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Ed Byrne - Tragedy Plus Time
Attributed to Mark Twain, humour is defined as Tragedy Plus Time. Join Ed as he tests that formula by mining the most tragic event in his life for laughs.
Proudly presented by Phil McIntyre Live Ltd.
'Hilarious, extremely dark, profoundly touching and resolutely unsentimental. Ed Byrne has plumbed the very depths of his soul and found something verging on greatness' ★★★★★ Rolling Stone
'A delicate, sensitive high-wire act of a show, yet Byrne never once stumbles' ★★★★★ Mail on Sunday
'This is no misery memoir, Byrne is too talented a comic for that' ★★★★★ The Arts Desk
'Poignant, touching, spiky and laugh-out-loud funny… beautifully written and flawlessly performed' ★★★★★ Edinburgh Reviews
'He has delivered a fantastically funny and moving monologue where there is no doubt that we are seeing the authentic Ed… Byrne has hit new heights' ★★★★★ London Evening Standard
'A full range of human emotions, from rage to dark humour to poignancy and back again, is felt during this magnificent comedy hour' ★★★★★ London Theatre 1
'Side-splitting... Byrne is comedy gold' ★★★★★ Theatre & Arts Reviews
'A fierce tribute... tremendously funny, thoughtful and fond' Fest Mag
Courtyard Theatre
£32.50
Age guidance: 14+ years
Content warning - discussions of death.
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Insta MrEdByrne
Fb Ed Bryne
- 9 Jan SOLD OUT
Lou Sanders: No Kissing In The Bingo Hall (tour warm up)
Join Lou as she warms up for her UK tour.
No Kissing in the Bingo Hall is about being human – can you relate?
Just like Tom Cruise does all his own stunts, She is going to do all her own jokes!
A deep, dumb show for the masses.
Lou Sanders‘ surrealist style and high-octane stage presence make her a joy to watch.
She’s been a star of Dancing On Ice (ITV), champion of Taskmaster (Channel 4), co-host of Mel Giedroyc’s Unforgivable (Dave), regular on QI (BBC) and as seen on The Late Late Show with James Corden (CBS) and Would I Lie To You? (BBC)
Courtyard Theatre
£20
Insta louliesanders
Simon Brodkin: Screwed Up – TV Special Warm Up
After selling out theatres across the UK and Europe, the world-famous prankster, Lee Nelson creator and most-watched British stand-up comedian on TikTok, brings his outrageous stand-up show to Norden Farm.
In Screwed Up Simon rips into celebrity culture, social media, the police, Putin, Prince Andrew and God! Nothing is off limits in this critically acclaimed show, including his own mental health, his family, his five arrests and how he once found himself at an underground sex party.
Don’t miss this unique chance to see Simon’s smash hit tour show before it’s filmed for a TV special.
Courtyard Theatre
£20
Age guidance: 16+ years. Adult themes.
X SimonBrodkin
Insta simonbrodkin
Fb Simon Brodkin
Sophie Duker: But Daddy, I Love Her (warm up show)
Sophie Duker is back and warming up her show before she heads out on tour!
But Daddy I Love Her sees Sophie take the stage with her trademark naughtiness, this time arguing that we should all choose silliness over common sense and hot wet fantasies over cold, bleak reality. In this intentionally unhinged hour, delulu is the solulu.
'She rips through sex and race with relish' ★★★★ The Sunday Times
'Shrewd storytelling and pop culture hot-takeṣ̣̣̣' ★★★★ FestMag
'Laugh-out loud funny' ★★★★ The Telegraph
'She is clearly going places' ★★★★ Evening Standard
'Wickedly funny' ★★★★ The Herald
'Riotously funny' ★★★★ Skinny
'Extremely funny' ★★★★ Scotsman
Studio
£14
Eshaan Akbar: Can’t Get No Satisfakshaan
Eshaan Akbar is back doing jokes on tour! His previous tour was described by The Times as 'pretty sick' (not an actual quote) so this one is likely to be mad good.
Eshaan has supported some of the biggest acts in the UK, including Micky Flanagan, Jason Manford and Kae Kurd.
He's been seen on Netflix's Sex Education, BBC's Mock The Week, QI and Live At The Apollo, Comedy Central Live and many more. Forthcoming TV includes Channel 4's The Last Leg and BBC's Pilgrimage. He's also been heard on award-winning podcasts Have A Word, Ninetwentynine and Spitting Image, as well as LBC, Times Radio, and BBC Radio 4.
