After promoting a star-studded run of rationalist Christmas celebrations, Robin Ince is cutting a sizeable niche for himself as British comedy's most prominent critic of organised religion. For many, his clever pedantry and bursts of righteous anger make him the stand-up corollary to the pop-science/philosophy case offered up by Dawkins, Hitchens and the rest. But for Ince himself, provoking the faithful is far less important than providing eclectic, original entertainment to a receptive and thoughtful audience. That's the main aim of the School For Gifted Children, a sporadic series of nights geared towards lightly cerebral humour. Ince will be welcoming two bona fide legends this week, with comic-book author Alan Moore making a live appearance as well as the more familiar figure of Stewart Lee. Bringing two such offbeat, fresh-thinking minds together offers not so much a twist on the traditional stand-up club bill, but more of a gentle rebuke of that format's failings.

Photos on Flickr by Isabelle