Something has taken root in this town. A recluse, a disappearance, a mysterious folk song.

And then there's you, Meles – a podcaster with a dying mother and a stalling career – about to stumble into something unfathomable. Something that could change everything. But is it your story to tell?

A folk tale about folk tales, the art of letting go, and the ethics of true crime, Badgers is a shape-shifting, mercurial new show from the team behind Outlier. Written by Malaika Kegode with music by Jakabol.

Be among the first to watch Badgers ahead of its hotly anticipated run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this Aug. Join us for preview performances on 30 Jul and 1 Aug – LIMITED TICKETS REMAIN!

Badgers returns to Bristol Old Vic from 8 – 12 Sep.

Approximately 1 Hour 15 mins

Get your tickets for an unforgettable evening of comedy as Heli Laughs lands at Bristol Old Vic!

This special evening brings together some of the UK’s finest comedians for a night guaranteed to have you in stitches, all while supporting a vital cause.

Every ticket purchased helps Great Western Air Ambulance Charity continue their lifesaving work across our region.

It’s the perfect opportunity to enjoy a brilliant night out and make a real difference.

Book your seats now and prepare for an evening where your laughs help save lives.

Introducing our 2026 Heli Laughs line-up (more to be announced soon!):

Kiri Pritchard-McLean (Host)
Michelle De Swarte (Headliner)
Huge Davies
Michael Odewale
Burt Williamson

Rhys has made a discovery that could fix everything. It’s been staring him in the face the whole time, in a mirror held behind his head. If he can ignore his own problems for long enough, he might just be able to solve yours.

A fast, forensic show of big ideas and gag-dense overthinking from one of the nation’s sharpest stand-ups.

Star of TLC’s Mock The Week and BBC Radio 4’s Rhysearch, also seen furrowing his brow on QI, Live At The Apollo and his viral U&Dave lecture, ‘I Stalk Strangers Online’.

Approximately 1 Hour 50 mins

What is the best orange thing in the world? Aperol spritz? Sunsets? Claudia Winkleman?

You probably never stopped to think about what your favourite orange thing was, but you’re damn sure thinking about it now. Maybe it’s marmalade, or maybe it’s Garfield, or maybe it’s the album ‘Channel Orange’ by Frank Ocean. There’s just so many to consider. And no one on earth has considered more of them than Ivo Graham.

Ivo Graham has always been a fan of orange things. Baked beans. Sriracha mayo. The Tiger Who Came To Tea. But in 2025, a series of emotional days in his favourite colour prompted Ivo to commit harder than ever to the bit: colour-coordinating his life for his daughter, for his mother, for his football team, and, he desperately hopes, for your entertainment. Come and help this orange lunatic make his orange list, in a show about hats, haters, hometown heroes, and whether Hare Krishnas are better than Hobnobs.

A decade retrospective of capitalising on his dead dad to varied levels of failure and success.

BAFTA-winning writer and recovering spoken-word artist Jack Rooke (Creator of Hulu/C4’s Big Boys) brings back his debut comedy-theatre show Good Grief, a decade on from it launching his career.

Featuring the original show (co-written with his 80-year old Nan Sicely) and some present day musings, this retrospective further explores grief, ambition, being a class traitor, milking having a dead dad for personal/professional gain, the innocence of writing just for oneself before the interference of "telly w*nkers", and the palpable regret of his own decline into becoming said "telly w*nker".

Content Warning: this show may contain potentially triggering stories around grief, suicide and Geri leaving the Spice Girls in May 1998.

Directed by Gabriel Bisset-Smith (now also a telly w*nker).

Approximately 1 Hour 50 mins

After a few years away from touring, Jayde Adams is back where she belongs: on stage, trying out brand-new material in front of a home crowd.

Be among the first to see a one-night-only work-in-progress as Jayde builds her next live show. Expect razor-sharp award winning stand-up, stories you definitely won’t hear on television, audience interaction, and a few surprise songs along the way.

No two work-in-progress shows are ever the same, and this one certainly won’t be.

