LEADING comedians are heading for the region this spring including Mark Thomas at Barnard Castle and Omid Djalili at Stockton.

A new show, Dot Con, based on a book of the same title by James Veitch, will cast light on happens when people reply to scam emails.

Written by self-proclaimed tech nerd Veitch, it takes up scammers on their offers of quick-fix money-making schemes as he pretends to play along while planning to give them a taste of their own medicine.

Packed with real email exchanges with mischievous replies from the comedian, the show proves how it can be easy to scam the scam artists. The performance is at Stockton Arc on Saturday, April 2. Tickets are available from the the box office on 01642 525199 or by visiting arconline.co.uk.

Stockton’s Catch 22 Comedy Club has another ace line-up to follow sell-out gigs in January and February. Next Friday's night comedy capers are by Geordie funny man Seymour Mace, Geoff Norcott, Jake Lambert and Danny McLoughlin.

Peter Vincent of promoters Ten Feet Tall, said: “We’ve had a great start to the year and this month looks spot-on too."

Mace was nominated for the Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Award last summer. He played Steve in Johnny Vegas’ BBC3 sitcom Ideal. Norcott has been support act for Sarah Millican and had rave reviews at Edinburgh Festival.

Tickets cost £10-£12 from the contacts given above.

Omid Djalili brings Live 2016 to Stockton’s Arc on Tuesday, April 12. Subjects he tackles include terror attacks.

"If a comedian is successful in lampooning so-called human beings known as terrorists we take a collective step closer to removing the fear in society that they seek to create," he has said.

Djalili was recently seen in the BBC drama Dickensian playing taxidermist Mr Venus. Film credits include the Golden Globe and Oscar nominated Shaun the Sheep Movie. The show starts at 8pm, age 16-plus. Tickets cost £22.

In his new show, Trespass, comedian, writer and activist Mark Thomas in similarly in political mood talking about taking back Britain.

It picks up where his previous show, 100 Acts of Minor Dissent, left off and will be performed at The Funny Way To Be Comedy Club at The Witham in Barnard Castle on Saturday, April 16.

Trespass asks questions such as: if ramblers of the 1930s were here now what would they do to open up the cities and how do we turn skyscrapers and corporate squares into playgrounds?

Thomas, one of the UK's most highly-regarded political comedians, rails against the carving up and selling off of Britain in hilarious style.

His TV work includes Dispatches programmes, going undercover to shed light on scandals, and appearances on Have I Got News for You.

Peter Dixon, of promoters Funny Way To Be, said: "Mark Thomas's shows are always a wonderfully odd mix of theatre, stand-up and activism, with a dash of journalism, and a big dollop of mayhem."

Call 01833 631107 for tickets or contact funnywaytobe.com.