Click here to go to Live Shows 2020-2022
8th January 2023 – The Mind Mangler 
“Join the ‘Mind Mangler’ as he returns to the stage following a disappointing two-night run at the Luton Holiday Inn conference centre, suite 2b. His new solo spectacular is predicted to spiral into chaos as he attempts to read your mind…“
Show Title: Member of the Tragic Circle
Location: Wyvern Theatre, Swindon
With: Wesley Mead
Comment: The show was amazing – so funny. Wes got picked on to write down an “object” which Henry Lewis kept coming back to throughout the show to try and guess. The big reveal right at the end of the show was him guessing it correctly with a written prediction which had been “in a box on stage the whole time”. Of course Wes can’t follow instructions, so had written “that well known object” – aardvark – which did get a big laugh from the audience at least. More photos available on the “Celebrity Encounters” page.
Click here to see all Mischief content.
20th January 2023 – Bruce Juice
Location: Cheese & Grain, Frome
With: Wesley Mead
Comment: Before the show I had been considering not including this as an entry, as I’m not a huge fan of tribute bands – especially when we could see the real thing. But actually, they were really good. They played for three hours, including an obscure song request (Loose Ends) from Wes who had contacted them on FB beforehand. The lead singer also came and shared the microphone with Wes on two occasions, which gave us brilliant video footage!
27th January 2023 – Phil Rosenthal
Show Title: An Evening with Phil Rosenthal
Location: Hackney Empire, London
With: Wesley Mead
Special Guest: Sophie Winkleman
Comment: This show sold out within seconds, but we were lucky enough to grab front row of the dress circle, so had a really good view. It was mostly a Q&A session with some story telling. At one point Phil mentioned something slightly political, and someone shouted “fuck the Tories”, which was met with applause. Later that same person shouted something different out, and Phil responded with “if you don’t be quiet, I’ll get a Tory in here…” which received a much bigger applause and laughter. More photos available on the “Celebrity Encounters” page.
“Creator, writer and producer of Everybody Loves Raymond, and Netflix food and travel lover Phil Rosenthal is bringing his live tour to London. He’ll be talking about his travels, the food along the way, his new instant New York Times Bestseller – Somebody Feed Phil the Book, with a special guest at each show.“
3rd February 2023 – Sophie Duker
“The sexy baby from Taskmaster is all grown up. Back in 2019 she was a Babybel – round, sweet, pure. Now she’s vintage cheddar – extra mature and hiding in your fridge. Hag is her new stand-up show. Deal with it.“
Show Title: Hag
Location: Pound Arts, Corsham
With: Wesley Mead & Chris Bott
Comment: The show was really funny, and the audience were much better than they were for the last comedian we saw at the Pound (Harriet Kemsley). After Sophie finished her set she invited people to come back after an interval so she could try out some new material, so that was a nice added bonus.
16th February 2023 – Weird Al Yankovic
“Making his first concert excursion across international waters in over eight years, the world’s foremost musical satirist and five-time Grammy-winner along with his original band of four decades foregoes his usual high-octane, big-production show with an intimate evening of musical comedy focusing on original (non-parody) fan favorites from his 14-album catalogue.“
Show Title: The Unfortunate Return of the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill Advised Vanity Tour
Location: London Palladium
With: Wesley Mead
Support: Emo Philips
Comment: The show was as insane as you’d expect – from the support, to the main act, even including buying the tickets in the first place! (It sold out in seconds.) But Al’s voice was spot on, and the lighting on stage was mesmerizing.
5th March 2023 – Bridget Christie
“The Fosters award winning comedian cannot ride the motorbike she bought to combat her mid-life crisis because of early osteoarthritis in her hips and RSI in her wrist; and wonders why there are so many films, made by men, about young women discovering their sexuality, but none about middle aged women forgetting theirs. It’s a menopause laugh a minute with a confused, furious, sweaty woman who is annoyed by everything.”
Show Title: Who Am I?
Location: The Haymarket, Basingstoke
With: Wesley Mead
Comment: Really funny portrayal of the menopause. We’ve seen Stewart Lee live a couple of times, and we’d always said we couldn’t picture him and Bridget together, as they seemed so different. As soon as the show finished we both looked at each other and said “I understand it now!”
More photos available on the “Celebrity Encounters” page.
7th April 2023 – John Kearns
“The Varnishing Days is the heart-stopping, glasses-dropping, hard-rocking, wig-shaking, levothyroxine-taking, knee-knocking, boot-licking, justifying, teeth rattling, digressing new show from stand up comedian to the stars John Kearns. Go silent as I walk on! Acknowledge when something funny happens! Leave discussing dinner plans! Others will be implicated. Points will be circled and missed. Hell, it’s a man trying his best! When I visit your town dogs will start barking, as will clergy. Your microwave will go haywire. The lights in your vestibule will flicker and the Bank of England will nervously look at interest rates.“
Show Title: The Varnishing Days
Location: Pound Arts, Corsham
With: Wesley Mead
Support: Joz Norris
20th April 2023 – Stewart Lee
“After a decade of ground-breaking high concept shows involving overarched interlinked narratives, massive sets and enormous comedy props, Lee enters the post-pandemic era in streamlined solo stand-up mode. One man, one microphone, and one microphone in the wings in case the one on stage breaks. Pure. Simple. Classic. Basic Lee.”