Bristol gets to see it first.

The production will be a stand-up comedy and cabaret work-in-progress show, featuring new material and approximately eight cover songs.

Approximately 1 Hour 50 mins

Aurie Styla is one of the most naturally charismatic and hilarious comedians around. Following his acclaimed 100+ date worldwide tour, he’s back on the road with his brand-new show Maverick.

Maverick looks at life from the end of The Aurator Tour onwards, and although everything seems nice and ‘cushty’, something is throwing off the scales of wins and fails. The show hilariously explores his bad work-life balance, family influence, relationships, health and more.

Aurie has appeared on Richard Osman's House Of Games (BBC), Comedy Central Live, Jonathan Ross’ Comedy Club (ITV), Don’t Hate The Playaz (ITV), multiple seasons of The Stand-Up Sketch Show (ITV2), and many more shows. He’s the host of his very popular BBC Radio 4 show Tech Talk which is returning for a second series. In 2025, he was selected as a New Face Of Comedy at the prestigious Just For Laughs Montreal festival, and in 2026 will debut at the Netflix Is A Joke Festival in Los Angeles.

Approximately 1 Hour 45 mins

A clinic waiting room.
Two Somali teens.
One awkward meet-cute.



Najma has been in treatment for years. Zakariya’s just starting out. She sketches. He writes poems. Neither of them is ready to talk. Until they meet each other. As their sessions continue, so do the chats. And the jokes. And the secrets.



Crush is a tender, funny and honest story about identity, connection and the messy path to healing.



Longlisted for the Tony Craze Award 2025.

Approximately 1 Hour

Don your deerstalker, grab your magnifying glass and get your ‘finger of suspicion’ at the ready because Edinburgh Fringe favourites, Degrees of Error, are bringing back their multiple sell-out show for your sleuthing pleasure.

They’ll create a classic murder mystery on-the-spot in this ingenious improvised comedy. You, the audience, become the author as the cast act out your very own Agatha Christie-inspired masterpiece live on stage. At each show this extraordinarily talented company use audience suggestions to create a unique, original and extremely comical murder mystery just for you. All you have to do... is solve it!

Ms Gold poisoned at a synchronised swimming gala? Dr Blue exploded by cannon during a hot air balloon race? Professor Violet crushed to death at a Love Island recoupling? You decide!

But will you guess whodunnit before the killer is revealed?

Daniel was determined to handle his Big Breakup with the grace of Julia Roberts. He didn’t. Join him as he navigates dating in your 30s, Le Creuset addiction and 12-step skincare routines, all while trying very hard to emanate love and light.

Described by Rolling Stone as ‘utterly hilarious and effortlessly charismatic’, award-winning stand-up Daniel is best known for his viral comedy videos, which are enjoyed by millions of women and gays online.

His critically-acclaimed debut show Villain toured internationally, including a sell-out run at New York’s SoHo Playhouse and London's legendary Clapham Grand. He co-hosts the podcast Welcome To Hell with fellow comic Dane Buckley, which debuted in Apple and Spotify's Top 10 comedy charts, and he is the author of the hit book Bedtime Stories for Privileged Children.

Approximately 1 Hour 50 mins

With Lost Dog’s blend of dance, theatre and comedy, this duet reveals the real story of Romeo and Juliet. It turns out they didn’t die in a tragic misunderstanding, they grew up and lived happily ever after. Well they lived at least.

Now they’re 40ish, at least one of them is in the grips of a mid-life crisis, they feel constantly mocked by their teenage selves and haunted by the pressures of being the poster couple for romantic love. They have decided to confront their current struggles by putting on a performance – about themselves. Their therapist told them it was a terrible idea.

Directed by award-winning director/choreographer Ben Duke, Juliet & Romeo takes on our cultural obsession with youth and our inevitable issues with longevity.

Approximately 1 Hour 15 mins

A sharply satirical, future‑facing drama, Application 39 imagines a Gaza risen from ruin, unexpectedly awarded the right to host the 2048 Olympic Games, exactly 100 years after the Nakba.

