No word of a lie: 1812 Theatre Company will be staging Pinocchio from December 7
CHRISTMAS is in the air, promising brass concerts, pantomime, ukuleles and a festive singalong, as Charles Hutchinson highlights.
1812 pantomime for 2024: 1812 Theatre Company in Pinocchio, Helmsley Arts Centre, 2.30pm matinees, December 7, 8, 14 and 15; evenings, December 7, 10 to 14
HELMSLEY Arts Centre artistic director Natasha Jones directs resident troupe 1812 Theatre Company in Tom Whalley’s version of Pinocchio, “a pantomime with no strings attached”. Geppetto (Oliver Clive), an old toy maker, always longed for a son of his own. One starry night, helped by the Blue Fairy (Nicky Hollins) and a cheeky little Jiminy Cricket (Millie Neighbour), his wish comes true and his latest puppet, Pinocchio (Esme Schofield), comes to life.
However, the magical puppet catches the eye of evil showman Stromboli (Ben Coughlan), who will stop at nothing to grab the enchanted toy. Aided by Dame Mamma Mia (Martin Vander Weyer) and her hapless son Lampwick (Joe Gregory) from the pizzeria, will Pinocchio learn in time what it takes to be a “real boy”? Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
Blues gig of the week: Ryedale Blues Club presents Mitch Laddie Band, Milton Rooms, Malton, tonight, 8pm
PREPARE to be blown away by a superstar in the making when award-winning blues guitar virtuoso Mitch Laddie leads his band (bass and drums) in Malton. Walter Trout, no less, says: “Mitch is one of the best guitarists in the world.”
Born in Shotley Bridge, County Durham, Laddie, 34, is a guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, producer and tutor, now living in Consett. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
Sally Parkin and Lyn Bailey: Living Landscapes on show at Helmsley Arts Centre
Exhibition of the week: Sally Parkin and Lyn Bailey, Living Landscapes, Helmsley Arts Centre, until February 28 2025
SALLY Parkin and Lyn Bailey work from their studios on the North York Moors, finding inspiration every day from the vast landscapes and varied wildlife on their doorstep, then transforming them into paintings and lino prints.
Sally trained at Leeds College of Art and the Royal College of Art in London in Fine Art and Printmaking, moved back to Yorkshire and worked as a designer for Liberty of London while teaching in colleges and schools Since retiring, she spends more time producing paintings and prints, drawn from music and literature and woven together with images from the landscape.
Lyn’s training as a graphic designer has allowed her to transfer the skills of using simple block colour and shapes to the more tactile process of printmaking. Fundamentally each print begins with a simple walk, observing and connecting with her surroundings from the heart of the landscape.
Steve Day: Headlining the Hilarity Bites bill at Milton Rooms, Malton
Comedy gig of the week: Hilarity Bites presents Steve Day, Becky Umbers and Aaron Twitchen, Milton Rooms, Malton, Friday, 8pm
STEVE Day describes himself as Britain’s only deaf comedian – and if there are any others then he hasn’t heard of them Actually, a couple of others have started since he wrote that joke, he says.
Becky Umbers, a multi-award-winning New Zealander, offers her “unique take on life with a voice to match and a sly grin”, combining quirky storytelling and cheeky observations. Aaron Twitchen describes himself as “a stand-up, actor, improviser, aerialist and living stereotype”, having trained as a circus trapeze act. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
Merry And Bright: Swinton & Excelsior Band’s poster for Sunday’s concert, A Brass Christmas, at Milton Rooms, Malton
Free Christmas concert of the week: Swinton & District Excelsior Band, Merry And Bright, A Brass Christmas, Milton Rooms, Malton, Sunday, 2pm
SWINTON & District Excelsior Band invites the community to a Christmas concert, also featuring the Swinton Training Band and Swinton Beginners group. Merry and Bright: A Brass Christmas is filled with the joyous sounds of brass in an afternoon of carols, cheerful tunes and heart-warming melodies. Tickets are free but must be booked through ticketsource.co.uk.
Malton White Star Band: Celebrating Christmas with a brass flourish at Milton Rooms, Malton
Brass concert number two of the week: Malton White Star Band, Brass At Christmas, Milton Rooms, Malton, December 5, 7pm
NOW under the direction of Iain Fell, Malton White Star Band has been serving the community for more than 100 years, these days playing Malton Food Markets, charity events and summer seasons on bandstands at Filey and Peasholm Park, Scarborough.
Joined by the Community Training Band and guests, this will be band’s fourth Christmas concert in the Milton Rooms. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
The poster for Brit Rock Films 2024 at Kirk Theatre, Pickering
Film event of the week: Brit Rock Films 2024, Kirk Theatre, Pickering, Saturday, 7.30pm, doors 6.30pm
BRIT Rock Films 2024 promises a night of adrenaline and inspiration featuring the United Kingdom’s best climbing and adventure films. Three exhilarating films, Alex Waterhouse and Billy Ridal’s Nose Job, Jesse Dufton’s Climbing Blind II and Freja Shannon’s Freja’s Back “capture an array of hardcore action, pioneering spirit and proper, adrenaline-fuelled madness”.
Profits go to event hosts Scarborough and Ryedale Mountain Rescue Team, who will give attendees the chance to learn more about the team’s vital work and how they support people in need across the North York Moors. Box office: 01751 474833 or kirktheatre.co.uk.
Thornton Le Dale Ukuleles: Strumming for Christmas at Kirk Theatre, Pickering
Festive singalong of the week: Thornton Le Dale Ukuleles’ Christmas Singalong, Kirk Theatre, Pickering, December 5, 7.30pm
THIS Christmas Singalong will be in two parts: Scoble, Swann and Friends, a small group of talented singers and musicians, followed by Thornton Dale Ukuleles, filling the stage with 40 players. Audience participation is their speciality.
The group is the brainchild of leader John Scoble, who provides tuition free of charge, and is indebted to singer-songwriter David Swann, who gives tuition too. Expect all genres of music, but virtually no George Formby. Box office: 01751 474833 or kirktheatre.co.uk.
Dickensian storyteller James Swanton, switching to the lecture hall at York Medical Society
AFTER another sell-out season in 2023, gothic York actor James Swanton is reviving his Dickensian Ghost Stories for Christmas at York Medical Society, Stonegate, York, from tonight to December 5.
Made up of James’s absorbing solo renditions of A Christmas Carol, The Chimes and The Haunted Man, they will play eight dates in York before transferring to London’s Charles Dickens Museum in the run-up to Christmas.
James is following up his October 24 to 30 run of Dickens’s The Signal-Man at York Medical Society – a partner event with the York Ghost Merchants – that sold out a month in advance. His other Dickensian theatre work prompted Simon Callow to describe Swanton’s West End play Sikes & Nancy as “fantastical, startling and enthralling” and fellow Dickens enthusiast Miriam Margolyes to call his performances at the Dickens Museum “extraordinary”, “superb” and “vivid”.
“I’ve had to skew my York shows early because of the exceptional demand down south,” says James. ‘Indeed, we’ve already sold out all 18 performances of A Christmas Carol in London!
‘But being a northerner, York is where I feel most at home – and there’s no better setting for Dickens than York Medical Society. We’ve moved to their largest space to accommodate more guests, but we’ve kept the vital period atmosphere. It’s a properly immersive experience: all gilt- framed portraits and heavy curtains and dim lighting.
‘I’ll be giving six performances of A Christmas Carol here in York. There’ll also be one showing apiece of The Chimes and The Haunted Man, its lesser-known but fascinating follow-ups, which have both sold out already.”
James is keen to emphasise the merits of all three stories. “Each of them brims with Dickens’s genius for the weird, which ranges from human eccentricities to full-blown phantoms. Dickens’s anger at social injustice also aligns sharply with our own – and in this age of rising austerity and fascism, we’re feeling the bite more than ever,” he says.
“Beyond anything, these stories are masterful exercises in theatrical storytelling, with a real sense of joy emerging from the Victorian gloom.”
Kit Harrington and James Swanton in Lot No. 249. Picture: Kieran McGuigan
Since last December’s run of Ghost Stories for Christmas, James has spent the year as various terrors on screen. “This time last year, I was terribly excited to be playing the Mummy in Lot No. 249, Mark Gatiss’s BBC Ghost Story for Christmas, in which I was unpardonably nasty to Kit Harington,” he recalls.
“I couldn’t have guessed I’d be filming as another BBC spook in January, when the wonderful Reece Shearsmith asked me to play the Curse of the Ninth Symphony in the last series of Inside No. 9.
Both programmes are available on BBC iPlayer, and James advises that they make for “perfect Gothic viewing in the run-up to Christmas: two very classic ghost stories”.
They have been far from James’s only sinister appearances in recent times, however. “Every few weeks in 2024, I seem to have loomed up as some new monstrous entity,” James notes. “I played a couple of occult apparitions, the Hermit and the Magician, in a pleasingly ludicrous film called Tarot.
“My late grandad, Professor Walter Swanton, was a magician as well as a Punch-and-Judy man, so I’m sure he’d have been amused to see me sawing people in half!
‘I’ve also fathered the Antichrist in two big horror prequels. I was the Jackal in The First Omen, bringing little Damien into the world, and then Satan himself in the Rosemary’s Baby prequel Apartment 7A. I was astonished to see myself next to Julia Garner on the poster for that one! Given I’ve played Lucifer in the York Mystery Plays, that felt like a full- circle moment.”