Show Title: Basic Lee
Location: Westlands, Yeovil
With: Wesley Mead
26th-28th May 2023 – Wells Comedy Festival
26th May 2023 – Rhys James
“Like everyone in their thirties, Rhys is now free from the burden of his own potential, never to be called ‘young’ for an achievement again, unless that achievement is dying. There’s nothing like lifted pressure to make you realise a few truths about the world; none of us are self-aware enough to write our own New Year’s resolutions, every vote for the Green Party has been an unfortunate waste of paper, and until you’re wearing a plaster you don’t realise quite how frequently that part of your body is wet. More to the point, he’s discovered mindfulness is a scam, made up of little more than empty mantras, intentionally freezing showers and glorified PE. Everyone may be fighting their own mental battle, but they’re doing it wrong.“
Show Title: Spilt Milk
Location: Cedars Hall, Wells
With: Wesley Mead
26th May 2023 – Jordan Brookes
“A while back, I found a video online of an animated snake crawling, made for entertaining cats. My cat got bored, but I carried on watching. I was transfixed. I’d like to recreate that experience for you. For an hour, all I’ll be is a snake (man) for cats (people) to watch.“
Show Title: Snakes for Cats to Watch
Location: Little Theatre, Wells
With: Wesley Mead
Comment: Possibly the smallest show we’ve ever seen. There were literally about 20 of us. Jordan is the whole reason we went to the festival though – we booked tickets for him first, and then thought “while we’re here, we might as well see some others…”
27th May 2023 – Mark Watson
“Mark Watson’s 12-year-old son just got a phone. His 70-year-old dad has been through the most frightening experience of his life. Both a dad and a kid himself, around the midpoint of his life, the Taskmaster star, multiple award-winner and Fringe legend returns to consider the search for meaning that we’re all on, with or without Google.”
Show Title: Search
Location: Cedars Hall, Wells
With: Wesley Mead
27th May 2023 – Rosie Jones
“Join Rosie as she ponders whether she is a national treasure, a little prick, or somewhere in between! This show is guaranteed to be full of unapologetic cheekiness, nonsensical fun and unadulterated joy from the triple threat herself.”
Show Title: Triple Threat
Location: Cedars Hall, Wells
With: Wesley Mead
Comment: I was so desperate to see Rosie that we actually booked tickets for Bath too, just in case we didn’t get to see her in Wells for any reason (illness etc.) We didn’t go twice though… although I did consider it!
28th May 2023 – Sam Campbell
“A collection of stand-up comedy routines and pictures from my recent holiday. You can expect a subdued performance, though there is every chance I will become feral and crazy. Hopefully it goes well and I am not banished to the caves.”
Show Title: Mousepad
Location: Little Theatre, Wells
With: Wesley Mead
Comment: We’d heard good things about Sam Campbell as someone who was going to explode onto the comedy scene and become huge. We were not disappointed.
28th May 2023 – Lou Sanders
“It’s the usual fare of talking about crows, cats and tax.”
Show Title: N/A
Location: Cedars Hall, Wells
With: Wesley Mead
Comment: This was the most “work-in-progress” show we’ve ever seen! Most of the time it really means “an almost finished show which just needs a few tweaks”, but Lou openly said she hadn’t written anything! It was an hour of her ad-libbing and answering audience questions, which was still good fun.
28th May 2023 – Richard Herring
“Richard Herring makes a return to stand up after a five year hiatus and will be trying out new material, probably mainly about losing a testicle, but maybe some other stuff too. Puppets may be involved. The show, Like Richard, is a work in progress.“
Show Title: Can I Have My Ball Back?
Location: Little Theatre, Wells
With: Wesley Mead
Comment: Photos available on the “Celebrity Encounters” page.
28th May 2023 – James Acaster
““One of comedy’s most original voices” (Evening Standard) has written a new show. He’s very proud of it. That being said, you are allowed to ruin it. Fill your boots.“
Show Title: Hecklers Welcome
Location: Cedars Hall, Wells
With: Wesley Mead
Comment: The first time we saw James Acaster was a tiny pub venue, and soon after that he became huge, so it was a great opportunity to see him in a fairly small venue again.
Click here to see all festivals attended.
10th June 2023 – Rhod Gilbert
“The ‘Book of John’ is a show about an odd couple… Rhod, and a bloke called John, who drove him around for a bit and drove him insane a lot.”
Show Title: The Book of John
Location: Westlands, Yeovil
With: Wesley Mead, Kelvin Burpitt, Vickie Burpitt
Comment: This show was first scheduled for June 2022, then Rhod caught Covid and it was changed to the following month. Then came the shocking news Rhod had stage 4 head and neck cancer and needed treatment, so the July date was optimistically changed to January 2023. His recovery went well, but then needed gallbladder surgery in the January! So eventually in June 2023 we got to see the show, and it was brilliant!