‘An artfully pointed, refreshingly funny hour that suggests a big talent in the making' ★★★★ The Times
'A fine comic entertainer, an intelligent maker of points and a wealth of fascinating facts' ★★★★ The Scotsman
'Genius stand-up comedy' Edinburgh Festivals Magazine
'A story that’s likely to go far' Chortle
Courtyard Theatre
£18.50
X Eshaan Akbar
Insta eshaanakbar
Fb Eshaan Akbar
Tiktok eshaanakbar8
Rob Newman: Where The Wild Things Were
From the comedian who invented the phrase ‘No Planet B’ comes a new show about future cities, lost beavers, philistine Bingo callers, Dorothy Parker’s Multiverse Diaries and A Man Called Clive.
'One of comedy’s most skilled performers… this is an exquisite, erudite, well-crafted show' ★★★★ Evening Standard
'Hugely entertaining, gleefully jaunty, and refreshingly intelligent… I loved it' ★★★★ The Guardian
'Intellectually charged and adorably ambitious…a delightfully digestible dose of brain food' The Times
Winner of Best Scripted Comedy and Best Comedy with a live audience - BBC Audio Drama Awards 2019
Studio
£20
X Rob Newman
Fb Rob Newman
Hold On To Your Butts
65 million years ago, dinosaurs ruled the Earth…
30 years ago, a movie about dinosaurs ruled the box office…
This season, you are invited to Hold On To Your Butts!
Hold On To Your Butts is a must see shot-for-shot parody of the greatest dinosaur film of all time. After selling out in New York and at the Edinburgh Festival, this wildly inventive tour-de-force of comedy, Foley sound and physical theatre is coming to Norden Farm.
Don’t walk, run to get your tickets!
'Painfully funny... made us cry actual tears of laughter... a pure joy from start to finish' Critics’ Pick - Time Out New York
Age guidance
8+ years.
Courtyard Theatre
£18 I £16 Supporters and Under 16s | Family & Friends (4 people) £56
Whipped Up!
Dottie is an eager to please 50s style diner server on their first day on the job – where the baby is the customer, and caregivers are along for the ride.
As the server waits on their demanding clientele (imagine babies doing what babies do best – creating adorable chaos!) the server grows increasingly frazzled – and more and more entertaining!
Stimulating for tiny audience members with sensory play served up throughout the show, and hilarious for parents / adults watching their loved ones take on roles in an unfolding comedy.
Age guidance
2 months to 2 years.
Run time
50 minutes without an interval.
Studio
£15 for one adult and one child I Additional adult £12
Produced by Watford Palace Theatre
Created by Jill Rogati
Directed by Eva Sampson
Zoe Lyons - Werewolf
If life is a journey, Zoe’s has had more than its share of potholes and diversions.
From diving with sharks, to sitting in a shed in Vietnam with a former health secretary (and discovering that MPs aren’t the only parasites she has to worry about). Navigating the road to happiness can be exhausting and baffling. Zoe’s begun to think that even Wim Hof would prefer to be tucked up with a nice hot water bottle every now and then.
But Zoe’s been on that road long enough now that she’s felt a change – not as in the menopause. A real change. If happiness is ending up the best version of yourself, Zoe is finally getting there. She is where she needs to be. She is… werewolf.
The host of BBC’s Lightning, a regular on Have I Got News For You, QI, and Mock The Week – and a survivor of Celebrity SAS Who Dares Wins and World’s Most Dangerous Roads on Dave – Zoe is one of the country’s best-loved comedians.
'A hugely enjoyable mix of brutal put downs and richly funny stories, Lyons has what it takes to delight any crowd' Guardian
'A tremendously good comic operating at a vertiginous level.' ★★★★ The Wee Review
'Confident and razor sharp' Observer
Age guidance: 14+ years
Courtyard Theatre
£17
X Zoe Lyons
Insta zoelyonscomedy
Fb Zoe Lyons
Matt Forde: End Of An Era Tour
Finally, the UK has a new government. That can only mean one thing: new people to take the piss out of.
Leading political comedian and satirist Matt Forde (British Scandal, Spitting Image, The Last Leg) makes this his personal mission.
'Possibly the best political comedy show on the Fringe' ★★★★★ The Telegraph
'Our foremost satirical stand-up... Whatever your politics, you’ll find excellence here' The Sunday Times
'Demand to see Forde in action at the Pleasance outstrips supply – the place is rammed…dependably slick' The Daily Telegraph
'The excellent Matt Forde… even more accurate than Starmer’s needling voice' The Spectator
Courtyard Theatre
£18
Suzi Ruffell: Work in Progress
Join Suzi as she warms up ahead of her brand-new UK tour!