As usual, the York run of Ghost Stories for Christmas is selling quickly, so James has strategic advice for securing tickets. “The best availability comes at the start of the run in late-November,” he says. “You can still secure a place for A Christmas Carol then. With tickets being only £16 each, this could be the perfect way to kick off your festive celebrations.
“I greatly look forward to gathering people together for some heart- warming storytelling. And I promise I won’t dress up as Satan!”
“The emotional power of Dickens’s prose strikes differently with each return of Ghost Stories for Christmas,” says James Swanton. Picture: Jtu Photography
Here James Swanton discusses his latest York and London runs of Ghost Stories for Christmas, his work with Mark Gatiss and Reece Shearsmith and his Hollywood roles with CharlesHutchPress.
What draws you back to Dickens’s Christmas ghost stories each year and does each year bring new revelations and nuances to you?
“These annual performances remind me why I persist with acting at all. It’s restorative (and very rare) to feel you’re using every bit of yourself as an actor: full application of body and voice andmind and heart, with all the attendant fatigue. When you tether that to stories that people insist on hearing to the end, little proves more rewarding.
“And yes, the emotional power of Dickens’s prose strikes differently with each return. I’ve tinkered with my version of A Christmas Carol to include an episode that some audience members have told me they’ve missed in previous years. There’s one sentence there that brings a lump to my throat.
What makes York Medical Society such a suitable setting? Describe the bigger performance space this time…
“It’s the lecture hall, in which I premiered Irving Undead (my one-man resurrection of Victorian thespian Henry Irving) back in 2019. What we lose of the wood- panelled room’s sequestered gloom, we gain in 19th-century opulence.
“The hall has a raised stage, a very responsive acoustic and appropriately theatrical curtains. There’s also a portrait of Henry Belcombe, a former York Medical Society president, who actually knew Charles Dickens. He’ll be interested in watching what’s going on, I’m sure.”
What will be the dates of your run at the Dickens Museum next month? Eighteen sell-outs already. You must be chuffed…
“Chuffed if not a little daunted! I’m there from December 10 to 23, in which time I’ll be giving 26 performances: a panto schedule! In total, I’m doing 40 live shows this Christmas season. Pray for me.
“What makes the enterprise sustainable at the Dickens Museum is the intimacy of the space – 30 people maximum – and the galvanising thrill of occupying a room in Dickens’s house. We share our back wall with Dickens’s front parlour. This makes me rather nervous of touching it mid-show.”
“In general, I think that ghosts serve as a form of collective wish fulfilment,” says James Swanton
The Signal-Man run sold out well in advance. How did it go? You are keen to do it again. When might you make that decision?
“I’ve got the York Ghost Merchants to thank for the sell-out, as they listed The Signal-Man (which I paired with The Trial For Murder) as a partner event for Ghost Week. Basking in their reflected light meant a shockingly high demand for tickets!
“In truth, I wasn’t expecting to enjoy performing those texts at all: they were hellish to memorise and maddeningly elusive in rehearsal; all variegated shades of grey rather than Dickens’s usual glorious Technicolor. But the paradox is that you agonise in private so you can fly in public. They turned out to be deeply stimulating narratives to relate and audiences were wonderfully attentive.
“I haven’t decided when to revive them, but I’m not restricted to one set time of year as I am with these Christmas ghost stories. This gives me greater flexibility, though they do suit the darker months…”
Do supernatural tales serve a broader purpose in understanding life?
“In general, I think that ghosts serve as a form of collective wish fulfilment: the idea that we can beat back death and go on persisting, in no matter how limited a form.
“Where Dickens’s Christmas ghost stories are concerned, spirits serve a more didactic purpose. They’re generally there to teach an important human lesson – and, in classic Victorian fashion, they do so by being completely bloody terrifying. Marley’s Ghost might be the purest such example.”
The devil’s work: James Swanton as Lucifer in The Mysteries After Dark in Shambles Market, York, in September 2018
You have played Lucifer in the York Mystery Plays in Shambles Market and now two Hollywood roles where you “father the Antichrist”. How do you sleep at night?!
“To misquote Shakespeare: ‘Hell is empty and all the devils are me’. I’ve never lost a wink of sleep over any of this stuff. Hard to feel threatened when you’re repeatedly the source of the threat!”
Where did you film your two Hollywood movies? Do you enjoy the film-making process? You must spend many hours in the make-up/wardrobe department!
“Despite being set in New York, Apartment 7A was shot entirely at London studios and locations, though I did have to lurch off to the Netherlands for a couple of make-up fittings.
“The First Omen was meanwhile shot in Rome – my hotel room was just a few streets from the Vatican! – but on that occasion, my make-up prep involved a 48-hour round-trip to Hollywood. It’s a realm quite as unreal as Billy Wilder and David Lynch warned us.
“I was there so fleetingly that I saw practically nothing: no HOLLYWOOD sign, no Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, no Universal Studios. Was I ever there at all? It was such an artificial dreamscape that I sometimes question it.
“Both were marathon make-up ordeals. It one day took them 12 hours to apply the full regalia for Apartment 7A, admittedly with a few pauses thrown in. On The First Omen, we averaged between seven and eight hours – about the time it takes to fly to Hollywood, now I think about it. My forty Dickens shows will be a breeze by comparison.”
James Swanton and Julia Garner in the poster for Apartment 7A. Picture: Paramount
When were The First Omen and Apartment 7A released? What did critics say of your performances?
“The First Omen showed in cinemas worldwide in April. It’s now up on Disney +. Apartment 7A came to Paramount Plus for Halloween. Being one small cog in a very big machine, I’m not sure that critics had much of anything to say about me. I don’t seek out their probabledisapproval!”
Inside No. 9 was very well received. How did your involvement – working with Reece Shearsmith – come about? Might there be opportunities for you to do so again or indeed with Mark Gatiss?
“I’d met Reece towards the end of 2023 when we both guested on a panel about the silent horror film Häxan at the Regent Street Cinema in London. Given his decades-long friendship with Mark, Reece had also been aware of my work on the BBC’s Lot No. 249.
“I first got wind of the Inside No. 9 job when I got a text message from Michael Patrick, an extraordinary actor – he’s just played Richard III at the Lyric Theatre, Belfast – was was also shadowing on that final series.
“Reece had mentioned that he wanted me to play the Curse of the Ninth Symphony – and, in one of those strange coincidences, Michael knew me from our university days! A few weeks later, I was billowing about a country house in Victorian dress and picking off my more illustrious co-stars. Business as usual.
“I’d love to work with both Mark and Reece again, either together or separately! We horror-obsessed northerners should stick together.
“Actually, I’ve done another panel with Reece since: a breakdown of our favourite vampire films for Hell Tor in Exeter, accompanied by horror expert Jonathan Rigby.”
James Swanton and Mark Gatiss in rehearsal together
Your late grandfather, Professor Walter Swanton, was a magician and a Punch-and-Judy man. Did you see him perform and did his performance style in any way rub off on you?
“It took me a long time to grasp it, but I almost certainly contracted the one-man show gene from him. One-man theatre is exactly what Punch and Judy is in miniature! He would carve and paint the heads of the puppets whilst my Grandma would make the costumes – another pleasing link, as she made me an awful lot of costumes as a child, generally to play some ghost or vampire.
“Grandad passed away in 2008, but I’ve been able to revisit his act via old family videos. This almost never happens in life, but he was actually better than I’d remembered: such a warm and expressive voice, with not a little of the jovial zaniness of his comedy hero Ken Dodd.”
How is your book on your horror acting heroes progressing?
“The bulk of the text is written! Thirteen highly involved chapters on thirteen different actors. I’m biding my time a bit with the publication, my thinking being that the more notoriety I build up in my own horror work, the easier it’ll be to shift copies. But it will see the light!”
Any news on what’s coming up for you in 2025?
“Absolutely none, I’m afraid. I keep putting it out into the universe that I’m desperate to play Richard III – and given my Yorkshire roots, and my very real spinal kyphosis [a spinal deformity that causes an excessive curvature of the upper spine, making the back appear more rounded or hunched] , and my wraparound spookiness, I’d hope it would only be a matter of time. And wouldn’t the Minster make a great location? Let me dream!”
James Swanton’s Ghost Stories for Christmas run from November 25 to December 5 at York Medical Society, Stonegate, York. A Christmas Carol will be performed on November 25, 26 and 27 and December 2, 3 and 4; The Chimes on November 28; The Haunted Man on December 5. All performances start at 7pm and last approximately one hour. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Shed Seven: Heading out on their 30th anniversary lap of honour. Picture: Barnaby Fairley
AS Shed Seven bring their 30th anniversary celebrations to a climax, Charles Hutchinson says “Let’s go” for a week of theatre, comedy, Christmas, film and musical highlights.
On the road again: Shed Seven, 30th Anniversary Tour, Hull City Hall, November 19 and Leeds O2 Academy, November 30
ON the back of topping the album charts for a second time in 2024 with Liquid Gold (after a Matter Of Time in January), York indie champs Shed Seven head out on their 30th Anniversary Tour.
The 23-date itinerary opened at Sheffield Octagon on Thursday night, with further Yorkshire gigs to follow at Victoria Theatre, Halifax, on November 18, Hull City Hall on November 19 and Leeds O2 Academy on November 30. Tickets update: the best advice is to head to shedseven.com to check for late availability.