16th June 2023 – Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
Tour Title: E Street Band 2023 Tour
Location: Villa Park, Birmingham
With: Wesley Mead
Comment: For the first time ever we managed to get right to the front of the “front field standing” section, and Bruce pointed right at me during Tenth Avenue Freeze Out!
8th July 2023 – Natalie Imbruglia
Location: Clifton Downs, Bristol
With: Wesley Mead
Comment: As the show started at 4pm, but the festival was open from 12pm, we naively assumed it would be easy to get in. Nope. We were queuing for nearly an hour and almost missed the start! It was also pouring with rain, and although we managed to weave our way nearly to the front, the people in front of us had massive umbrellas blocking our view for most of the show! We’d still have done it all over again though – Nat’s performances are unmissable
6th October 2023 – Ria Lina
“In the aftermath of a global pandemic, comedian and scientist, Ria Lina has had a Riawakening and sees the world differently. In this, her debut tour, Ria tackles the issues of coming out of a global pandemic, the new normal, divorce, dating in a new digital world, motherhood and what it really means to be a woman today.”
Show Title: Riawakening
Location: Hen and Chicken, Bristol
With: Wesley Mead
14th October 2023 – Chris McCausland
“He’s been called an “overnight success” – Even though he’s been a stand-up for twenty years now. Chris McCausland is hitting the road again with another masterclass in stand-up comedy that has literally been yonks in the making.”
Show Title: Yonks!
Location: Pound Arts, Corsham
With: Wesley Mead
Support: Jon Long
28th October 2023 – Bruce Juice
Location: Leo’s Red Lion, Gravesend
With: Wesley Mead
2nd November 2023 – Dawn French
“This show is so named because unfortunately, it’s horribly accurate. There have been far too many times I have made stupid mistakes or misunderstood something vital or jumped the gun in a spectacular display of twattery. I thought I might tell some of these buttock clenching embarrassing stories to give the audience a peek behind the scenes of my work life… Roll up! Book early to see the telly vicar lady be a total twat on stage, live in front of your very eyes. And ears.”
Show Title: Dawn French is a Huge Twat
Location: Bournemouth Pavilion
With: N/A
Comment: I’d bought mum these tickets for Christmas 2022. It never even crossed my mind that less than 5 months later she’d be gone. I went to the show by myself, as it didn’t feel right for anyone else to take her place – the tickets were only bought because she was the Dawn French fan. She would have loved it. I’m just so glad she died while looking forward to it, without realising she’d never actually go. I stayed composed through the show, and cried all the way home.
5th November 2023 – Lucy Beaumont
“It’s time for the wife to tour now. The award-winning comic (before she met comedian Jon Richardson) is going to let loose and let slip on her rollercoaster world overflowing with off-beat stories, unusual anecdotes, and bizarre journeys through modern day womanhood.”
Show Title: The Trouble and Strife
Location: Bristol Old Vic
With: Wesley Mead
Support: Sara Barron
16th November 2023 – Russell Howard
“As the world reels from one crisis to the next, join Russell, ‘the uplifting Comedy King’, as he puts the world to rights…”
Show Title: Russell Howard Live
Location: Bath Forum
With: Wesley Mead
Support: Steve Hall
25th November 2023 – Ed Byrne
“Attributed to Mark Twain, humour is defined as Tragedy Plus Time. Come and join Ed as he tests that formula by mining the most tragic event in his life for laughs.”
Show Title: Tragedy Plus Time
Location: The Civic Centre, Trowbridge
With: Wesley Mead, Kelvin Burpitt, Vickie Burpitt
Support: Ania Magliano
Comment: This show was surprisingly good. We obviously knew Ed Byrne, but wouldn’t have gone out of our way to go to his show, it just happened that he was in Trowbridge. It was actually a really darkly funny and touching story about the loss of his brother, and we’re so glad we saw it.
13th January 2024 – Rhod Gilbert
“In his last show ‘The Book of John’, Rhod was dealing with some pretty pungent life citrus, and an idiot called John. Little did he know that things were about to turn even more sour… But Rhod’s not bitter; he’s bouncing back and feeling remarkably zesty. Hilariously dark, passionate and way too personal, this is classic Gilbert, squeezing every last drop out of life’s latest curveballs…with a little help from an old adversary.”
Show Title: Rhod Gilbert & The Giant Grapefruit
Location: Westlands, Yeovil
With: Wesley Mead, Kelvin Burpitt, Vickie Burpitt
Comment: As Rhod’s previous show was delayed for so long due to his illness, this one came around only 6 months after seeing him last. It was an incredibly honest portrayal of his experience with cancer, both bleak and hilarious, backed up with real documentary style footage of his treatment, full of raw emotion. The kind of show which sticks with you once you leave.
27th January 2024 – Bruce Juice
Location: The Tree House, Frome
With: Wesley Mead
1st February 2024 – Sarah Millican
“When Sarah Millican was a bairn, she wouldn’t say boo to a goose. Quiet at school, not many friends, no boobs til she was 16. Now? NOW she is loud, with good friends, a cracking rack and goose booing all over the shop. In Late Bloomer, Sarah’s brand-new stand-up show, she explores how one became the other. Plus, lots of stuff about dinners and lady gardens. Come along, laugh at her, with her, beside her.”