Courtyard Theatre
£18
Katie Norris - Farm Fatale
The smash hit, critically acclaimed debut solo show from an agricultural icon.
Likely to cause delight or distress to anyone who becomes involved with her, or her livestock.
‘Tremendous… Wonderfully batty and unapologetic, a solo debut to cherish’ ★★★★ Guardian
'What an intense, unpredictable and hilarious show this is... Brought to exhilarating life by a sensational performance that it takes on an epic life' ★★★★ Chortle
'The poise she displays with her expressive comic physicality, well, it's a sublime, witch's brew of ingredients for a first-rate debut' ★★★★ Scotsman
'Cracking solo debut hour... Norris really cannot put a foot wrong' ★★★★ List
As seen on BBC New Comedy Awards 2023.
Musical Comedy Awards 2023 | Winner
NextUp Biggest Award in Comedy 2024 | Nominee
Mervy Stutter’s Pick of the Fringe 2024 | Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Age guidance
16+ years
Studio
£15
Insta katienorris26
Shabaz Ali - I'm Rich You're Poor
Shabaz Ali takes to the stage in his debut live comedy tour.
Jam packed with his roaring, on point and hugely requested observations of the mindboggling lengths that are taken to present a 'perfect' life online.
From designer ice cubes to Stanley cups and their wild and somewhat varied uses, nothing escapes his withering comedic commentary. A hilarious and interactive show where no one is off limits (including the audience!). It will make you fall in love with your own extraordinary, ordinary life.
Shabaz Ali is a global sensation who has fast become a pop culture phenomenon. He is a comedian and author of hit book I’m Rich, You're Poor. Shabaz has built a loyal community of millions of followers, who regularly demand his quick-witted take on the latest online craze.
'Hilarious and thought provoking' Davina McCall
'Brilliantly witty, always hilarious' Dr Ranj
'Smart, witty and refreshing' Katie Piper OBE
Studio
£18
X Shabaz Says
Insta shabazsays
Fb Shabaz Says
Tiktok shabazsays
Geoff Norcott: Work In Progress
Geoff Norcott returns to Norden Farm with a work in progress show!
Geoff Norcott has an established string of TV credits to his name including Live at the Apollo (BBC 2), Backstage with Katherine Ryan (Amazon), Mock the Week (BBC 2), Have I Got News for You (BBC 1) and many more. He is also a regular correspondent on Dave’s Late Night Mash, as well as fronting his own documentary How the Middle Classes Ruined Britain for BBC 2.
He’s also been popping up on the radio with his own BBC Radio 4 specials Withdrawal Disagreement and Right Leaning but Well Meaning (which won the 2019 BBC Radio and Music Award for Best Comedy Production).
Age guidance: 16+ years
Courtyard Theatre
£15
Geoff's website
X GeoffNorcott
Insta geoffnorcott
Fb Geoff Norcott
TikTok geoffnorcott
Justin Moorhouse: The Greatest Performance of My Life
A poignant exploration of comedy intertwined with the essence of life's ups and downs.
Justin's unparalleled ability to blend side-splitting humour with touching insights offers a rare glimpse into the human condition through the lens of a comedian.
This performance is more than just a series of jokes - it's a heartfelt journey through the joys, sorrows, and hilarity of life, delivered with Justin's characteristic charisma and warmth. Prepare to laugh, reflect and connect deeply with every story, making this evening an unforgettable highlight in your cultural calendar.
'What sets him apart is the craft. Lightning fast wit, masterful delivery' ★★★★ Chortle
'If joke-telling is your thing, then Justin Moorhouse is your man...very high gag rate' ★★★★ Fest
'Skilful crafting... he keeps the laughs coming' ★★★★ British Theatre Guide
'He charms the pants off the crowd' Sunday Times
'The amount of first-rate comic craft that goes into his routines is worthy of admiration' Guardian
'Simultaneously down-to-earth and out of this world' The List
Age guidance: 14+ years.
Courtyard Theatre
£16 | £6 unwaged with proof of JSA
X Justin Moorhouse
Insta justinmoorhouse
Fb Justin Moorhouse
Tiktok justinmoorhousecomedian
Alex Kealy - The Fear
One of the country's most exciting up and coming stand ups.
After a five star, sell-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe, the 'almost sexily cerebral' (★★★★ Daily Telegraph) stand-up Alex Kealy is taking his new stand-up show about fear on a national tour.