Two young IT workers in the municipality of Gaza hack the bid process for the 2048 Olympics as a prank – and win. Their “victory” becomes a surreal yet pressing journey through occupation, bureaucracy, absurdity, and reconstruction.

This stage version draws on real‑life testimonies, including from Gaza itself, to pose a radical question: what if Gaza were no longer rubble and siege – but a site of global gathering, resistance and renewal?

Created by Palestinian writer Ahmed Masoud, Application 39 is bold, irreverent, and rooted in lived testimony as well as speculative hope.

Approximately 1 Hour

Stevie Martin (Taskmaster, 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown) has been doing online comedy for a while (45 million views worldwide) but is now returning to live comedy with her latest show, which sold out at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and at Soho Theatre earlier this year.

It's like her online stuff but she'll be on a stage and you can't pause her to get a snack (meats?). Also you have to sit in a specific room to watch it (please don’t bring your meats to this room).

Approximately 1 Hour

Yo! Listen. Right now it’s Blaze FM. 101.7. You’re locked into the sounds of SHUT DOWN CREW. I need 20 missed calls if you wanna hear this one again. Press play on that.

The Big House made their Edinburgh Fringe Festival debut with Blaze FM in 2025, an explosive piece of political theatre weaving Grime, Garage, Drill and Jungle tracks through an electrifying eighty minutes of powerful performance. Now, Blaze takes the fire from the studio to the road in a 2026 regional tour.

You’re locked into Blaze FM – the pirate radio station pioneering new music as a voice to the madness outside, broadcasting an uncensored political perspective and birthing “the realest music from the next generation”. Blaze FM blasts from a rundown council flat in Hackney, laying the foundations of Grime, now one of Britain's most celebrated subcultures of music. But in the midst of court orders, DTI signal cuts, and outright attacks against Black music, the family fight for their right to exist.

Co-written by acclaimed Grime MC Jammz and playwright James Meteyard (Electrolyte), and directed by The Big House Artistic Director Maggie Norris, Blaze FM was created in direct response to issues faced by members of The Big House.

Founded by Norris, The Big House creates “world-class” theatre charged by the lived experience of its members, passing the mic to challenge the systems that failed them.

Approximately 1 Hour 10 mins

This uplifting comedy brings you a jet-powered tour through your favourite characters, and all the romance and action of Tom Cruise’s aerial blockbuster, alongside the heartfelt story of father and son superfans who can’t agree on anything except their favourite film.

Can Maverick and best friend Goose beat Iceman to the Top Gun trophy? Can instructor Charlie get a drink without anyone singing at her? Can one Fringe First-winning poet/nerd re-enact the movie’s signature dogfights – alone?

On the 40th anniversary of Top Gun’s cinema release, this unauthorised parody celebrates the iconic film and its enduring fandom. Essential viewing for Top Gun veterans and rookies alike, this show will take your breath away.

From the creative team behind the global smash hit Yippee Ki Yay. Written and performed by Richard Marsh – Fringe First-winner, London poetry slam champion, BBC Audio Drama Best Scripted Comedy Drama award-winner and fighter pilot (one of these is untrue).

Approximately 1 Hour 10 mins

The time has come for critically acclaimed musical comedy duo Flo & Joan to write another bio as they make their highly anticipated return to the stage with a brand-new show.

“Gosh, they are almost like a real band” (Bruce Dessau, Beyond a Joke). The pair will try and take up as much of the stage and as little of your patience as possible as they use another "real band's" setlist to write their own show - ruminating on themes such as ‘what is music?’, ‘how do you be a band?’, and ‘is comedy?’ in the sharp-tongued, deadpan way they have become accustomed to.

As seen on Live at the Apollo, The Royal Variety Performance, Comic Relief's Red Nose Day Live 2023 and their own comedy special Alive on Stage for Amazon Prime.

Approximately 1 Hour 50 mins

‘Yeah, identities work a bit like antibiotics. The more people use them, the less effective they become.’

