karel Beer Presents
en concert exceptionel
Peter Holsapple
et
Pat Thomas

ph

Lundi 15 Juin 20h
cg
11, rue des Canettes Paris 6
prix des places 30€

reservations / book here

You may know him from The dB's or Continental Drifters, two bands he co-helmed over the course of influential albums like Stands for deciBels and Vermilion. Or his duo records with Chris Stamey like Mavericks. You may know him from his work on the road and in the studio with R.E.M. and Hootie. Or via artists like Marti Jones, the Golden Palominos, the Troggs and Claire Lynch, who have all covered his songs.


bachdenkel

the recording