Alex has been the tour support for Jack Dee, Shaparak Khorsandi, Tom Rosenthal and Kieran Hodgson.
Along with Ivo Graham, he hosts hit podcast Gig Pigs, which regularly topped the music podcasts charts during its first two seasons, as well as being featured in The Guardian's readers' Top 10 Podcasts of 2023.
His sharp joke-writing and political takes have been featured on multiple guest appearances on BBC Radio 4's The Now Show as well as Catherine Bohart's TL; DR and Rhys James's What Are You Talking About. He's also been a regular writer for Mock The Week and The News Quiz.
Studio
£16
X Alex Kealy
Insta alexkealy
Olaf Falafel’s Stupidest Super Stupid Show So Far
Winner of the Best Kids’ Show at the 2024 Leicester Comedy Festival.
After a sell out run at last year’s Fringe, comedian and children's author Olaf Falafel is dishing up another frying pan full of family-friendly comedy.
The comedy show comedians take their kids to is back and even funnier!
Join Olaf Falafel (if that is his real name) for an hour of kid's comedy which will be the stupidest he has ever let trickle from his brain. Expect sausage birds, radioactive bogies and truth-telling cheese. There will definitely be a time-travelling portal to the future, some farts and a live drawalong.
Be there or be a dodecahedron!
Time Out Top 10 Kids' Shows 2024.
The Times Edinburgh Festival Family Highlights 2024
'Olaf Falafel is a perfectly ridiculous festival must see' Shaparak Khorsandi
'My son’s favourite comedian, which is upsetting given my profession' Geoff Norcott
'Very very very silly' Josie Long
Studio
£12 | £10 under 16s | Family and Friends (4 people) £40
X OFalafel
Insta olaffalafel
Fb Olaf Falafel
Avalon Edinburgh Preview: Rob Auton and Joe Kent Walters
A double header of comedy as two top comedians warm up ahead of the Edinburgh Festival.
Rob Auton
Rob Auton released his book I Strongly Believe in Incredible Things with Harper Collins in Autumn of 2021 to critical acclaim.
He has written seven five star rated Edinburgh fringe shows, The Yellow Show, The Sky Show, The Face Show, The Water Show, The Sleep Show, The Hair Show, The Talk Show (the second best reviewed show at the Edinburgh Festival 2018) and The Time Show, which was one of the best reviewed shows at the Edinburgh Festival 2019.
He has performed his unique brand of comedy on The Russell Howard Hour (Sky One) and on Rob Delaney’s Stand Up Central (Comedy Central). The latter set went viral on Facebook with 4.7m views and couniting.
Rob has had three collections of writing and illustrations published by Burning Eye books and has had his poetry turned into short films and shown on Channel 4.
Rob made his television acting debut as a corduroy jacket wearing poet in ITV’s Cold Feet 2018. Since then, he performed in series 2 of The End of The Fing World (Netflix/ Channel 4), and Miracle Workers (TBS). Rob also starred in and co-wrote the short film The Peamaster which was nominated for best short film at the Milan Film Festival. Rob was a finalist for The Arts Foundation Spoken Word Award and a winner of a Three Weeks Editors Award. He is a regular poet at Bang Said the Gun (voted best poetry night in the UK by The Times).
Rob is also the creator of The Rob Auton Daily Podcast which took home The Best Daily Podcast Award at the 2020 British Podcast Awards.
Joe Kent-Walters
Joe Kent-Walters is a multi-award winning comedian and actor from Huddersfield. He has been delighting audiences up and down the country with his idiosyncratic style of outrageous character comedy, most notably with his comic creation Frankie Monroe.
His 'mesmerising and unpredictable presence' (Chortle) performing as Frankie saw him win the 2023 BBC New Comedy Award after a 'barnstorming' (Ibid) set at Glasgow’s Kings Theatre. Joe is now in development with the BBC and Hat Trick Productions.
His debut solo show Frankie Monroe: LIVE!!! has already played to sell out crowds across some of the country’s best comedy festivals including Machynlleth, Hastings, Glasgow and Leicester where it picked up the main award for Best Show. Frankie Monroe: LIVE!!! was also awarded the Keep It Fringe bursary and will be playing at The Monkey Barrel throughout this year’s Edinburgh Festival.
Prior to his BBC success Joe won the 2021 Chortle Student Comedy Award which saw him play the main comedy stage at Latitude festival and tour Australia, performing at the Sydney Comedy Store.