Paddy Young: Headlining the Rye Humour bill at Helmsley Arts Centre. Picture: Lucas Smith
Variety night of the week: Rye Humour, Comedy vs Climate Change, Helmsley Arts Centre, tonight, 7.30pm
RYE Humour’s variety bill of up-and-coming comics will be headlined by Chortle Best Newcomer winner Paddy Young, a stand-up with Scarborough roots. The 2023 BBC New Comedy Awards finalist and Edinburgh Comedy Awards Best Newcomer nominee has attracted 100 million views online for his sketches with Ed Night. His comedy special, filmed by American record label 800 Pound Gorilla Records, will be released shortly.
This gig has been developed in collaboration with the Ryevitalise Landscape Partnership scheme, as part of a project that uses humour to explore environmental issues based around North Yorkshire’s rivers. Any questions about the evening, or accessibility, will be answered at events@comedyvsclimatechange.org.uk. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
Lucy Beaumont: Off-beat stories, unusual anecdotes and bizarre journeys through modern-day womanhood at Grand Opera House, York
Hullarious gig of the week: Lucy Beaumont Live, Grand Opera House, York, tonight, 8pm
HULL humorist, BAFTA nominee and Taskmaster star Lucy Beaumont is determined to let loose and let slip on her rollercoaster world with off-beat stories, unusual anecdotes and bizarre journeys through modern-day womanhood.
From the co-host of the chart-topping podcast Perfect Brains with Sam Campbell and creator of Meet The Richardsons comes a look at life through the Lucy lens. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
York Christmas Market: Stalls galore
York Christmas Market, Parliament Street and St Sampson’s Square, York, until December 22, 10am to 7pm; Yorkshire’s Winter Wonderland, York Designer Outlet, St Nicholas Avenue, York, until January 5, from 10am
YORK Christmas Market lines Parliament Street and St Sampson’s Square with 75 chalets selling crafts, artisan products and seasonal food and drink. Four fifths of the traders come from Yorkshire, giving a showcase to local businesses. Look out for the vintage carousel in King’s Square too.
Yorkshire’s Winter Wonderland’s magical festivities at the York Designer Outlet combine an outdoor ice rink and funfair with Santa’s Grotto and Alpine café The Chalet.
Disney’s Frozen: Screening in aid of the Joseph Rowntree Theatre
Film event of the week: Fundraising Films, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, Frozen (PG), tomorrow, 2.30pm; Love Actually, tomorrow, 7.30pm
THIS weekend’s fundraiser for the Joseph Rowntree Theatre opens with a special chance for all the family to see Elsa, Anna, Sven, Olaf et al in Disney’s Frozen adventure in Arendelle.
In the evening, Christmas romance is in the air in Love Actually (15), the timeless Richard Curtis comedy stuffed with interlocking love stories. Hugh Grant, Laura Linney, Colin Firth and Liam Neeson lead the stellar cast. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk
Urbane spaceman: Garrett Millerick at Theatre@41, Monkgate
Angriest gig of the week: Garrett Millerick Needs More Space, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, tomorrow, 8pm
IN Garrett Millerick Needs More Space, comedy’s “angriest optimist” returns for an honest and mostly historically accurate exploration of space travel as he examines his totally insignificant place in the universe and how little we actually know about anything.
Blending personal experiences with social commentary, while avoiding political partisanship in his hour-long show, Millerick – creator and star of the BBC sitcom series Do Gooders – looks to the stars to find solutions to our earthy complications. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Ivo Graham: Hoping to avoid banana skins at York Theatre Royal
Up to the task: Ivo Graham: Grand Design, York Theatre Royal, November 20, 7.30pm
WHAT (yoghurt and) banana skins await old Etonian and Oxford grad Ivo Graham next? No ball games, no blind alleys, no backstage printers this time, but one of the best stand-ups of his generation out to prove he’s “not just Taskmaster’s yardstick for failure”. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Adam Sowter: Playing Mr Poppy in Pick Me Up Theatre’s Nativity! The Musical at the Grand Opera House, York
Musical of the week: Pick Me Up Theatre in Nativity! The Musical, Grand Opera House, York, November 22 to 30, 7.30pm nightly, except November 25; 2.30pm, November 23, 24 and 30
PICK Me Up Theatre’s Nativity! The Musical returns to York after a smash-hit run two years ago, this time with director and choreographer Lesley Lettin’s cast featuring 48 children hand-picked from all over Yorkshire to play students from rival schools.
Adapted for the stage by Debbie Isitt from her films, the show follows St Bernadette’s Primary School teacher Mr Maddens (Alex Hogg) and his assistant, Mr Poppy(Adam Sowter) as they strive to mount a musical version of the Nativity, promising it will be adapted into a Hollywood movie in order to outdo rival school Oakmoor Prep. Look out for Alexandra Mather as Jennifer, Jonny Holbek as Mr Shakespeare, James Willstrop as the acid tongued Critic and Cracker the dog as Branwell. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Livy Potter as Katy, left, and Alice Rose Palmer, as mum Natalie, in Louise Beech’s How To Be Brave at Gilling East Village Hall and Helmsley Arts Centre
FROM a devilish yet dotty canine musical to comedians having their moment, a film festival to glowing ghosts, Charles Hutchinson spots plenty to light up dark days ahead.
Touring play of the week: Other Lives Productions in How To Be Brave, Gilling East Village Hall, tomorrow, 7.30pm, and Helmsley Arts Centre, Friday, 7.30pm
IN 1943, Merchant Seaman Colin Armitage’s cargo ship was torpedoed by an Italian Navy submarine in the South Atlantic. He scrambled aboard a life raft. Fifty days later, HMS Rapid rescued him.
Colin was the grandfather of How To Be Brave playwright Louise Beech. Sixty-four years after his ordeal, Louise’s daughter, Katy, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. In order to distract her during insulin injections Louise began to tell the story of Colin’s bravery and determination to survive.
Scenes in this resulting play alternate between the life raft and a house in Hull as York actors Jacob Ward and Livy Potter take the lead roles in Kate Veysey’s production. Box office: Gilling East, gillinjgeastevents@hotmail.co.uk; Helmsley, 01439 771700.
Man of The Moment: Ali Woods, playing York Barbican on his debut stand-up tour
Comedy men of The Moment: Mo Gilligan, In The Moment, York Barbican, tomorrow,8pm; Ali Woods, At The Moment, York Barbican, Friday, 8pm
THE moment has arrived for two comedy tour dates with similar show titles, first up the host of Channel 4’s The Lateish Show With Mo Gilligan, Londoner Mo Gilligan, on his In The Moment World Tour 2024.
The following night, half-English, half-Scottish comedian, podcaster and content creator Ali Woods plays York on his debut stand-up tour. At 30, this viral online sketch sensation has finally fallen in love with an amazing lady. “Come on an embarrassing and cathartic journey of teenage angst, relationship fails and learning how to live in the moment,” he says. Tickets update: available for both shows, whereas An Audience With Monty Don (November 11), Jamie Cullum (November 12), Sarah Millican: Late Bloomer (November 14) and Suzi Quatro ( November 15) have sold out already. Box office: yortkbarbican.co.uk.
Artist CJP with his work The Majestic Oak at Art Of Protest Gallery, York
Exhibition of the week: From Little Acorns Grow Mighty Hopes: An Exhibition of Hand-drawn Natural Wonders, Art of Protest Gallery, Walmgate, York, until November 16
ART Of Protest is the first gallery to show CJP’s work The Majesty Oak in an exhibition of original and rare limited-edition artwork. Look out for the Art Of Protest York Special Edition, only available to be ordered until November 16, featuring the River Ouse-dwelling Tansy Beetle, an elusive insect featured on a resplendent mural near York railway station.
“This is an amazing opportunity to own a truly unique celebration of British fauna with a very special York twist,” says gallery owner Craig Humble. “CJP will add a Tansy Beetle to each piece, along with the gold leafing of the branches.”
Very definitely Pride Of Prejudice * (*Sort Of), sending up Jane Austen affectionately in Isobel McArthur’s play at York Theatre Royal
Theatrical flourish of the week: Pride And Prejudice* (*Sort Of), York Theatre Royal, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees
MEN, money and microphones will be fought over in Pride And Prejudice* (*Sort Of), the audacious retelling of a certain Jane Austen novel, where the stakes couldn’t be higher when it comes to romance but it’s party time, so expect the all-female cast to deliver such emotionally turbulent pop gems as You’re So Vain and Young Hearts Run Free.
Writer Isobel McArthur directs this new production of her West End hit, Olivier Award winner for best comedy. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
In the driving seat: Kym Marsh’s Cruella De Vil in 101 Dalmatians The Musical. Picture: Johan Persson
Dog show of the week: 101 Dalmatians The Musical, Grand Opera House, York, until Saturday, 7pm plus 2pm today, Thursday and Saturday matinees
KYM Marsh’s Cruella De Vil leads the cast for this musical tour of Dodie Smith’s canine caper 101 Dalmatians. Written by Douglas Hodge (music and lyrics) and Johnny McKnight (book), from a stage adaptation by Zinnie Harris, the show is re-imagined from the 2022 production at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, London.