Show Title: Late Bloomer
Location: Bath Forum
With: Wesley Mead
Support: Gearoid Farrelly
Comment: In her show, Sarah explains how you’re either a Late Bloomer or an Eager Beaver in connection to your sexual exploits as a teenager. At the end everyone was given badges, with a choice of either label. I took Eager Beaver of course, and predictably Wes took Late Bloomer.
6th February 2024 – Dave Hause
Tour Title: Haunted Churches 2024 Tour
Location: St Georges, Bristol
With: Wesley Mead
Support: Will Hoge
Comment: This was a completely acoustic set, so a really different sound to normal. It was amazing to hear the songs stripped back, especially Fireflies, my favourite.
20th February 2024 – Sam Campbell
“Basically, we keep him in a metal crate. Once everyone is settled and the house lights go down, we will let him loose on to the stage. It is our understanding that his comedy moments will DAZZLE you. His prefrontal cortex is larger than you might expect. When he’s done/empty we shove him back in the crate and you will be allowed to return to your home. How does all that sound?“
Show Title: Wobservations
Location: Redgrave Theatre, Bristol
With: Wesley Mead
Comment: Our second time seeing Sam Campbell, and he was as much of a menace as expected. Brilliantly funny.
22nd March 2024 – Bleachers
Tour Title: From the Studio to the Stage
Location: O2 Ritz, Manchester
With: Wesley Mead
Comment: I’m not a huge fan of Jack Antenoff, but I will admit he put on a hell of a show, and the atmosphere was fantastic.
23rd March 2024 – The Gaslight Anthem
Tour Title: History Books UK Tour 2024
Location: Civic Halls, Wolverhampton
With: Wesley Mead
Support: Emily Wolfe
4th April 2024 – Barenaked Ladies
Comment: I was so glad this was a seated gig, as I was so ill with tonsillitis that I don’t think I could have physically stayed standing otherwise. There’s not many gigs I’d have gone to feeling as rough as that, but BNL always put on a great show. Callum Beattie was a pleasant surprise too. We would see him again.
Tour Title: In Flight Tour 2024
Location: Bristol Beacon
With: Wesley Mead
Support: Callum Beattie
20th April 2024 – Ed Gamble
“Ed Gamble has minced a load of meat (thoughts), piped it into a casing (show) and it’s coming to a bun (venue) near you. There will be all your classic Gamble ranting, raving and spluttering but he’s doing fine mentally. Promise.“
Show Title: Hot Diggity Dog
Location: Bath Forum
With: Wesley Mead
Support: Ania Magliano
5th May 2024 – Bruce Springsteen
Tour Title: World Tour 2024
Location: Principality Stadium, Cardiff
With: Wesley Mead
11th May 2024 – Paul Williams
“After 6 long, cold years my album launch show is happening May 11 in London at Earth Hackney. The album is hot fire and it’s going to be the best night of 2024.“
Show Title: Album Launch Show
Location: EartH, Hackney
With: Wesley Mead
Guests: Sam Campbell, Nish Kumar, Rose Matafeo, James Acaster
Comment: Everything about this show was perfection. We had the best seats – front and centre, but on a comfy two person bench by ourselves, with an aisle on each side and in front! Sam Campbell as the opening act. Nish Kumar on guitar. James Acaster on drums. Rose Matafeo singing on “Bond Themes…” was better than the original! And she did the full “Surf Music” dance with Paul, not the backing dance she usually does with Brynley. Paul was on fire – so much energy. The new album was amazing. The banter between them all was hilarious. One of Paul’s new songs is about someone called Matthew, and he put a photo up on the screen. James was genuinely horrified “Is that his real name and photo?!” #Don’tBeTooSpecific
The atmosphere in the audience was electric. The standing ovation at the end was so loud, and went on for so long that I wasn’t sure it would ever stop. Paul seemed genuinely overwhelmed by the reaction. He later told us it was the best night of his life, and from being there it feels like that was probably true.
Click here to see all Paul Williams content.
12th May 2024 – Tenacious D
Tour Title: The Spicy Meatball Tour
Location: Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham
With: Wesley Mead
Support: Dave Hill
Comment: I’d had a crush on Jack Black for over 20 years by the time I eventually got to see Tenacious D live for the first time! It was worth the wait.
24th-26th May 2024 – Wells Comedy Festival
24th May 2024 – Nish Kumar
“Work-in-progress show for a new tour. In this election year – with the country in turmoil – there’s only one comedian who can kill the mood even further… Nish Kumar. One of The Guardian and The Telegraph’s 50 Best Comedians of the 21st Century is back with a brand-new politically charged stand-up show.“
Show Title: Nish, Don’t Kill My Vibe
Location: Little Theatre, Wells
With: Wesley Mead
Comment: At one point Nish paused what he was saying to comment on Wes’ t-shirt (Itchy and Scratchy Land). He said some comedians would call him a nerd for it, but he thought it was really cool.