Matteen’s disability is reclassified overnight. Julia is handed a diagnosis she never asked for. And Beth decides she deserves one too.

Three friends – and a useless doctor – are pulled into a spiral of medical bureaucracy, identity politics and the desperate human need to feel significant.

What’s the F**king Point? is a dark comedy from multi-award-winning disability led Theatre Company, FlawBored (It’s a Motherf**king Pleasure).

Not far from Bristol, there is a village.

This village belongs to the people who live in it and to those who lived in it hundreds of years ago. It belongs to England’s mysterious past and its confounding present.

It belongs to families dead for generations, and to those who have only recently moved here, such as the boy Lanny, and his mum and dad.

But it also belongs to Dead Papa Toothwort, who has woken from his slumber in the woods. Dead Papa Toothwort, who is listening to them all.

By the author of Sunday Times Bestseller, Grief is the Thing with Feathers, Max Porter’s spectral novel Lanny rocked the literary world in 2019. Described as “a joyously stirred cauldron of words” (The Guardian) that is “magically beguiling” (Financial Times), it intertwines reality and imagination to thrillingly eerie effect.

Adapted for the stage by award-winning West Country playwright Bea Roberts (And Then Come the Nightjars), and directed by Nancy Medina (The Beautiful Future Is Coming; A Good House; Choir Boy – Best Director, Black British Theatre Awards 2024), this dark and powerful story of folklore, fable and the nature of belonging is the flagship production of our 260th year.

There comes a time in every young man’s life when he has to leave home. For Matty, it’s forty!

He really is a big man. But with his mother gone – and his Dad moving on – what’s next for Matty? He needs support, but what is the best form of care for him? How can he be independent and safe?

And as he leaves the sanctuary of his house for the final time, is there space in the boxes for his most treasured possession?

Following the critical success of Up Down Boy (2012) and Up Down Man (2016), this standalone production is the third in a trilogy of plays inspired by the life story of the gifted and charismatic performer Nathan Bessell. In Up Down Big Man Nathan returns to play Matty in a story full of wit, anarchy and heart.

Approximately 1 Hour 15 mins

The Weston Studio takes over Coopers’ Hall at Bristol Old Vic, for a feel-good theatre/workshop/experience from Seamas Carey, the award-winning Cornish artist.

Geoff is doing Community Service and he needs your help.

He’s been sent by The Council to build a new community, spread social cohesion, harmony and collective joy. The only problem is: Geoff hates people...

So, will he succeed in forming a new community with a bunch of random strangers, in just 60 minutes? Can you help Geoff see the good in people again?

Deftly deploying his trademark blend of sincerity and mischief, Community Service is Seamas Carey at his best; anarchic, joyful and accessible.

Come take part or just observe this interactive, inclusive experiment from the internationally award winning Cornish artist.

Approximately 1 Hour

Have you ever forensically over-thought your life choices? Are they all somehow connected to a passing comment your Spanish teacher made when you were 15? Has it impacted everything from your love life to your career?

Following sold-out shows across the UK, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Soho Theatre, Celya AB (“One of the most gifted joke writers of her age” – Chortle) is back with a new show with her brand of “exceptional, not to mention impressively original” (British Comedy Guide) jokes and sharp observations.

This is a show about breaking free from shame, and what ensues when you do. As seen on Live At The Apollo, the Off Menu podcast and Comedy Central Live.

Approximately 1 Hour 45 mins

“The thing about being exceptional Sabrin, you have to believe everybody else isn’t.”

At a Birmingham grammar school bursting with overachievers, political meltdowns, and teenage delusion, best friends Sabrin and Ruqqiyah are free-falling to their futures.

Sabrin secretly prepares for a life-changing music audition, while Ruqqiyah orchestrates a symphony of her own – conducting the fall of a problematic teacher. Between Paramore, panic attacks, and increasingly chaotic schemes, the girls’ clashing priorities reach a crescendo that unveils a growingly strained bond.