When fashionista Cruella De Vil plots to swipe all the Dalmatian puppies in town to create her fabulous new fur coat, trouble lies ahead for Pongo and Perdi and their litter of tail-wagging young pups in a story brought to stage life with puppetry, choreography, humorous songs and, yes, puppies. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
3 Missing 10 Hours, directed by Fanni Fazakas, showing in the Animation programme at Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2024
York festival of the week: Aesthetica Short Film Festival, York city centre, today to Sunday, and UNESCO City of Media Arts EXPO, Guildhall, York, Thursday to Saturday
THE BAFTA-Qualifying Aesthetica Short Film Festival returns for its 14th year under the direction of Cherie Federico, this time integrating the tenth anniversary of York’s designation as Great Britain’s only UNESCO City of Media Arts. Fifteen venues will play host to 300 film screenings in 12 genres, Virtual Realty and Gaming labs, plus 60 panels, workshops and discussions. For the full programme and tickets, head to asff.co.uk.
The UNESCO EXPO will showcase the region’s creative sector, working in film production, games development, VFX (visual effects), publishing and design, with the chance to try out new projects and speak to creatives. Entry to the Guildhall is free.
Ghosts After Dark: New nocturnal complement to the Ghosts In The Gardens installation in York Museum Gardens
Nocturnal event of the week: Ghosts After Dark, York Museums Gardens, tomorrow to Sunday, 6.30pm to 9.30pm; last entry, 8.30pm
YORK Museums Trust and the York BID present the inaugural Ghosts After Dark, showcasing York’s rich tapestry of historical figures with light, sound and storytellers for four nights only.
Ticketholders will have the exclusive chance to experience York Museum Gardens like never before, by choosing their own path to explore 46 ghostly sculptures, hidden around the gardens and lit dynamically against an atmospheric background of smoke and sound. Box office: yorkshiremuseum.org.uk/ghosts-after-dark/.
Fishermen’s Friends: Playing York Barbican this week, then returning next October
Gig announcements of the week: Fisherman’s Friends, York Barbican, October 3 2025
IN celebration of performing sea shanties for more than 30 years across the world, Fisherman’s Friends will head out from the Cornish fishing village of Port Isaac to play a British tour split between 2025 and 2026.
York will come early, booked for night number two next October on a 32-date itinerary announced even before they have played their sold-out Barbican gig on Friday this week on their Rock The Boat tour, promoting fifth album All Aboard. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
UNESCO City of Media Arts EXPO: A showcase for York’s creative industries
THE inaugural UNESCO City of Media Arts EXPO – the first such exhibition in Great Britain – will celebrate the tenth anniversary of York’s global designation in the Guildhall from Thursday to Saturday.
Taking place within this week’s Aesthetica Short Film Festival, the EXPO is a “dynamic marketplace for innovation and cutting-edge ideas, showcasing the region’s thriving and growing creative sector by exhibiting the local organisations who are making a national and international impact.”
York is the only British UNESCO City of Media Arts, providing a global stage for film production, games development, VFX (visual effects), publishing and design.
The city’s creative industries are a major contributor to the local economy, driving job creation, tourism and investment, as will be highlighted in the EXPO, where entry is free to try out new projects, speak to creatives and see how York is to generating future opportunities in retail, hospitality, transport and services.
Cherie Federico, director of Aesthetica Short Film Festival, says: “The UNESCO City of Media Arts EXPO is one of the most exciting and enriching experiences to celebrate the UK’s creative industries.
“In our region, we are working on a global stage and the EXPO celebrates ten years of designation while also looking forward to how York can position itself as a national and international leader in the sector, creating jobs, driving inward investment and developing clear educational pathways.”
Sarah Loftus, managing director of collaboration partner Make It York, says: “The creative arts and culture sectors, along with ten years of UNESCO designation, are some of the many reasons that make York such a wonderful place to both live and visit. To be able to showcase this with the EXPO, in the centre of the city, is very exciting.”
Consider the facts: the creative industries contribute £109 billion pounds to the UK economy annually and employ 2.3 million people. York is a leader in that economy, as emphasised by its status as one of only 26 cities worldwide to be selected by UNESCO as a City of Media Arts, on a par with such influential locations as Austin, Texas, Sapporo, Japan, and Toronto, Canada.
Among York and North Yorkshire’s creative forces attending the EXPO will be Aesthetica; Art of Protest Gallery; Art Is My Career; Ay-Pe; Bright White; factual TV production company Button Down Productions; Creative Business Skills Academy; Last Maps Illustrations; film content production company Orillo Productions, Peel X; Pollen Studios; Pilot Theatre; Revolution Software; The Distance; visual effects specialist Viridian FX and XR Stories.
In addition to connecting filmmakers, developers and screen executives attending this week’s film festival with businesses that deliver the services they need, the EXPO will support the next generation of talent by showcasing educational pathways and career progressions.
Look out for the premiere of the latest commissioned work by Middleton-in-Teesdale environmental artist Steve Messam in the Guildhall courtyard. Known for his large-scale temporary installations that merge architecture and the natural environment – such as his permanent installation in Wonderlab: The Bramall Gallery at the National Railway Museum and the Aesthetica Art Prize-nominated Portico on the front of York Art Gallery in 2022 – he has designed Lantern I as an exploration of space and interaction.
Through its intricate play with light, the new work featuring 180 metres of festoon lights will transform the historic Guildhall setting into an immersive and ethereal environment.
The BBC will be filming Messam at the EXPO, in a focus on heritage and contemporary art, ahead of his joint exhibition in China with sculptor Sir Tony Cragg.
Cherie Federico has been the driving force behind the Reignite series of events in York focused on nurturing the future of the city’s creative industries. The sixth edition, Reignite VI: Culture Makes Places, will take place during the festival and EXPO, when York will be full of local, national and international attendees.
Representatives from three UNESCO Cities of Media Arts – Braga (Portugal), Linz (Austria) and Oulu (Finland) – will share how they leverage culture to drive transformative change in their cities.
This forum will be a chance to discover how culture enhances economic development, creates jobs and offers skills and opportunities for young people, “fostering growth and innovation across the urban ecosystem”.
The event will be opened by David Skaith, Mayor of the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, and addressed by Cherie. Presentations from each city will explore their unique approaches, followed by a panel discussion.
“I’ve been looking to raise the profile of the creative industries through the series of Reignite events, bringing all the different sectors together,” says Cherie. “We should use this UNESCO designation to elevate all of us, and with this year being the tenth anniversary of that designation we needed to celebrate that landmark and highlight the businesses of the future in York.
“That’s the purpose of the EXPO, where all are welcome to attend for free. To me, we should be focusing not on what there isn’t but what there is in York, and this is an opportunity for creative industries to make transformative changes.”
Cherie brings the positivity of New York – her home before settling in York 20 years ago – to her artistic pursuits. “If you beat yourself down, you’re going to be down. If you approach things with that mentality, you’re stuck in the past, but you have to give the creative industries the chance to rise because that attitude becomes infectious.
“People want things to change. This is a city that had nine million visitors in 2023; a city with history but modern culture too. We need to be living in a city that celebrates not just that cultural impact but the economic impact too because it boosts all sectors.”
Why will admission to the EXPO be free? “We want everyone in the city and beyond to be able to understand what it means to be a UNESCO City of Media Arts,” reasons Cherie. “This is the perfect time to highlight it, during an international film festival, when so many people will be coming to York already.”
For more details of the EXPO, head to: https://mediacityexpo.com/.
Aesthetica director Cherie Federico: Why UNESCO City of Media Arts status “positions York at the forefront of global creative discussions”
Cherie Federico
“YORK’S designation as a UNESCO City of Media Arts has profoundly impacted the city’s cultural and economic landscape, fostering a dynamic ecosystem where creativity, technology and education intersect.
“As an emerging sector, media arts is gaining momentum, creating pathways for future careers and educational opportunities. This designation not only attracts investment and talent but also positions York as a hub for digital innovation and creative industries, which benefits tourism, hospitality, retail and other sectors across the economy.
“Celebrating the tenth anniversary of York’s UNESCO designation marks a significant milestone, symbolising a decade of transformation driven by the media arts. Over these ten years, the designation has strengthened York’s global reputation, supporting local economic growth by driving job creation and developing crucial skills for the creative industries.
“The status encourages collaboration between cultural organisations, educational institutions and businesses, creating an environment where new ideas and projects can thrive. This collaborative culture is vital for retaining graduates and attracting skilled workers, making the city increasingly appealing to young talent and creatives from around the world.
“Additionally, the focus on media arts extends beyond economic impact, enhancing social cohesion and community involvement through cultural programming. Events, festivals and exhibitions celebrate new talent while promoting international collaboration, thus enriching York’s artistic landscape.
“The upcoming UNESCO City of Media Arts EXPO, part of Reignite VI: Culture Makes Places, exemplifies this commitment to cultural exchange. Held at the Guildhall, the EXPO will showcase cutting-edge exhibits from the creative industries, which celebrates the sector’s potential by exploring how media arts contributes to sustainable urban transformation.
“As the event coincides with the BAFTA-Qualifying Aesthetica Short Film Festival, it positions York at the forefront of global creative discussions, drawing attention to the city’s evolving cultural scene.
“As a regional city, York recognises the need to operate on a national and international level to maximise the benefits of its UNESCO status. With over eight million visitors annually, the city is well positioned to reach beyond its borders, leveraging its unique offer — a blend of historic charm and modern creativity.”
Underscoring this ambition, Cherie says: “The economic potential of the creative sector on our city is phenomenal, and everyone benefits.