24th May 2024 – Sara Barron
“Barron unpacks her passion for eavesdropping, a hatred of the countryside, Gary Barlow, nudists, and one awful thing that she did to her mom.“
Show Title: N/A
Location: Little Theatre, Wells
With: Wesley Mead
24th May 2024 – Amy Annette
“AMY ANNETTE SPEAKS OUT. Which comic support for Lou Sanders, Tessa Coates & Rose Matafeo has been CAUGHT doing a WORK IN PROGRESS?“
Show Title: Circle of Shame
Location: Little Theatre, Wells
With: Wesley Mead
Comment: We hadn’t heard of Amy Annette before, but bought tickets for her show last minute after watching Nish Kumar and learning that she was his long term girlfriend. He recommended her show at the end of his.
25th May 2024 – Harriet Kemsley
“Ridiculous things always happen to Harriet, but this year it’s out of control. She’s got to rebuild her whole life and she cannot work out which way the building blocks go.”
Show Title: Everything Always Works Out For Me
Location: Little Theatre, Wells
With: Wesley Mead
Comment: Harriet Kemsley is always a delight to watch. This show was mostly about her recent split from Bobby Mair, which we hadn’t realised had happened until then.
25th May 2024 – Comedy Gala
“Two hours. A surprise line-up of acts. It’s the Wells Comedy Festival Saturday Night Gala.”
Show Title: Saturday Night Gala
Acts: Ania Magliano, Esther Manito, Kemah Bob, Alison Spittle, Desiree Burch
Location: Cedars Hall, Wells
With: Wesley Mead
Comment: We’d been really hoping for Alan Davies to make an appearance, as we’d been unable to get tickets for his Wells show. Instead we saw Ania for the third time; Esther Manito, who wasn’t my cup of tea; Kemah Bob, who Wes really likes at least, although I’m not a fan; and Desiree, who we already had tickets for. Alison Spittle however, was hilarious, and we wouldn’t have gone on to see her in Edinburgh if we hadn’t been introduced during this Gala.
26th May 2024 – Ania Magliano
“It’s that time of year! Ania has some (funny?) things to say and she would like you to listen please.”
Show Title: N/A
Location: Little Theatre, Wells
With: Wesley Mead
Comment: This was the first time we deliberately saw Ania, but the fourth time overall, as she opened for Ed Byrne, Ed Gamble, and the Wells Gala. We needn’t have bought tickets if we’d known how much we’d be seeing her accidentally!
26th May 2024 – Desiree Burch
“At some point in every woman’s life, she realises she’s madder than all hell. Yep, well – let’s get started… The Mash Report, Taskmaster and Live at the Apollo star, and voice of Netflix’s Too Hot to Handle, returns after a five-year hiatus with a work-in-progress comedy hour examining various masks that are starting to slip: the identities of her countries (USA and UK), her body, youth, and memory. As someone who’s narrowly escaped giving life and experiencing death, she’s the right voice for these very wrong times.“
Show Title: The Golden Wraith
Location: Little Theatre, Wells
With: Wesley Mead
26th May 2024 – Tim Key
“Key is shitting himself about Hallowe’en and can’t stop writing poems about it. So ten of those, some talking, maybe shove some crap in a cauldron, fangs, spine-tingling tunes etc.”
Show Title: Hallowe’ensleydale
Location: Little Theatre, Wells
With: Wesley Mead
Comment: This was not what I expected at all. It was a weirdly atmospheric, sort of 50s detective noir style of story telling. It really stood out as being unique and memorable. Also there was nothing related to Halloween at all – he said he’d forgotten he gave Wells that description!
Click here to see all festivals attended.
9th June 2024 – Jordan Brookes & Olga Koch
“I recently had a near-death experience. I was on stage at a mental health charity fundraiser and thought the black walls were made of soft material. I turned to the audience, cheerfully asked ‘may I?’ and head-butted it. Turns out, it was solid concrete. The noise my skull made echoed around the room. I spent the next few days waiting to die. This show is loosely inspired by that.”
“From the maker of Succession and White Lotus, Money™ brings you yet another little white bitch you will love to hate: Olga Koch. The star of Live At The Apollo, Mock The Week and QI finally addresses the elephant in the room.“
Show Title: Fontanelle (Jordan Brookes), Olga Koch Comes From Money (Olga Koch)
Location: Smoke and Mirrors, Bristol
With: Wesley Mead
Comment: I loved Olga’s last show a lot, but this one just didn’t really work for me. I found it too difficult to follow, with each story requiring a lot of explanation before the punchline worked. I would still see her next show though. Jordan’s show used a lot of the same content that we saw at Wells Comedy Fest in 2023, but we enjoyed it then, and we enjoyed it now. He asked if anyone in the audience was going to the Fringe, and we put our hands up. He said to message him and he’d put us on the guest list to see his finished show there for free. We did message afterwards and said how nice his offer was, but that we were happy to pay. He insisted though. It’s a shame we didn’t actually have time to take him up on it, as our Fringe schedule was jam packed.