Quick-witted and deeply heartfelt, Off-Key is a coming-of-age drama about Black girlhood, ambition, friendship and what happens when the person who knows you best, becomes someone you no longer recognise.

Side eYe is the award-winning collective behind Dugsi Dayz (2022) – which was recently adapted into the BBC Comedy Short, Proper Ladies (2026) – and Desperate Times (2023). Recipient of the Edinburgh Untapped Award (2023) and the BBC Popcorn Award for Dugsi Dayz, Side eYe stages stories by Black Muslim women and their allies.

This tour is supported by Kayd Somali Arts and Culture.

Approximately 1 Hour 10 mins

Following a sold-out 2024 tour, acclaimed stand-up and online sensation Morgan Rees is back on the road with a hugely anticipated brand-new show.

After Morgan and his partner went on separate holidays – one to a Mathematics Forum in Coventry and the other to a Bear Party in Barcelona – a massive revelation forced Morgan to re-evaluate everything. Being banned from Great Western trains, being fired as a Naked Butler, and ghosting Paul McCartney… were they really his fault?

Has that got you hooked? Good, because that’s the only stuff appropriate enough to include in the blurb. A stand-up show about the trials and errors of falling in love and keeping the spark alive, the spiral-inducing limbo of awaiting a diagnosis, and the experience of being a white Welsh valley boy integrating into a proud Gujarati family. Oh, he’s got plenty to talk about.

As well as garnering millions of views online and rave-reviews for his live shows, Morgan has supported Joanne McNally, Rhys James, Lucy Beaumont and Jayde Adams on tour, appeared as a finalist in the BBC New Comedy Awards, and hosts hit podcasts My Bad and Chatting With Cherubs alongside Josh Jones and Gearóid Farrelly.

Approximately 1 Hour 45 mins

Daize has a sharp tongue and a sharper blade. Ben has killer trainers and not much else. She’s determined to protect her mum from his drug-dealing boss – but can two neglected teenagers change their destinies?

These natural enemies start to find something in each other no adult has ever given them.

Winner of the 2021 Papatango Prize from over 1,400 scripts, Tom Powell’s extraordinary play beautifully portrays two young people finding hope together.

The greatest story never told of the first ever female president of a country in the history of the world…

During Isabel Perón’s time in power (before she was overthrown in a military coup), Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice were writing their blockbuster musical about her dead husband’s even deader ex-wife. And now, nobody remembers Isabel. Coincidence?

Sh!t Theatre are here to right that wrong.

EVITA TOO tells Isabel’s story – and the story of Becca and Louise, who travel across Argentina and Spain in search of the mysterious former president.

While Becca and Louise endeavour to write a musical to match Evita, their lives surprisingly and tragically intertwine with Isabel’s.

Truth! Justice! Songs! Wizards?! Yes, wizards. And if you play your cards right, naked roller-skating.

Approximately 1 Hour 30 mins

Fresh from starring in the latest series of Taskmaster, Ania Magliano (Live At The Apollo, Edinburgh Comedy Awards Best Show Nominee) brings a brand-new show full of jokes, confessions, and occasionally unhinged observations to venues nationwide.

From the quirks of her own body to the legend that is Eve (yes, from Adam and), to her newly discovered boundaries, Peach Fuzz is Ania at her most relatable – and most funny.

Ania has opened for Ed Gamble, Marc Maron and Catherine Cohen, and writes for Amelia Dimoldenberg’s Chicken Shop Date. Her choices on the Off Menu podcast are widely regarded as the worst of all time.

Approximately 1 Hour 30 mins

Lucy Beaumont has had quite the year. She lost a contestant £79,000 on The Wheel, forgot to revise for Mastermind, and generally confirmed she’s terrible at quiz shows. So she’s sticking with what she does best – this autumn, she’s back on the road with a brand new show.

Following the success of her sell-out debut UK tour, Lucy returns with Bad at Quiz Shows, Good with Weirdos – an evening packed with chaotic brilliance, mayhem, and beautifully surreal storytelling that's made her one of the UK's most beloved comedians.