“The tenth anniversary celebrations, including Reignite VI and the UNESCO City of Media Arts EXPO, are pivotal in showcasing how cultural programming can propel York’s ambitions forward, driving growth and innovation while fostering a sense of shared purpose and a forward-thinking city.
“By investing in media arts and embracing its UNESCO designation, York aims not only to maintain its status as a leading cultural destination but also to expand its influence globally, ensuring a prosperous and inclusive future for the city.
“These efforts will help York aspire to more than just a visitor destination, transforming it into a thriving centre for creativity, education and economic development that stands out on the world stage.”
Did you know?
IN 2023, the Aesthetica Short Film Festival welcomed more than 26,000 visitors, bringing a £2 million economic boost to York.
Cherie Federico: Director of Aesthetica Short Film Festival
THE 2024 Aesthetica Short Film Festival takes over 15 venues in York from November 6 to 10, incorporating the UK’s first-ever UNESCO City of Media Arts EXPO.
The festival brings together filmmakers, industry leaders and audiences from around the world for screenings and events as York is transformed into a global stage for screen culture, attracting thousands of attendees and participants from more than 60 countries.
“I’m incredibly excited to open the 14th edition of the BAFTA-Qualifying Aesthetica Short Film Festival in York, a city rich in history and culture,” says director Cherie Federico. “The festival supports York’s designation as a UNESCO City of Media Arts. It’s a celebration of film, new technologies, art and creativity, operating on both national and international levels.
“We’re screening an expansive programme of 300 films across 12 genres from 60 countries and opening a Games Lab, VR Lab, countless panels and masterclasses, with some of the world’s leading talent arriving in York for the week. Aesthetica is an inclusive experience that invites everyone to participate, reinforcing York’s standing as a global hub for culture and media arts.”
In addition to the diverse film offerings, this year’s programme will showcase cutting-edge technologies with Virtual Reality (VR) and Gaming Labs, providing immersive experiences for both the curious and the tech-savvy.
“The VR and Gaming Labs are joined up in a new technology hub at the Hospitium, a new venue for this year’s festival in York Museum Gardens,” says New Yorker Cherie, who has lived in York for 20 years.
“Only in York would you put the cutting edge of new technology in a 14th century building, such as a game from Aardman about Wallace and Gromit trying to go on holiday. We’ll also have a VR and gaming Happy Hour in Thor’s Tipi in the gardens.”
The poster for the 2024 Aesthetica Short Film Festival
Throughout the festival, audiences will have the opportunity to learn from top professionals in the film, television and digital media industries. “Guests from renowned organisations such as the New York Times, Tribeca Film Festival, Aardman, BBC Film, Ridley Scott Associates, and Framestore will share their expertise through 60 panels, workshops, and discussions,” says Cherie.
“We’re delighted that the New York Times is coming this year to check out what we’re doing as a festival and that Tribeca Film Festival will be here because they’ve heard that Aesthetica is the festival for finding new British talent.”
In addition, aspiring filmmakers and creatives can engage in practical workshops, including sessions on stop-motion animation, filmmaking, coding and games development for children.”
Sessions are designed to offer insights into the industry’s inner workings, with contributions from prestigious creatives shaping the future of screen culture.
Among those hosting masterclasses will be Julian Foddy, from Industrial Light & Magic, who will highlight how the studio behind Star Wars has crafted iconic cinematic worlds; Nowhere Boy and Back To Black screenwriter Matt Greenhalgh, discussing his approach to storytelling and the art of screenwriting, and Ubisoft, creators of Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR, exploring the challenges of adapting storytelling for virtual reality platforms.
Abubakar Salim, actor and voice talent from Raised by Wolves and Assassin’s Creed: Origins, will take a deep dive into character development and voice acting and representatives from Ridley Scott Associates, founded by the legendary director of Blade Runner and Alien, will lead a session on documentary filmmaking and practical tips for film development.
A further festival highlight will be Aestheticax Audible’sThe Listening Pitch, a “cinematic exploration of the unheard” that funds documentaries that reveal how listening helps us to understand new points of view.
UNESCO City of Media Arts EXPO: Part of the 2024 Aesthetica Short Film Festival
On November 9, at City Screen Picturehouse, the festival will premiere 2024’s winning films, Liberty Smith’s Greensound and Ornella Mutoni’s The Things We Don’t Say, complemented by Old Lesbians and Speed Of Sound, winners from previous years.
This year marks the tenth anniversary of York’s designation as a UNESCO City of Media Arts, a milestone that the film festival will mark with a series of events that highlight the city’s dynamic role in the global creative industries.
The UNESCO EXPO will bring together leading media arts cities from across Europe, including Braga (Portugal), Linz (Austria), and Oulu (Finland), who will showcase how their designation as UNESCO Cities of Media Arts has driven cultural investment and spurred creative opportunities.
“The EXPO promises to be an invaluable platform for cross-cultural exchange, collaboration and innovation in the media arts space,” says Cherie.
“I’ve been looking to raise the profile of the creative industries through a series of Reignite events in York, bringing all the different sectors together. We should use this UNESCO designation to elevate all of us, and with this year being the tenth anniversary of that designation we needed to celebrate that landmark and highlight the businesses of the future in York.
“The question is, how do we establish a thriving creative industry with an educational pathway, and how do we make this a city for a cutting-edge media arts industry? That’s why we’re putting on the EXPO, an exhibition with free entry to highlight York businesses that are operating on a national and international level, to make people aware of the film, visual effects, gaming, VR and experiential design work already going on in the city.
“York’s UNESCO City of Media Arts designation has solidified the city’s position as a national and international leader in the creative industries. Over the past decade, York has become a vibrant hub for digital and media innovation, attracting significant investments and fostering a thriving creative community.”
For the full 2024 festival programme and to book tickets, head to: asff.co.uk.
Skylights: York band headline York Barbican for the first time tonight
FROM Skylights to Ghosts After Dark, a fiesta of film to a musical dog show, Charles Hutchinson spots plenty to light up these November nights.
York gig of the week: Skylights, York Barbican, tonight, doors 7pm
ANTHEMIC York indie band Skylights play their biggest home-city gig to date this weekend with support from Serotones and Pennine Suite.
Guitarist Turnbull Smith says: ‘We’re absolutely over the moon to be headlining the Barbican. It’s always been a dream of ours to play here. So to headline will be the perfect way to finish a great year. Thanks to everyone for the support. It means the world and we’ll see you all there.” Box office update: Standing tickets still available at ticketmaster.co.uk.
Rob Rouse: Headlining Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club at The Basement, City Screen Picturehouse, tonight
Comedy gig of the week: Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club, Rob Rouse, Peter Brush, Faizan Shan and Damion Larkin, The Basement, City Screen Picturehouse, York, tonight, 8pm
PEAK District comedian, television regular, Upstart Crow actor and self-help podcaster Rob Rouse, who trained as a geography teacher at the University of Sheffield, makes a rare York appearance with his hyperactive, loveable brand of comedy.
Harrogate Comedian of the Year 2012 Peter Brush combines a slight, bespectacled frame and scruffy hair with quirky one-liners and original material, delivered in an amusingly awkward fashion. Manchester comic Faizan Shah’s material makes light of growing up in an immigrant household with the mental health challenges it brings. Organiser Damion Larkin hosts as ever. Box office: 01904 612940 or lolcomedyclubs.co.uk.
Artist CJP with his work The Majestic Oak at Art Of Protest Gallery, York
Exhibition of the week: From Little Acorns Grow Mighty Hopes: An Exhibition of Hand-drawn Natural Wonders, Art of Protest Gallery, Walmgate, York, until November 16
ART Of Protest is the first gallery to show CJP’s work The Majestic Oak in an exhibition of original and rare limited-edition artwork. Look out for the Art Of Protest York Special Edition, only available to be ordered until November 16, featuring the River Ouse-dwelling Tansy Beetle, an elusive insect featured on a resplendent mural near York railway station.
“This is an amazing opportunity to own a truly unique celebration of British fauna with a very special York twist,” says gallery owner Craig Humble. “CJP will add a Tansy Beetle to each piece, along with the gold leafing of the branches.”
Pride And Prejudice * (*Sort Of): Making merry mayhem with Jane Austen’s novel at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Mihaela Bodlovic
Theatrical high spirits of the week: Pride And Prejudice* (*Sort Of), York Theatre Royal, November 4 to 9, 7.30pm plus 2pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees
MEN, money and microphones will be fought over in Pride And Prejudice* (*Sort Of), the audacious retelling of a certain Jane Austen novel, where the stakes couldn’t be higher when it comes to romance but it’s party time, so expect the all-female cast to deliver such emotionally turbulent pop gems as Young Hearts Run Free, Will You Love Me Tomorrow and You’re So Vain.
Writer Isobel McArthur directs this new production of her West End hit, Olivier Award winner for best comedy and Emerging Talent Award winner in the Evening Standard Theatre Awards, now featuring University of York alumna Georgia Firth in the cast. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
On the spot: 101 Dalmatians The Musical takes up canine residence at the Grand Opera House from Tuesday. Picture: Johan Persson
Dog show of the week: 101 Dalmatians The Musical, Grand Opera House, York, November 5 to 9, 7pm plus 2pm Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday matinees
KYM Marsh’s Cruella De Vil leads the cast for this musical tour of Dodie Smith’s canine caper 101 Dalmatians. Written by Douglas Hodge (music and lyrics) and Johnny McKnight (book), from a stage adaptation by Zinnie Harris, the show is re-imagined from the 2022 production at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, London.