Joe’s double act The Lovely Boys have also been causing a splash in the UK alternative scene. Their eponymous 2022 debut show received critical acclaim and cult status with Jay Richardson. They now run a regular ‘& friends’ gig at Hackney’s Moth Club with Knock2Bag.
Studio
£12
Rob Auton
Rob's Website
X RobertAuton
Insta robauton
Fb Rob Auton
Joe Kent-Walters
X JoeKentWalters
Fb Joe Kent-Walters
Avalon Edinburgh Preview: Marise Gaughan and Bella Hull
A double header of comedy as two top comedians warm up ahead of the Edinburgh Festival.
Marise Gaughan
Marise Gaughan is a critically acclaimed comedian and author from Dublin.
In 2022 Marise’s debut memoir, Trouble, was published by Monoray. It was described by The Irish Times as ‘a graphic, explicit, often visceral memoir that engulfs the reader’ as it traces Marise’s unravelling through sex, self-destruction and a near-miss with Scientology. The book went on to be an Irish Bestseller and received fantastic reviews in the press. It was published in paperback in 2023 and Marise is currently working on her first novel.
As a stand-up comedian, Marise started her career in Los Angeles, appearing in on stages including The Comedy Store and The Hollywood Improv. Since returning to the UK, her debut stand-up show Drowning explored her father’s (successful) suicide attempt and her own (unsuccessful) one. It premiered at the Dublin Fringe Festival in 2019 where it was nominated for the Fringe’s Spirit of Wit Moira Brady Averill Award for artists whose work defies categorisation with bold and unconventional material and for the First Fortnight Award for shows that challenge stigma and prejudice about mental health. Marise was subsequently awarded the Women’s Irish Network Arts Bursary. She has also supported acts including Rob Delaney, Ari Shaffir and Jim Norton on tour.
'Gaughan’s humour is dark, biting, and painfully honest, but it is in the moments when she is being gentler to herself that her words are at their most transcendent' Irish Independent
'Trouble is an outstanding memoir, a text on addiction that gets to the heart of its implicit trauma and complications. Gaughan has a remarkable voice, self-assured yet vulnerable, frank to a staggering degree – and likeable even in her darkest moments' The Business Post
'An outstanding text on addiction and girlhood, equal parts vulnerable and witty' The Business Post
Bella Hull
Bella Hull is a stand-up comedian and writer. She is one of the UK’s most exciting young comedians and her television appearances include BBC’s Stand Up for Live Comedy, ITV’s The Stand Up Sketch Show and Comedy Central Live.
A hugely acclaimed live act, Bella regularly plays to sold out crowds both in the UK and abroad. She has taken two critically-acclaimed shows to the Edinburgh Fringe, Babycakes in 2022 and Piggie in 2024 and has supported Phil Wang, Russell Howard and Paul Chowdhry on tour.
Bella also co-hosts the Rats of the Roundtable and Last Night Ever podcasts and as a writer, Bella is working on a script commission with the BBC and has been featured on BBC Radio 4’s Newsjack and Flux Magazine.
'a new template for generations Z and Alpha to follow' Rolling Stone
'A gifted comedian…definitely see this' ★★★★ Bruce Dessau, Beyond the Joke
'very intelligent – and witty – comedy…an ambitious debut, Hull is clearly a very talented writer and performer' ★★★★ Veronica Lee, The Arts Desk
'There is just so much packed into this show…a sensational performance' ★★★★ Deadline
Studio
£12
Marise Gaughan
X MariseComedy
Insta marisegaughan
Bella Hull
X BellaBellaHull
Insta bellabellahull
Avalon Edinburgh Preview: Glenn Moore and Pierre Novellie
A double header of comedy as two top comedians warm up ahead of the Edinburgh Festival.
Glenn Moore
Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee Glenn Moore is a comedian, actor and one of the best and most prolific joke writers in the country.
Glenn is a regular face on TV, having appeared on the likes of Live At The Apollo (BBC), Have I Got News For You (BBC), Mock The Week (BBC), 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown (Channel 4), The Russell Howard Hour (Sky), Guessable (Comedy Central), and The Stand Up Sketch Show (ITV2). He is a regular guest on The Great American Joke Off (CW network) in the US.
He has his own Radio 4 comedy series Glenn Moore’s Alamanac. He can be heard daily as one quarter of The Dave Berry Breakfast Show on Absolute Radio, the UK’s biggest commercial radio breakfast show. He’s also appeared regularly on The News Quiz (Radio 4) and The Now Show (Radio 4).