Expect tales of going into hiding after Celebrity Traitors, creating cow udder couture on The Great British Sewing Bee, and navigating life as someone for whom "normal" has never made much of an appearance.

Whether you loved her on Taskmaster, know her from her award-winning sitcom, or just appreciate someone who turns everyday disasters into comedic gold, this is the night out you need. Come for the chaos. Stay for the weirdos.

Stuart was as scared about the climate crisis as you are. But he did the reading, and now he’s terrified.

Come and watch him do something about it. In his most honest, hilarious, and hopeful hour yet, Stuart Goldsmith (Live At The Apollo, Netflix is a Joke, Conan) applies his 'expert stand-up' (Sunday Times) to the apparent collapse of absolutely everything.

Approximately 2 Hours 20 mins

Following a huge debut national tour and sold out runs across London and Edinburgh, Kiell Smith-Bynoe (Ghosts, Taskmaster & Stath Lets Flats) returns with his smash-hit improv show.

Every night features a celebrity guest, a cast of the UK's best improvisers, and stories from you, the audience, to inspire the comedy!

Previous special guests have included: Amelia Dimoldenberg, Lily Allen, Jamie Demitriou, Adam Buxton, Mo Gilligan, Loly Adefope and Nish Kumar.

Previous improvisers have included: Emma Sidi, Lola-Rose Maxwell, Graham Dickson, Lara Ricote, Janine Harouni, Nic Sampson, Brendan Murphy and Rhod Gilbert.

Sally Cookson and Adam Peck’s much-loved adaptation of Cinderella is back in Bristol, re-imagined for 2026.

After the death of her mother, the free-spirited Ella seeks solace in the woods surrounding her and her father’s home, enchanted by the birds that roost peacefully in the trees.

When her father remarries, Ella’s life is turned upside down by a host of new – and most unpleasant – relations. Ella’s feathered friends begin to feel like her only true family, until a mysterious boy (who shares her love of bird watching) stumbles upon her woodland hideout. And he has in his hand an invitation to the Royal Ball...

But Ella’s cruel and scheming Stepmother has other ideas. Will Ella ever make it to the ball? And is there more to her chirping chums than meets the eye?

Join Bristol Old Vic this festive season for an enchanting ensemble retelling of one of the best-loved fairy tales of all time. Inspired by the Brothers Grimm’s story, this dazzlingly original take will set your heart aflutter with live music, modern mischief and festive joy.

Approximately 2 Hours

One winter morning, Peter woke up and looked out the window.

Snow had fallen during the night. It covered everything as far as he could see.

Discover a world blanketed in wonder in this joyful dance adaptation of The Snowy Day, inspired by the award-winning picture book by Ezra Jack Keats. Join Peter as he crunches through the snowy streets of his New York neighbourhood, in this intimate icy adventure.

Brought to life by Polka Theatre and Can’t Sit Still, the award-nominated company behind Oh No, George!, The Snowy Day is specially designed for 1–5 year olds and their grown-ups, featuring one dancer, original music and an immersive, enchanting set. Join us this winter to experience the magic of fresh snowfall in Keats' classic, heartwarming tale.

Each performance will be followed by a 10 minute stay and play.

This Christmas, Bristol’s record-breaking live comedy soap opera is coming to Bristol Old Vic! Perfect for a hilarious night out with friends, family, work colleagues, or random people you have just met in the queue at Aldi.

Closer Each Day’s unscripted story has been unfolding for 15 years, making it the longest improvised story in the world, but each episode is a standalone feast of comedy and drama.

Whether you are new to the world of Closer or a die-hard fan you will be immersed from the very first scene. And, like all the best British soaps, Christmas is when things really ramp up with juicy storylines and unforgettable moments. What will happen next? Anything at all!

The cast is made up of Bristol’s best actors and improvisers, with surprise special guests and plenty of delicious unpredictability. In fact, the only thing you can predict is that you will have a right rollicking high old time!

FINALIST – Bristol Life Awards 2026 & 2023

Approximately 1 Hour

Recently married, emotionally feral.