When fashionista Cruella De Vil plots to swipe all the Dalmatian puppies in town to create her fabulous new fur coat, trouble lies ahead for Pongo and Perdi and their litter of tail-wagging young pups in a story brought to stage life with puppetry, choreography, humorous songs and, yes, puppies. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
3 Missing 10 Hours, directed by Fanni Fazakas, showing in the Animation programme at Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2024
York festival of the week: Aesthetica Short Film Festival, York city centre, November 6 to 10, and UNESCO City of Media Arts EXPO, Guildhall, York, November 7 to 9
THE BAFTA-Qualifying Aesthetica Short Film Festival returns for its 14th year under the direction of Cherie Federico, this time integrating the tenth anniversary of York’s designation as Great Britain’s only UNESCO City of Media Arts. Fifteen venues will play host to 300 film screenings in 12 genres, Virtual Realty and Gaming labs, plus 60 panels, workshops and discussions. For the full programme and tickets, head to asff.co.uk.
The UNESCO EXPO will showcase the region’s creative sector, working in film production, games development, VFX (visual effects), publishing and design, with the chance to try out new projects and speak to creatives. Entry to the Guildhall is free.
Ghosts After Dark: New nocturnal complement to the Ghosts In The Gardens installation in York Museum Gardens
Nocturnal event of the week: Ghosts After Dark, York Museums Gardens, November 7 to 10, 6.30pm to 9.30pm; last entry, 8.30pm
YORK Museums Trust and the York BID present the inaugural Ghosts After Dark, showcasing York’s rich tapestry of historical figures with light, sound and storytellers for four nights only.
Ticketholders will have the exclusive chance to experience York Museum Gardens like never before, by choosing their own path to explore 46 ghostly sculptures, hidden around the gardens and lit dynamically against an atmospheric background of smoke and sound. Box office: yorkshiremuseum.org.uk/ghosts-after-dark/.
Rag’n’Bone Man: Returning to Scarborough Open Air Theatre next summer
Gig announcements of the week: TK Maxx presents Scarborough Open Air Theatre, UB40 featuring Ali Campbell, July 6, and Rag’n’Bone Man, July 11 2025
“I THINK I’ve got the best reggae band in the world,” says UB40 legend Ali Campbell, who last played Scarborough OAT in 2021. “They are all seasoned musicians, who have spent all their lives in professional bands, and I feel so confident with them.” Support acts will be Bitty McLean and Pato Banton.
Triple BRIT Award and Ivor Novello Award winner Rag’n’Bone Man, alias Rory Graham, will follow up his 2023 Scarborough OAT show with a return next summer in the wake of his third album, What Do You Believe In? entering the charts at number three last Friday. His special guest will be Elles Bailey. Box office: ticketmaster.co.uk.
Show announcement of the year: Gary Oldman in Krapp’s Last Tape, York Theatre Royal, April 14 to May 17 2025
Gary Oldman reflecting on his first steps in professional theatre in the York Theatre Royal dressing rooms on his March visit
OSCAR winner Gary Oldman will return to York Theatre Royal, where he began his career as a pantomime cat, to direct himself in Krapp’s Last Tape next spring: his first stage appearance since the late-1980s.
The April 14 to May 17 2025 production of Samuel Beckett’s one-act monodrama was set in motion when Slow Horses star Oldman paid a visit to the St Leonard’s Palace theatre in March, when he met chief executive Paul Crewes.
“When Gary visited us at the beginning of the year, it was fascinating hearing him recount stories of his time as a young man, in his first professional role on the York Theatre Royal stage.,” says Paul.
“In that context when we started to explore ideas, we realised Krapp’s Last Tape was the perfect project. I am very happy that audiences will have this unique opportunity to see Gary Oldman return to our stage in this brand new production.”
Making plans: Actor and director Gary Oldman in discussion with York Theatre Royal chief executive Paul Crewes in the York Theatre Royal main house auditorium
Ticket prices start at £25, with priority booking for the York Theatre Royal Director’s Circle opening on November 6, YTR Members’ priority booking from November 11 and public booking on November 16, all from 1pm. To become a member and access priority booking, head to: https://www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk/support-us/.
After graduating from Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama, Londoner Oldman started out in the repertory ranks at York Theatre Royal in 1979 in such plays as Privates On Parade and She Stoops To Conquer and playing the Cat in Berwick Kaler’s third York pantomime, Dick Whittington, that Christmas.
Dame Berwick later told the Guardian in an interview in 2018: “Gary has gone on to become one of our greatest screen actors but I’m afraid he was a bit of a lightweight when it came to pantomime.
“He kept fainting inside the costume. On at least three occasions I had to turn to the audience and say, ‘Oh dear, boys and girls, I think the poor pussy cat has gone to sleep’!”
Gary Oldman as the Cat with dame Berwick Kaler, centre, in the 1979-1980 York Theatre Royal pantomime Dick Whittington. Picture: York Theatre Royal
Oldman, now 66, posted on Instagram: “My professional public acting debut was on stage at the York Theatre Royal. York, for me, is the completion of a cycle. It is the ‘where it all began’. York, in a very real sense, for me, is coming home.
“The combination of York and Krapp’s Last Tape is all the more poignant because it is ‘a play about a man returning to his past of 30 years earlier’.”
After cutting his teeth in York, New Cross-born Oldman went on to act at the Glasgow Citizens Theatre, the Royal Court, London, and the Royal Shakespeare Company. He then swapped theatre for film with break-our roles as Sid Vicious in Sid And Nancy (1986), Lee Harvey Oswald in JFK (1992) and Dracula in Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992).
He later played Sirius Black in the Harry Potter film franchise and Commissioner Jim Gordon in Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, won the 2018 Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe awards for Best Actor for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour, and is now starring as obnoxious MI5 boss Jackson Lamb in the latest Apple+ series of British spy thriller Slow Horses.
Gary Oldman (third from the left in hat and glasses) in Privates On Parade at York Theatre Royal in 1979: one of his first professional performances after graduating from Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama, in Sidcup, Kent, with a BA in Acting. Picture: York Theatre Royal
Oldman has been considering going back to the stage for a long time. “I have never been far from the theatre and, in fact, have been discussing plays and my return to the theatre for nearly 30 years,” he posted.
What happens in Krapp’s Last Tape, Samuel Beckett at his most theatre of the absurd? Each year, on his birthday, Krapp records a new tape reflecting on the year gone by.
On his 69th birthday, Krapp, now a lonely man, is ready with a bottle of wine, a banana and his tape recorder. Listening back to a recording he made as a young man, Krapp must face the hopes of his past self.
The melancholic, tragicomic role was premiered in 1958 by Patrick Magee and has been played by the likes of Albert Finney, Harold Pinter, John Hurt, Stephen Rea and Kenneth Allan Taylor, the long-running Nottingham Playhouse pantomime dame, writer and director, at York Theatre Royal in 2009.
Gary Oldman’s Cat in the 1979-1980 York Theatre Royal pantomime Dick Whittington. Picture: York Theatre Royal
Samuel Beckett (1906 – 1989): the back story
IRISH writer, dramatist and poet, specialising in theatre of the absurd. Wrote in English and French. Principal works for the stage included Endgame, Krapp’s Last Tape and Waiting For Godot. Awarded Nobel Prize for Literature in 1969.
Gary Oldman: Further screen appearances
TINKER, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Academy Award and BAFTA nominations); Mank (Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations); Oppenheimer; The Book Of Eli; Meantime; The Firm; Prick Up Your Ears; Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead; State Of Grace; Romeo Is Bleeding; True Romance; Leon/The Professional; The Fifth Element; Immortal Beloved and Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes, among many others.
Worked with directors Stephen Frears, Oliver Stone, Frances Ford Coppola, Luc Besson, Alfonso Curon, Chris Nolan, Tony Scott, Ridley Scott, Steven Soderbergh, David Fincher and Paulo Sorrentino.
Did you know?
IN 1995 Gary Oldman and producing partner Douglas Urbanski founded a production company, producing Oldman’s screenwriting and directorial debut, Nil By Mouth, winner of nine majot awards from 17 nominations.
Selected to open the main competition for the 1997 50th Anniversary of the Cannes Film Festival, where Kathy Burke won Best Actress. The same year, Oldman won Channel Four Director’s Prize at Edinburgh International Film Festival, British Academy Award (shared with Douglas Urbanski) for Best Film and BAFTA for Best Original Screenplay.
In Focus:Other Lives Productions in How To Be Brave, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, Sunday, 7.30pm, and on tour
Livy Potter as Katy, left, and Alice Rose Palmer as mum Natalie in Louise Beech’s How To Be Brave
ON March 19 1943, just after midnight, Merchant Seaman Colin Armitage’s cargo ship, the Lulworth Hill, was torpedoed by an Italian Navy submarine in the South Atlantic. He scrambled aboard a life raft. Fifty days later HMS Rapid rescued him.
Colin was the grandfather of How To Be Brave playwright Louise Beech. Sixty-four years after his ordeal, Louise’s daughter, Katy, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. In order to distract her during insulin injections Louise began to tell the story of Colin’s bravery and determination to survive.