Glenn’s 2022 Fringe show sold out with rave five star reviews from The Mail on Sunday, Chortle and The Courier, amongst a number of other publications. His critically-acclaimed stand-up show Glenn, Glenn, Glenn, How Do You Like It, How Do You Like It was nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Award. He also toured the UK with his follow up hit Edinburgh show Love Don’t Live Here Glenny Moore. He was named one of Just For Laughs’ New Faces in Montreal in 2023.
He has written for numerous TV shows including The Mash Report (BBC) and Fantasy Football League (Sky), and has been a staff writer on the sketch comedy show Scrambled (CITV).
Pierre Novellie
Pierre Novellie is a stand-up comedian, writer, radio host and podcaster.
Pierre is co-host of The Frank Skinner Show on Absolute Radio, and his television appearances include World’s Most Dangerous Roads (Dave), The Mash Report (BBC2), and Stand Up Central (Comedy Central). Pierre’s first book Why Can’t I Just Enjoy Things?: A Comedian’s Guide to Autism was published by Bonnier in 2024.
In audio, Pierre co-hosts the hit Budpod podcast alongside Phil Wang which has over 3.5million downloads, has performed on The Now Show and The News Quiz (Radio 4), and hosts the BBC Sounds podcast series Obsessed With… SAS: Rogue Heroes. As a writer, Pierre was a regular writer on the rebooted Spitting Image (ITV/Britbox) and has also written on shows including Mock the Week (BBC2), The News Quiz (Radio 4) and The Mash Report (BBC2).
One of the UK’s most acclaimed live acts, Pierre‘s latest show Must We? saw a sold-out run at the Monkey Barrel at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and was his fourth show to have been placed in the top 20 best-reviewed comedy shows across the entire festival and will tour the UK in 2024. He has released two comedy specials, Quiet Ones and Why Can’t I Just Enjoy Things? via US comedy label 800 Pound Gorilla Records which have amassed over half a million views online.
'packed full of belly laughs – each topic could be a full show on its own' ★★★★★ Sharon Lougher, Metro
'A storming hour of punchy, exceptional stand up' ★★★★ Jay Richardson, The Scotsman
'Hilarious…he will go far' ★★★★ Dominic Maxwell, The Times
Studio
£12
Glenn Moore
Glen's website
X TheNewsAtGlenn
Insta glennrogermoore
Fb Glenn Moore
Pierre Novellie
Pierre's website
X PierreNovellie
Insta pierrenovellie
Fb Pierre Novellie
Avalon Edinburgh Preview: Matt Forde and Chloe Petts
A double header of comedy as two top comedians warm up ahead of the Edinburgh Festival.
Matt Forde
Matt Forde is one of the country’s most in demand satirists.
Described as 'our foremost satirical stand-up' by The Sunday Times, Matt Forde has toured critically acclaimed shows nationwide including most recently Clowns To The Left of Me, Jokers To The Right in 2022 and Inside No. 10 in 2023.
Matt Forde’s hit live podcast The Political Party transferred to the West End’s Duchess Theatre in 2021 after over 70 sold out shows at Westminster’s The Other Palace, for a twice extended fortnightly residency continuing in to 2024. Matt has brought Parliament to life with his stand-up and debate with some of politics’ most powerful figures including Keir Starmer, Nicola Sturgeon, Tony Blair, Eddie Izzard, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Angela Rayner, Michael Heseltine, Anthony Scaramucci, Alastair Campbell, Gordon Brown and Gary Neville. Matt has received numerous nominations from award bodies including the British Podcast Awards and Chortle Awards and the show is regularly highlighted as a top podcast pick in the press.
Matt wrote and voiced characters for Spitting Image (BritBox/ITV) including Boris Johnson, Keir Starmer and Donald Trump. Matt currently presents Absolute Radio’s weekly Rock ‘n’ Roll Football Show. He is also the co-host of Wondery’s flagship British Podcast Award winning British Scandal alongside Alice Levine.
In 2019 alone, Matt hosted the Alternative News Desk for Channel 4’s election night coverage, chaired the One Nation Conservative leadership hustings and debated Britain’s withdrawal from the EU with Tony Blair for the Institute of Global Change.
Matt hosted four series of Unspun with Matt Forde on Dave, receiving several nominations at the Broadcast Digital Awards, and has numerous other broadcast credits including: Have I Got News For You (BBC One), The Royal Variety Performance (ITV), Mock The Week (BBC Two), 8 out of 10 Cats (Channel 4), Hypothetical (Dave) Rory Bremner’s Coalition Report and Rory Bremner’s Election Report (BBC Two), Question Time (BBC One), This Week (BBC One), Newsnight (BBC Two) and Daily Politics (BBC Two).