The Gallus Glaswegian Goon returns with a riotous show about refusing to grow up.

As seen on Saturday Night Live, Live at the Apollo, QI and The Royal Variety Performance.

Support: Thor Stenhaug

13 Dec
Book
Off The Kerb has sled-loads of good cheer to share this Christmas 2026.

Comedy Crackers is a perfectly-wrapped night of comedy taking place at Bristol Old Vic for one night only, featuring household names Russell Kane, Eva Bindeman, Lindsey Santoro and more! Get your tickets and start your festive season with a bang.

Spontaneous musical comedy at its absolute finest – direct from the West End and now heading to Bristol!

With sixteen years as an Edinburgh Fringe must-see phenomenon, a BBC Radio 4 series, a critically-acclaimed West End run and an Olivier Award to their name, The Showstoppers have delighted audiences across the globe with their ingenious blend of comedy, musical theatre and spontaneity.

A brand new musical comedy is created from scratch at each performance of this award-winning show as audience suggestions are transformed on the spot into all-singing, all dancing productions with hilarious results. These incredible performers are guaranteed to impress as they create shows packed with drama, dazzling dance routines and catchy melodies – and it’s all made up on the spot!

An improvised musical show for kids of all ages, from Olivier Award-winning West End improvisers, The Showstoppers.

If your children could create their very own dream musical – where would they start? Showstopper! The Kids Show takes your kids’ ideas and turns them into marvellous, musical adventures from scratch, in front of their very noses.

Together we’ll explore magical kingdoms as kids decide where the story is set, who the characters are and what happens next. KPop Demon Hunters in a world of Minecraft? Done! Peppa Pig and Spiderman explore a spooky graveyard? No problem! Elphaba and Glinda battle Pokémon under the sea? Of course!

From their imaginations to the stage – everything is made up on the spot entirely from audience suggestions, but grown-ups take heed: we ONLY take suggestions from kids!

The Showstoppers are the creators of Showstopper! The Improvised Musical and winners of the Olivier Award for Best Entertainment and Family Show.

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND! Following three sold-out performances in Feb 2026, Mike Wozniak is back at Bristol Old Vic with his new stand-up tour show in which a story about a bench will be prominent.

Previous experience of or strong opinions about benches not required. Let Mike worry about that.

As seen on Taskmaster, Man Down and Junior Taskmaster. As heard on Three Bean Salad podcast.

Approximately 2 Hours

“There are powers that bind the world together,
softer than spirits yet stronger than stone,
that tie the river to the tree, the tree to rain clouds,
rain clouds to the land, and people to each other.”

The award-winning Once Upon a Time in Sokoto tells the epic story of a beautiful but unlikely friendship forged between a slave and her former master. Differences in faith, culture and heritage are overcome in the face of new enemies, in a gripping family drama set against the backdrop of events leading to the creation of Nigeria.

Nigeria-born Inua Ellams is an internationally celebrated poet, playwright, and artist – and winner of the 2024 Alfred Fagon Award for Once Upon a Time in Sokoto. He has published four poetry collections and his plays include the hugely popular and critically acclaimed Barber Shop Chronicles (Fuel/National Theatre, UK and International tour), the award-winning The 14th Tale (Fuel/UK tour) and his retelling of Three Sisters (National Theatre).

“The same tales have been told for thousands of years. Nothing changes.”

A father and daughter, separated by war, scattered across borders; this is a story of survival and hope.

Pericles traces their journey from Syria to Lebanon, Turkey, Libya and Greece. Ibrahim’s new adaptation sets Shakespeare’s original verse against modern-day language, asking what happens to love when two people no longer share the words to express it.

A story we have seen play out across the centuries—and one that is still unfolding.

Featuring an international ensemble, this is Shakespeare for today.

This show is a story about a time when Rob Auton had a job as an estate agent on the planet Jupiter. It is fiction.

Following the success of his sell-out 2025-26 nationwide tour, multi-award-winning writer, performer, podcaster and actor Rob Auton is returning to stages across the UK in 2027 with his thirteenth hour JUPITER.