The story inspiring ten-year-old Katy to be brave in the face of her diabetes is a true one. She has said that Grandad Colin’s experience made her determined to carry on when she wanted to give up and die: “If Grandad Colin can survive an ordeal like that, I can do anything. I can do these injections,” she said. And she has never faltered.
Director Kate Veysey with Rose’s seagull Gilbert
“We hope that by presenting this story we can inspired audiences in the East Riding and beyond,” says director Kate Veysey, a familiar name from both York Theatre Royal Youth Theatre and Next Door But One productions.
Scenes alternate between the life raft and Katy’s house in Hull as York actors Jacob Ward and Livy Potter take the roles of Colin Armitage and Rose (Katy, given a pseudonym), joined by Lex Stephenson as carpenter Ken Cooke, on the raft, Alice Rose Palmer as Natalie (alias mum Louise) and Alison Shaw as nurse Shelley. Age guidance: ten upwards (the show contains moderate bad language). Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Lex Stephenson, as Ken Cooke, left, and Jacob Ward, as Colin Armitage, in Other Lives Productions’ How To Be Brave
The poster for Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2024
AESTHETICA Short Film Festival returns for its 14th edition from November 6 to 10, this time alongside the UNESCO City of Media Arts EXPO.
York’s BAFTA-Qualifying film festival is the dynamic destination for bold ideas and innovative storytelling, taking place across 15 city-centre venues.
Directed by Cherie Federico, a New Yorker who has made York her home for 20 years, the festival puts York on the map for screen culture with an expansive screening programme of the best independent British and international film, VR [Virtual Reality] and video games.
Aesthetica also brings award-winning creatives from around the world to York, including representatives from the New York Times, Ridley Scott Associates, Tribeca Film Festival, Aardman, BBC Film, Film4 and many more.
Festival attendees can learn from and connect with these industry leaders in masterclasses, workshops for adults and children, networking sessions and social events.
Top Ten Things To See and Do at Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2024
Lucy Dreams – Love, directed by Monika Jungwirth: One of 300 film screenings at Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2024
1. 300 Film Screenings:
This year’s screening programme is rich with innovative storytelling, including films by the most exciting talent, featuring the likes of Ian McKellen, Bill Nighy, Siobhan McSweeney, Sarah Hadland and Jessie Buckley.
Explore films spanning 12 genres, including animation, comedy, documentary, drama, fashion, family friendly, thriller and more. The festival runs in a hybrid format; screenings can be experienced on the big screen or streamed from home throughout November.
2. Masterclasses:
Aesthetica is one of the UK’s largest and most revered events in the screen industries, bringing prestigious, award-winning creatives from around the world to York. With In-person and Hybrid tickets you can access a world-class line-up of 60 masterclasses and panel sessions.
Speakers this year include Ridley Scott Associates, Tribeca, BBC, Aardman, Film4, the Guardian and the New York Times, as well as directors, producers and VFX specialists who have worked on well-known titles, such as Assassin’s Creed, Star Wars, Back To Black and House Of The Dragon.
Cherie Federico: Director of Aesthetica Short Film Festival
3. Virtual Reality Lab:
Aesthetica invites you to become fully immersed in imaginative stories. Embark on a multi-sensory journey as you explore cinema in 360 degrees at the Hospitium, Museum Gardens. Test out the latest advances in film with 24 VR projects.
Travel across the world and through time in the Cultural Tapestries collection and push the boundaries of reality and imagination in Dreamscapes and Dimensions.
4. Games Lab:
Investigate.games invites you to be part of the world, taking on an active role in uncovering new narratives. Aesthetica’s Games Lab at the Hospitium presents 36 games from indie developers and renowned studios across PC, console, headset and smart devices.
Take to the stars to save Earth in Sam Enright’s retro-futuristic adventure Beyond Galaxyland and play Aardman’s Emmy-nominated Wallace & Gromit in The Grand Getaway, a VR experience that takes you on a new adventure.
Megadeath Of Meaning, directed by Corina Andrian, showing at Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2024
5. Workshops:
This year, both adults and children will learn something new in expert-led practical workshops covering an array of film and gaming topics. Explore the world of AI Generators, learn how to storyboard VR films and discover more about adapting stories into films.
Children can develop their skills and make new friends in workshops covering filmmaking, game developing and stop-motion animation. These workshops require a separate ticket.
6. UNESCO City of Media Arts EXPO
THIS year’s festival celebrates the tenth anniversary of York’s designation as the UK’s only UNESCO City of Media Arts with an EXPO showcase of 25 businesses that operate on national and international levels.
The event offers an unparalleled opportunity to experience cutting-edge work happening in York. Visit the Guildhall from November 7 to 9 to meet the pioneering creatives working across film, games, design and VFX. Suitable for all ages. Free entry. Head to: mediacityexpo.com/.
UNESCO City Of Media Arts EXPO: Celebrating the tenth anniversary of this status as part of Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2024
7. Listening Pitch Documentary Film Premieres
Aesthetica has partnered with Audible to champion documentary filmmaking talent. The Listening Pitch explores the cinematic of the unheard in a project that funds documentaries that reveal how listening helps us to understand untold stories.
On November 9, you can attend the premiere of 2024’s winning films: Liberty Smith’s Greensound and Ornella Mutoni’s The Things We Don’t Say, as well as winners from previous years.
Aesthetica is the home of new talent, where you can experience the names of the future. Festival films have gone on to screen at Sundance and SXSW [South By South West] and be distributed on the Guardian website.
8. Art Exhibitions and Premieres:
Aesthetica is more than film, bringing five days of art and culture to York through immersive sound installations and art exhibitions. Experience Where Are You Really From?, an eight-channel sound installation by artist and musician Vendela Haakonsen, whose piece connects the narratives of eight individuals from diverse backgrounds with bespoke piano compositions, reflecting on themes of belonging and identity.
3 Missing 10 Hours, directed by Fanni Fazakas, showing in the Animation programme at Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2024
The Film Poster Exhibition at City Screen Picturehouse will celebrate the historical relationship between art and cinema. On show will be 40 pieces from the festival’s Official Selection.
View the premiere of contemporary artist Steve Messam’s new site-specific piece, Lantern I, at the UNESCO City of Media Arts EXPO. Messam, who specialises in projects that challenge perceptions of space and place, plays with light as he transforms the Guildhall building into an immersive and ethereal environment.
9. Networking & Parties:
To connect with new people, explore industry opportunities or discover approaches to filmmaking, networking sessions and parties will take place across the five days in a chance to meet, chat and share ideas. Expect relaxed and friendly atmospheres.
10. Awards Ceremony:
Drawing the festival to a close, the Awards Ceremony will welcome filmmakers, delegates and audiences to watch the prize-giving. Prizes are awarded for the best film in each genre, as well as the Best of Fest and Special Guest awards. Take part in the celebration, to be followed by a reception on November 10.
For the festival programme and tickets, visit asff.co.uk. York Residents Day Passes cost from £22.50.
Remembering it well: Stalwart friends Dame Judi Dench and Gyles Brandreth, revelling in stories of stage and screenon stage at the Grand Opera House, York. Picture: Charlie Kirkpatrick, Kirkpatrick Photography
DAME Judi Dench’s return to her home city for the talk show I Remember It Well at the Grand Opera House has been marked by a seat dedication in honour of last night’s visit to the York theatre.
Dame Judi chose her preferred seat number for the first such dedication since the Cumberland Street theatre was refurbished in 2022.
The engraved gold plaque, placed on the front-row seat A9 in the Dress Circle, reads: “York’s celebrated star of stage and screen, Dame Judi Dench, performed here 10 October 2024”.
Dame Judi, 89, was joined on stage at the sold-out 7.30pm event by television presenter, theatre producer, journalist, author, publisher and former Conservative MP for the City of Chester Gyles Brandreth.
Dame Judi Dench’s commemorative plaque on her chosen seat: A9, Dress Circle
Together they presented their hit West End and Royal Albert Hall reminiscence, I Remember It Well, wherein Dame Judi and her friend Gyles undertook a roller-coaster trip down memory lane as they explored the story of her extraordinary life, from her childhood in Heworth, York, in the 1930s to her latest Oscar nomination – for Best Supporting actress in Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast – in 2022.
The packed auditorium, “filled with excited locals and far-afield visitors”, was entertained with anecdotes aplenty – stories, Shakespeare sonnets, songs and surprises – in a “two-hour party of lifetime”.
Audience member Alison (no surname provided), who watched from the Ambassador Box, said: “She is such an amazing lady. A true legend and a night to remember. Judi and Gyles are so natural and comfortable together with such warmth. We felt very honoured and lucky to be here.”
The poster for Dame Judi Dench and Gyles Brandreth’s Grand Opera House soiree, I Remember It Well
The 2022 refurbishment included the replacement of 269 seats in the Dress Circle. Under the Dedicate A Seat scheme, “you could dedicate a seat to a loved one as an original gift, to your favourite Grand Opera House star or create a lasting legacy for someone who loved the theatre,” says the Grand Opera House website.
“For £250 per seat, an engraved plaque will be placed on the seat of your choice and you will receive a commemorative certificate. Your seat will then be dedicated for a minimum of three year.”
A touching moment in Dame Judi Dench and Gyles Brandreth’s show at the Grand Opera House last night. Picture: Charlie Kirkpatrick, Kirkpatrick Photography
Rievaulx Abbey, mixed media, by Robert Dutton, on show in A Yorkshire Year at Nunnington Hall
YORKSHIRE landscapes, campsite class division, horror movies to the max and a talkative traveller herald the arrival of the arts autumn for Charles Hutchinson.
