Ricky Gervais is considered too mean. And Russell Brand married Katy Perry. America is waiting for a less-controversial, less-grating British funnyman to cross the pond. Enter Simon Amstell and his riot of curly hair. Numb is the comic's first tour in America, but most Anglophiles probably recognize Amstell as the former host of the long-running music quiz show Nevermind the Buzzcocks. Amstell currently co-writes and stars in Grandma's House, a semi-autobiographical BBC2 comedy about an ex-TV star contemplating the meaning of life while dealing with his overbearing Jewish family. This might explain the bulk of Amstell's painfully earnest and self-deprecating humor – mostly about being gay, awkward and shy. He jokes about feeling so unloved he cries every time he looks at the double vanity in his bathroom. Best line from Amstell's last tour, Do Nothing: “I really thought the cat would end my loneliness. It has only become a mascot for my loneliness.” Largo at the Coronet 366 N. La Cienega Blvd.; Mon.-Tues., Nov. 12-13, 8 p.m.; $25. (310) 855-0350, largo-la.com.

Mon., Nov. 12, 8 p.m.; Tue., Nov. 13, 8 p.m., 2012

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