On screen Rob has appeared opposite Danny Dyer in Marching Powder, in Channel 4’s hit comedy The Change, and in BBC’s Starstruck, with further credits including Miracle Workers (TBS), The End of the F**ing World (Netflix/Channel 4), The Russell Howard Hour (Sky), Cold Feet (ITV) and Random Acts (Channel 4). His viral stand-up appearance on Stand-Up Central with Rob Delaney (Comedy Central).

Alongside his screen work, Rob is a two-time British Podcast Awards Gold winner for The Rob Auton Daily Podcast.

The BAFTA-nominated comedian is back on the road, bringing some of her favourite songs from the last 15 years of her comedy career, alongside brand new stand-up.

Whether you are a Speedy Boarder, a Girl With A Diamond Finger, a Gym go-er, or part of a Hen Doo On A Train, there is Something Profound for you in this Amazing show.

*Come ready to sing along. A cappella may be included.

Rachel Parris is best known for The Mash Report, and has appeared on Have I Got News For You, Mock The Week, Q.I, Would I Lie To You and Live at The Apollo. She is a regular on Radio 4’s Just A Minute and I'm Sorry I Haven’t A Clue and she is also a cast-member and founder of award-winning improv show Austentatious.

Approximately 1 Hour 50 mins

Playful, witty and irresistibly charming, The Anonymous Lover is a sparkling romantic comedy about the risks and rewards of falling in love.

Léontine, a wealthy widow, swears she’ll never love again after an unhappy marriage. When mysterious letters and thoughtful gifts begin arriving from a secret admirer, her resolve starts to waver. The sender is her friend Valcour, who hides his identity, fearing rejection because of his lower social standing. As Léontine searches for the truth, Valcour must decide whether to reveal himself or remain anonymous.

Rarely performed, The Anonymous Lover is the only surviving opera by French composer Joseph Bologne and is brought to life in a vibrant new staging, with the orchestra on stage in an energetic baroque-inspired world. Faithful to Bologne’s elegant score, it also introduces a fresh, contemporary voice that speaks directly to the audience – inviting you to look again, think differently, and decide for yourself what shapes the way we experience great art.

A joyful tale of star-crossed aliens...

Soar into space with this Olivier Award-nominated adaptation of the much-loved book by superstar duo Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.

On a far-off planet, Smeds and Smoos can’t be friends. So when a young Smed and Smoo fall in love and zoom off into space together, how will their families get them back?

Music, laughs and interplanetary adventures for everyone aged 3 and up, from Tall Stories – the company who brought you The Gruffalo and Room on the Broom live on stage.

Taskmaster Champion, Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Newcomer Nominee and retired sugar daughter Sophie Duker is back with a brand-new 2027 stand-up tour, ‘Hot Beef Injection’.

In her latest hour, Sophie dares to get both sexy and political, reflecting on hypermasculinity, heavy-handed handymen and that old-chestnut Would You Rather: 'Man or Bear?’.

Hot Beef Injection reckons with the primal fear driving Duker’s distrust of heterosexual he/hims, and out of a challenging comedy club encounter a new question emerges: what would she say if she spoke to men, instead of shutting them out?

Approximately 1 Hour 40 mins

We all want to meet people from history. The trouble is everyone is dead!

So it’s time to prepare yourselves for Horrible Histories live on stage! With amazing actors and eye-popping 3D special effects, this astounding show is guaranteed to thrill you and your children. Historical figures and events will come alive on stage and hover at your fingertips!

Can you beat battling Boudica? Will you roar with Richard the Lionheart? Could you survive the putrid plague? Would you be executed by evil Elizabeth? Will Parliament survive gunpowder Guy? Dare you stand and deliver to dastardly Dick Turpin? Escape the clutches of Burke and Hare and move to the groove with party Queen Victoria!

It’s the horrible history of Britain with the nasty bits left in – to entertain the whole family!

Approximately 1 Hour 10 mins