19th July 2024 – Drake Milligan
Location: Islington Assembly Hall
With: Wesley Mead, Cheryl Mead, Shaun Bolwell, Kelvin Burpitt & Vickie Burpitt
Comment: Amazing show. Drake put on a real performance and the crowd were on fire, singing along to every word. The atmosphere was wild. It was everything we hoped for.
4th August 2024 – Mischief Movie Night
“Mischief, ‘the funniest theatre troupe in Britain’ (The Telegraph) returns to the stage this summer, stepping back to their comedy roots for 5 weeks only with MISCHIEF MOVIE NIGHT, the improvised movie live on stage! Every show is different with you suggesting a genre, location and title, and Mischief hilariously brings the show to life, complete with rewinds, fast forwards, directors cuts and a thrilling live score to laugh along to. Starring them, directed by you, MISCHIEF MOVIE NIGHT, is a guaranteed comedy blockbuster!“
Location: The Other Palace, London
With: Wesley Mead
Title: Can the Heart Really Be Saved? Part 5
Genre: Medical Drama/Romantic Comedy
Setting: Hospital
Cast: Jonathan Sayer as Oscar, Niall Ransome, Charlie Russell, Ellie Morris, Susan Harrison, Henry Shields, Rhyanna Alexander-Davis
Highlight: Ellie naming her human doctor character “Broccoli Crayon” much to Jonathan’s despair.
Click here to see all Mischief content.
12th August 2024 – Mischief Movie Night
“Mischief, ‘the funniest theatre troupe in Britain’ (The Telegraph) returns to the stage this summer, stepping back to their comedy roots for 5 weeks only with MISCHIEF MOVIE NIGHT, the improvised movie live on stage! Every show is different with you suggesting a genre, location and title, and Mischief hilariously brings the show to life, complete with rewinds, fast forwards, directors cuts and a thrilling live score to laugh along to. Starring them, directed by you, MISCHIEF MOVIE NIGHT, is a guaranteed comedy blockbuster!“
Location: The Other Palace, London
With: Wesley Mead
Title: Macbitch
Genre: American Teen Romance based on Macbeth
Setting: High School
Cast: Henry Lewis as Oscar, Niall Ransome, Ellie Morris, Susan Harrison, Nancy Zamit, Matt Cavendish, Josh Elliott
Click here to see all Mischief content.
18th-20th August 2024 – Edinburgh Fringe
18th August 2024 – Jin Hao Li
“In his debut hour, Jin Hao walks you through the seascape of his mind, filled with nightmares of being a spider, dreams of joining the yakuza and breezy memories of serving in the military with the boys. Confronting fear with mischief and imagination, he surprises with gritty softness, honest lies and pockets of joy.“
Show Title: Swimming in a Submarine
Location: Pleasance Courtyard (Below)
With: Wesley Mead
Comment: We hadn’t heard of Jin Hao Li before, but he was getting a lot of buzz online within the usual circles we follow. The show was hilarious, and because it was such a small venue, he was literally greeting people at the door and saying goodbye when they left. We shook his hand and told him it was brilliant. (Even if he did scream in my face at one point during his act!)
18th August 2024 – Tom Cashman
“You may have seen him on TikTok or as the Taskmaster’s Assistant on Taskmaster Australia, but now’s your chance to catch him live. Tom is bringing his unique brand of hilariously analytical stand-up with his new show, Everything. The show features graphs, gags, embarrassing stories… you know, everything.“
Show Title: Everything
Location: Monkey Barrel 2
With: Wesley Mead
Comment: A few comedians we like use PowerPoint presentations as part of their act – Dave Gorman, Paul Williams, Sam Campbell, to name a few, and now Tom Cashman of course. The show was hilarious and so cringe, especially the story and associated footage of his commentary on a photo of William and Harry as young Princes. More photos available on the “Celebrity Encounters” page.
18th August 2024 – Two Hearts
“New Zealand’s hottest comedy pop-music duo Two Hearts are back – now with more “vow” factor. A year ago, real-life power-couple Laura Daniel (Taskmaster NZ) and Joseph Moore (Snort) tied the knot, joined bank accounts and immediately drained it all for a lavish wedding. Join them for hot new songs about love, life and maintaining a successful relationship with your co-worker.“
Show Title: Til Death Do Us Hearts
Location: Pleasance Courtyard (Two)
With: Wesley Mead
Comment: We knew Laura Daniel from Taskmaster NZ, but didn’t know what to expect from this show at all. It was insane. One hour of absolute chaos. Complete slapstick combined with actually having decent songs with funny and clever lyrics. “Self Diagnosed ADHD” now lives rent free in my head. Ironically this is probably because I have ADHD…
19th August 2024 – Alison Spittle
“At the time of blurb, this is going to be about inbuilt misogyny and trying to quantify how fuckable she is compared to the green M&M. Come see the show before she remembers to anonymise people and places.“
Show Title: N/A – Work In Progress
Location: Monkey Barrel 2
With: Wesley Mead
Comment: We saw Alison at the Wells Comedy Gala and she was hilarious. This show was very different – it was more emotional, working through why childhood sexual assault had led to obesity, and the impact on her life. She explained this was her first time talking about some of this content, and cried on stage. We met her afterwards and she gave Wes a hug. More photos available on the “Celebrity Encounters” page.