Matt’s first book Politically Homeless was listed by The Sunday Times as one the Best Political Books of 2020.
Chloe Petts
'One of the most compelling young comics' Brian Logan, The Guardian
'Clearly a rising star whose name will soon be in lights' Bruce Dessau, The Evening Standard
Chloe has established herself as one of the most exciting up and coming acts on the circuit.
Chloe is returning to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this summer with her new show How You See Me, How You Don’t. This comes after a UK Tour of her show If You Can’t Say Anything Nice which sold-out in the first week of the Edinburgh Fringe last year, leading to 6 extra shows being added to the run. In 2022, she performed her debut show Transience to sold-out audiences at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and for two five night runs at Soho Theatre, which led to a tour around the rest of the UK which ended with an extra date added at London’s Leicester Square Theatre. Receiving rave reviews from publications including The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Evening Standard.
On television and radio, Chloe recently appeared on Have I Got News For You (BBC One), and hosted her own segment every Saturday morning on Sky Sports News. She has also been a regular on The Frank Skinner Show (Absolute Radio), World Cup Breakfast (Sky Sports) for the Men’s Football World Cup 2022 and previously for Good Morning Euros (Sky Sports) for the UEFA Women’s Euros. Further appearances include MOTDx (BBC), Jonathan Ross’s Comedy Club (ITV), The Stand-Up Sketch Show (ITV2), Richard Osman’s House of Games (BBC Two), Random Acts (Channel 4), Hypothetical (Dave), Fighting Talk (BBC Radio 5 Live), BBC Three Quickies (BBC Three), as well as winning Pointless Celebrities (BBC One). In terms of podcasts, Chloe has appeared on Off Menu, Films to Buried With and co-hosted The Guilty Feminist.
An alumna of the prestigious Pleasance Comedy Reserve, shortlisted for the BBC Comedy Award, finalist of Leicester Square New Comedian of the Year Awards 2017 and runner-up in the Funny Women Awards 2017. As well as supporting Ed Gamble on current Hot Diggity Dog UK tour and previous tour Electric, Chloe has supported Frank Skinner during his West End run and performed at Melbourne International Comedy Festival this year and last year.
She is a co-founder of The Lol Word, a queer comedy collective that hosts sell-out monthly London nights, boasting the finest female and non-binary queer acts on the circuit. Their most recent Edinburgh run was a sell-out. Diva Magazine has described it as a space that is demographically queer, inclusive, and safe, and on top of all of that – the comedic talent is smart, insightful, hilarious, and completely relatable.
Studio
£12
Matt Forde
Matt's website
Chloe Petts
Chloe's website
X ChloePetts
Insta chloepetts
James Phelan – The Dreamer Live
A brand new magic show for 2024.
Star of The Greatest Magician™, and the BBC’s most broadcast magician of the last decade - the award-winning James Phelan - debuts this breath-taking new magic show.
Most infamous for jamming the BBC switchboard after correctly predicting the lottery, and described as ‘Joel Dommett meets Derren Brown’ - The Dreamer is a celebration of the impossible becoming possible.
With ‘heartwarming story-telling’ The Standard and unparalleled ‘mind-blowing magic’ Herald - you’ll find yourself swept into a wonderful world of amazement, laughter and mystery.
The Dreamer is an astonishing, enigmatic, five star rated spectacle that will leave you aching with laughter and dizzy in disbelief. You can’t afford to miss it.
‘Magic is in his bones. Disbelief, flabbergasted, stunned’ ★★★★★ Henley Herald
‘One to watch in the world of magic’ The List
Courtyard Theatre
£24.50
X James see my show Phelan
Insta phelanmagician
Fb James Phelan
Jamali Maddix: Aston
The critically acclaimed comedian is back on the road with a brand new tour show.
Expect Jamali's trademark brutally honest and unflinching perspectives on the world at large.
His last tours have sold out shows across the globe, playing the UK, Europe, Asia, Australia and North America. He is a regular on Sky's Nevermind the Buzzcocks and was one of the most anarchic Taskmaster contestants the show has ever seen. Alongside this he was a regular contributor for BBC2's Frankie Boyle's New World Order and has been seen on BBC2's Live at the Apollo, More4's 8 Out of 10 Cats, CBS's The Late Late Show with James Corden as well as many others.
Courtyard Theatre
£22
This event goes on sale to Members on Thursday 29 August and on general sale on Friday 30 August. Find out more about becoming a Member by clicking here. Members can click here to login for priority booking.