19th August 2024 – Potty the Plant
“The totally adult dark comedy musical, returns! Starring Potty, a little green singing, talking, tap-dancing pot plant. Annoyingly catchy songs, heart-warming friendships, and twisted humour.“
Show Title: Potty the Plant
Location: Gilded Balloon
With: Wesley Mead
Comment: This was a last minute impulse watch, based on a description describing the show as a cross between Sesame Street, Rocky Horror, Avenue Q, and Little Shop of Horrors. It was really funny. Low budget, but the kind of musical you could imagine becoming a cult classic with a few more resources. SPOILERS AHEAD: Genius twist at the end where you find out that Dr Acula, who seems obsessed with taking blood, sleeps in a coffin, and has children go missing on his watch, isn’t a vampire at all… just a normal paedophile.
19th August 2024 – Paul Williams
“Paul bought a second-hand film camera last year and it turned out the previous owner had left a used-up roll of film in it. This show is about that. Good for all ages but if you’re really old, please only come if you promise to stay calm.“
Show Title: Mamiya 7
Location: Assembly Roxy (Upstairs)
With: Wesley Mead
Comment: Paul Williams is one of our favourite comedians, and favourite celebrities full stop. We had tickets to see this show in London first, but it got cancelled last minute. No worries, we thought, we still have Edinburgh…
We knew something was wrong early on, as Paul was 30 minutes late coming on stage. When he came out he apologised and said his PowerPoint presentation needed to be downloaded from the Cloud, and his internet connection wasn’t working well enough.
He connected his laptop to the screen to show that it was only a few percent downloaded, but said he’d start anyway, and hope it sped up. As he tried to get through his material he was getting more and more despondent as the download just wasn’t progressing. The crowd were all clearly genuine fans, and cheered for him anyway, but by the end he looked ready to cry. At one stage his brother Guy Williams appeared as a punchline which was meant to relate to an earlier section. Paul said to him “I haven’t even set this joke up. The whole thing is effed” then said to the audience “there’s meant to be a big finale here, but I can’t do any of it. This is the worst night of my life. I want to kill myself” and then walked off stage. It was awful. We felt genuinely devastated for him.
Click here to see all Paul Williams content.
19th August 2024 – Guy Williams
“A show about colonisation, racism and misogyny. If you don’t think any of those things are real, or if you think the biggest problem in the world now is ‘people being too easily offended these days’ – please don’t come! This show is about you, and you’ll probably be offended.“
Show Title: This Glass House Makes It Easy To See All The Cowards I’m Throwing Stones At
Location: Assembly George Square Studio 5
With: Wesley Mead
Comment: Guy started his show by saying “how many people here were just in my brother’s show?” and most of the audience raised their hands. He said “yeah, worst show he’s ever done.”
Guy’s performance went well at least. He was doing meet and greets afterwards too, and we really wanted to speak to him (even if just to check on Paul’s mental health!) but we didn’t have enough time.
19th August 2024 – Paul Williams
“For one night only, the Taskmaster NZ star and Lorde’s favourite Kiwi musician (‘That was really nice of her’ – Paul) plays the hits at this year’s Fringe. Fresh from the launch of his sophomore album in London and shows in New York, LA and New Zealand, Paul plays a special late-night gig, featuring the best of Surf Music and his brand-new album.“
Show Title: Paul Williams Plays the Hits
Location: Assembly Checkpoint
With: Wesley Mead
Guests: Nish Kumar, Rose Matafeo, Brynley Stent
Comment: After the album launch show a few months earlier, we were desperate to hear Paul’s new songs again (as the album hadn’t actually been released yet, despite what you’d think), and suddenly really worried he would cancel the show due to his depressed state after his technology failure earlier in the day. Luckily this wasn’t the case, and he even made a joke at the start saying “I wanted to kill myself earlier, but then I remembered I needed to do this show first”.
The whole thing was brilliant. Nish reprised his role on guitar, Rose on vocals for “Bond Themes”, and this time Brynley was there to join her for the “Surf Music” backing dance. We were stood right at the front, touching the stage, about 50cm from Paul himself. Guy Williams, Maria Williams, Guy Montgomery, and David O’Doherty were all in the crowd too. In fact, Guy Williams walked past while we were all queueing outside and was like “are you all queueing for my brother?!” sounding genuinely baffled at how many people were there.
More photos available on the “Celebrity Encounters” page.
Click here to see all Paul Williams content.
20th August 2024 – Flight
“Flight takes place in absolute darkness in an Airbus 320 economy cabin, inside a shipping container. It explores the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, taking audience members through two worlds, two realities and two possible outcomes to their journey. There are many worlds in which this plane lands safely.“
The inside of the shipping container looks exactly like the inside of a plane. Everyone is given a ticket with a seat number when entering, to ensure groups are split up. You’re given headphones which play binaural 360 degree sound to create full immersion. When the lights go off, it’s so dark you can’t see your own hand in front of your face. As well as the audio, there are vibrations to simulate the plane moving, and flashes of light occasionally which cleverly make the plane look twice as big through some kind of mirror or projection. As for the story which unfolds, I’m not sure the execution made as much sense as it could have done, but I enjoyed the ride anyway. The review below explains it best:
“The audio experience presents a Schrodinger’s Cat scenario: in one reality, you are in a shipping container, in another reality, you are on a crashing plane. Are you alive or dead? Is anyone alive or dead? Does every plane that takes off land safely, or does every plane that takes off crash? In some realities, if you believe in quantum physics, both may be true. You experience the plane crashing and the plane being totally safe and fine in fragments, shifting back and forth between realities.”
Click here to see all festivals attended.
26th August 2024 – Mischief Movie Night
“Mischief, ‘the funniest theatre troupe in Britain’ (The Telegraph) returns to the stage this summer, stepping back to their comedy roots for 5 weeks only with MISCHIEF MOVIE NIGHT, the improvised movie live on stage! Every show is different with you suggesting a genre, location and title, and Mischief hilariously brings the show to life, complete with rewinds, fast forwards, directors cuts and a thrilling live score to laugh along to. Starring them, directed by you, MISCHIEF MOVIE NIGHT, is a guaranteed comedy blockbuster!“
Location: The Other Palace, London
With: Wesley Mead
Title: Blood Sucks
Genre: Vampire Romance
Setting: Blood Donation Centre
Cast: Jonathan Sayer as Oscar, Niall Ransome, Ruth Bratt, Matt Cavendish, Josh Elliott, Rhyanna Alexander-Davis, Henry Lewis
Highlight: Henry Lewis playing an anthropomorphic swinging door, complete with musical number.
Location: The Other Palace, London
With: Wesley Mead
Title: Renaissance Nightmare
Genre: Monster Horror
Setting: Renaissance Fair
Cast: Jonathan Sayer as Oscar, Niall Ransome, Ruth Bratt, Matt Cavendish, Josh Elliott, Rhyanna Alexander-Davis, Henry Lewis
Highlight: Jonathan getting increasingly frustrated as the cast keep making jokes and call backs about a character “shitting themselves” throughout the entire show.
Click here to see all Mischief content.
1st September 2024 – Mischief Movie Night
“Mischief, ‘the funniest theatre troupe in Britain’ (The Telegraph) returns to the stage this summer, stepping back to their comedy roots for 5 weeks only with MISCHIEF MOVIE NIGHT, the improvised movie live on stage! Every show is different with you suggesting a genre, location and title, and Mischief hilariously brings the show to life, complete with rewinds, fast forwards, directors cuts and a thrilling live score to laugh along to. Starring them, directed by you, MISCHIEF MOVIE NIGHT, is a guaranteed comedy blockbuster!“
Location: The Other Palace, London
With: Wesley Mead
Title: Peg Lego
Genre: Pirate Movie
Setting: A Lego Ship
Cast: Jonathan Sayer as Oscar, Niall Ransome, Matt Cavendish, Josh Elliott, Susan Harrison, Nancy Zamit, Henry Lewis
Highlight: Jonathan refusing the audience suggestion that the voyage was in search of a frog, only for Henry to run with it in his opening dialogue, quickly followed by Nancy explaining that the frog was Henry’s twin brother, and their parents were half frogs/half humans. Jonathan was furious.
Click here to see all Mischief content.
16th October 2024 – Fern Brady
“In this show, Fern Brady will ask; ‘What happens when you get everything you want and it’s not enough? What if you want to run a small goat farm in rural Greece instead?’”
Show Title: I Gave You Milk To Drink
Location: Bath Forum
With: Wesley Mead
Support: Alison Spittle
23rd October 2024 – The Horne Section
“Unruly, ridiculous, and surprisingly satisfying, the six-headed comedy band includes five outstanding musicians and one non-musical stand-up. There’ll be comedy, songs, enthusiastic dancing, and a lot of mucking about. A brand-new show from the hugely talented band and Alex Horne, the creator and co-host of the BAFTA and National Comedy Award winning Taskmaster“
Show Title: The Horne Section(S)Hit Show
Location: Bath Forum
With: Wesley Mead
16th November 2024 – They Might Be Giants
Show Title: Flood, Book and Beyond
Location: O2 Academy, Bristol
With: Wesley Mead
24th November 2024 – Here and Now: The Steps Musical
Welcome to seaside superstore Better Best Bargains, where it’s Friday night, the vibe is right, and everyone’s dancing in the aisles. But when Caz discovers the shelves are stocked with lies and betrayal, the summer of love she and her friends dreamed of suddenly feels like a tragedy. Have they all lost their chance of a ‘happy ever after’? Or does love have other plans in store…?
Show Title: Here and Now
Location: The Alexandra, Birmingham
With: Wesley Mead
Comment: This was the campest, gayest, cheesiest show, with everything you could want and expect from a Steps musical – catchy songs, incredible costumes, and plenty of in jokes for the die hard fans. My favourite was the mention of “pasta a la Clara”. The plot didn’t make perfect sense, and the ending wrapped things up far too conveniently, but this was easily forgiven.
Choni Mead 