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Mark Watson: Before It Overtakes Us
20 years in stand-up for the 'Taskmaster' cheeky texts icon, multi-award-winner, YouTube cult figure, Radio 4 favourite and recently 'Baby Reindeer' actor.
Mark Watson returns after seasons at the Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Edinburgh comedy festivals. A recent encounter with a stranger caused Mark to spend some time pondering the uncertain future facing humanity. He explores this - along with equally pressing matters like the worst word he has ever said in public, the current state of the UK sausage industry, and much more - in a typically frantic and fun-packed new show.
'A genius-level comic doing what he does best' ★★★★★ Time Out Melbourne
'Quite unlike anything else I’ve seen in almost 20 years of covering the Fringe...witty, warm, perfectly judged' ★★★★★ Telegraph
'One of the most genuinely joyous presences in comedy' ★★★★ The Times
'This is a stand-up operating at the very top of his game' ★★★★ Independent
Courtyard Theatre
£22.50
Matt Richardson - Brash
Being loud, brazen and a little bit lairy was all Matt needed to propel himself onto the comedy circuit aged 18 and be presenting national telly by 22.
But faster than you can say ‘Celebrity Coach Trip’ he suddenly finds himself in his 30s, so what’s next for the lad?
Matt has moved to the countryside, settled down and is trying his hardest to not make rude jokes. It’s not going as well as he’d hoped…
Attempting to navigate a world of mate’s kids, mortgages and village life is proving a challenge for the guy who can't resist causing a scene. How do you age with grace and dignity when it’s at odds with all the personality traits that got you this far?
As seen on Dancing on Ice, The Stand Up Sketch Show, Love Island: Aftersun, Comedy Central’s Roast Battle and many more.
‘High wattage stand-up’ The Guardian
‘Hilarious and charming’ The Mirror
Age guidance: 18+ years
Courtyard Theatre
Joe Wells - Daddy Autism
Joe and his wife are having a baby. He's autistic so statistically it's quite likely the baby will be too.
In this new show, critically acclaimed comedian Joe Wells explores fatherhood through the lens of neurodiversity. Plus, there’s a really good joke about a parrot.
As seen on Rosie Jones’ Disability Comedy Extravaganza, BBC Two’s Ouch Storytelling Live and Channel 4’s Jokes Only a Neurodivergent Can Tell.
Over 20 million online views.
'Some of the most surprising and thought-provoking material coming from any comedian' Guardian
'One of my favourite comics' Frankie Boyle
★★★★★ NeurodiverseReview.co.uk
★★★★ Chortle.co.uk
Studio
£16.50
Additional accessibility information about this show
- Audience members can use phones during the show (as long as they don’t record the performance)
- Audience members are allowed to step outside during the show for any reason
- Audience members are allowed to stim (move about) during the show
- There is no unwanted audience interaction in this show
- The show does not have any flashing lights but there are some loud noises
- There are very small amounts of visual humour in the show (written text and pictures on a screen). If you attend with someone who is visually impaired, then you are welcome to explain those elements of the show
- The show is an adult stand up show with swearing and inappropriate jokes, this is not a relaxed performance for children. The style of comedy may not be accessible to everyone so check it out online if you are unsure (www.joewells.org.uk)
- If there is anything else we can do to make the show accessible for you please either phone 01628 788997 or email [email protected]
Pete Firman - Tricks and Giggles
The UK's top comic magician.
Pete Firman has over 4.5 million social media followers and countless TV appearances under his belt.
Join him for an evening of Tricks & Giggles, as Pete brings his trademark blend of magic and comedy from the small screen to the stage in this brand new show. Expect impossible feats, sleight of hand and big laughs from one of magic's most exciting performers!
As seen on Amazon's Good Omens, ITV1's Tonight at the London Palladium and The Next Great Magician, BBC1's The John Bishop Show and The Sarah Millican Television Programme. He's probably also popped up on your social media feeds with his mind-boggling and regularly viral magic videos.
'The man from Middlesbrough sets the pace for comedy-meets-magic in the 21st century’ The Times
'The new poster-boy for British comedy magic’ The Telegraph
'Seamless blending of quality magic and stand-up comedy. It is a joy to watch’ Edinburgh Festivals Magazine
‘The best magic tricks in the Universe’ Independent
★★★★★ The Mirror | ★★★★★ Time Out | ★★★★ Independent
★★★★ Scotsman | ★★★★ Metro
Courtyard Theatre
£20