Exhibition of the week: A Yorkshire Year, Nunnington Hall, near Helmsley, until December 5
THE changing landscape of the Yorkshire countryside and coastline is captured by Yorkshire artists Robert Dutton, from Nunnington, and Andrew Moodie, from Harrogate, in seasonal images.
Dutton presents a dramatic interpretation of the untamed expanses of Yorkshire, from meandering freshwater rivers and hidden woodlands to the stark beauty of the moors. Moodie directs his attention to the undulating valleys of the Yorkshire Dales, as well as coastal villages. Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 10.30am to 5pm, last entry at 4.15pm. Normal admission prices apply at nationaltrust.org.uk/nunnington-hall.
The artwork for the Dead Northern 2024 Horror Film Festival at City Screen Picturehouse, York
Film event of the week: Dead Northern 2024 Horror Film Festival, City Screen, Picturehouse, York, today and tomorrow
IN “the world’s most haunted city”, Dead Northern presents a festival of movies, music and social gatherings. Today opens with Demonic Shorts at 11am, followed by the regional premiere of Scopophobia, 12.30pm; Slasher, Thriller and Creature Shorts, 2.30pm; UK premiere of The Healing, 4.30pm; Dead Talk film-making panel, 7.30pm; regional premiere of Kill Your Lover, 9pm, and VIP Awards Party at Revolution, York,11pm.
Tomorrow features the Mad Props documentary, 11am; mini-feature Strike,12.45pm; feature film The Monster Beneath Us, 1.15pm; music mini-feature The Black Quarry, 3.45pm; Music Videos, 4.30pm; UK premiere of Kill Victoria, 6.30pm, and world premiere of Lake Jesup, 8.30pm. Guests must be aged over 18 to access screenings and live events. Box office: deadnorthern.co.uk/dead-northern-2024-film-festival.
Tom Gallagher, Annie Kirkman and Laura Jennifer Banks in a scene from John Godber’s revival of Perfect Pitch
Touring play of the week: John Godber Company in Perfect Pitch, Harrogate Theatre, today, 2pm and 7.30pm; Pocklington Arts Centre, October 9 and 10, 7.30pm; Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, November 13 to 16, 7.30pm plus 1.30pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees
WHEN teacher Matt (Frazer Hammill) borrows his parents’ caravan for a week on the Yorkshire coast with partner Rose (Annie Kirkman), they are expecting four days of hill running and total de-stressing. However, with a Tribfest taking place nearby, Grant (Tom Gallagher) and Steph’s (Laura Jennifer Banks) pop-up tent is an unwelcome addition to their perfect pitch.
The class divide and loo cassettes become an issue as writer-director John Godber reignites his unsettling1998 state-of-the-nation comedy, set on an eroding coastline, as Matt and Rose are inducted into the world of caravanning and karaoke. Box office: Harrogate, 01423 502116 or harrogatetheatre.co.uk; Pocklington, 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk; Scarborough, 01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com.
The bird man of RedHouse Originals Gallery: artist Jim Moir at his Birdland exhibition in Harrogate
Last chance to see: Jim Moir, Birdland, RedHouse Originals Gallery, Cheltenham Mount, Harrogate, today, 10am, 10am to 5pm
“PEOPLE think that I am a comedian, but art comes first,” says Jim Moir, aka Vic Reeves, as he mounts his second RedHouse show. “This one is Birdland because of my love of birds. I spend most of my days bird watching and painting,” he says.
On show – and for sale – is an exclusive collection of 50 new paintings celebrating his favourite subject ahead of the October 24 release of his second bird book, More Birds, Paintings Of British Birds, published by Unbound. Free entry.
Clare Ferguson-Walker and Robin Ince: Plenty to discuss at Pocklington Arts Centre
Double act of the week: Clare Ferguson-Walker & Robin Ince, Pocklington Arts Centre, tonight, 8pm
TAKE a tour around two marvellous minds via the vehicles of poetry, storytelling, jokes, and general silliness when Clare Ferguson-Walker and Robin Ince link up in Pock. Poet, comedienne, sculptor and singer Clare’s explosive second collection, Chrysalis, lays bare the poet’s soul on a journey laced with humour and humane observation.
Humorist, presenter, poet and author Ince co-hosts the BBC Radio 4 series The Infinite Monkey Cage with Professor Brian Cox. His books include Bibliomaniac, The Importance Of Being Interested, I’m A Joke And So Are You and his next work, Normally Weird And Weirdly Normal: My Adventures In Neurodiversity, will be published next May. Box office: 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.
The cover design for Michael Palin’s new diary collection
Globe-trotter of the week: Michael Palin, Grand Opera House, York, October 3, 7.30pm
IN the words of Monty Python alumnus, actor, presenter and Yorkshireman Michael Palin: “In There And Back – The Diary Tour 2024, I’ll bring to life the fourth collection of my diaries and the first to be released for ten years.
“Lots of fun as I go through the Noughties, and some dark times too. I constantly surprise myself with the sheer amount I took on.” Tickets update: still available at atgtickets.com/york.
Barbara Dickson: Acoustic October concerts in Pocklington and Leeds
Folk gigs of the week: Hurricane Promotions present Barbara Dickson & Nick Holland, All Saints Church, Pocklington, October 4 (sold out) and October 16, 7.30pm. Also Leeds City Varieties Music Hall, October 20, 7.30pm
SCOTTISH folk singer Barbara Dickson and her pianist Nick Holland explore her catalogue of songs in these acoustic concerts in intimate settings, where the pair will let the words and melodies take centre stage as they draw on Dickson’s folk roots, contemporary greats and her classic hits, from Another Suitcase In Another Hall to I Know Him So Well. Box office: barbaradickson.net; Leeds, 0113 243 0808 or leedsheritagetheatres.com.
Mundane matters: Josh Widdicombe mulls over really niche observations about silly little thingsin 2025 and 2026
Gig announcement of the week: Josh Widdicombe, Not My Cup Of Tea Tour, Hull City Hall, October 2 2025, and York Barbican, February 28 2026
PARENTING Hell podcaster and comedian Josh Widdicombe, droll observer of the absurd side of the mundane, will take stock of the little things that niggle him, from motorway hotels to children’s parties, and explain why he has finally decided to embrace middle age, hot drinks and doing the school run in his 58-date tour show, Not My Cup Of Tea.
“That’s my favourite type of stand-up: really niche observations about silly little things that you wouldn’t think about. I’ve got no interest in the big topics.” Box office: joshwiddicombe.com; yorkbarbican.co.uk; hulltheatres.co.uk.
In Focus: Mark Thomas: Gaffa Tapes…Old Title, New Show, The Crescent, York, tomorrow. More Yorkshire shows to follow
This is the modern world:Mark Thomas returns to stand-up venting at The Crescent, York. Picture: Tony Pletts
LAST appearing in York in Ed Edwards’s one-man play England & Son in the Theatre Royal Studio last September, South London’s grouchy “godfather of political comedy”, Mark Thomas, returns to polemical stand-up in Gaffa Tapes…Old Title, New Show at The Crescent tomorrow night.
One of the longest-surviving alternative comics after close to 40 years of stand-up, theatre, journalism, human rights campaigning and the odd bout of performance art, his latest tour’s fusillade of jokes, rants, politics, play and the occasional sing-song adds up to “generally mucking about trying to have fun and upset (shall we say) the right people”.
Gaffa Tapes…Old Title, New Show? Explain the extended tag, Mark. “What happened is I liked the idea of ‘Gaffa Tapes’ as a title and had it last year for my Edinburgh Fringe show, but halfway through the Fringe run I got Covid and had to stop.
“Last year I toured England & Son, written by Ed Edwards, which I was really pleased with. It picked up more awards than I’d ever done before – six awards – and one of them was to perform the play in Australia, taking it out to Adelaide for five weeks – and we might be going to New York …
“But we made no money out of it. I thought, ‘right, how do we make some money?’, so it’s great to be getting back to stand-up. What I love about stand-up is… and this is simple…if you stop doing it, they say you’ll feel rusty, so if you have a hiatus, what you have to learn to do is put your hand on the neck of the beast.
“I thought, ‘I’m going to do all the clubs at the bottom of the eco-system, doing ten minutes here, ten minutes there, doing shows in different places, and the thing about it is, I died on my arse a couple of times, which feels horrible each and every time…
“But if you take a break, you need to get your muscle memory back working again. That’s why I loved doing Edinburgh this summer. I did 26 gigs. It’s just bang, bang, bang, every night. You can muck around, try things out.
Mark Thomas in England & Son, toured to York Theatre Royal Studio in 2023. Picture: Alex Brenner
“The riots were happening around that time, so I wrote about them – and it’s important to be able to talk about that. It’s a living, breathing affecting thing. I love being a warrior in the culture wars, and it’s good to be back on the battlefield.”
The tectonic plates of the political landscape keep shifting: fresh meat to a polemicist comedian’s grist. “Things are always changing,” says Mark. “What I love is that when I started work on the show, there was loads going on, because the Tories were no longer in power, and it’s good to be able to react to that and to suggest what should be happening.
“I was at the Diggers Festival, celebrating Gerrard Winstanley [English Protestant religious reformer, political philosopher, activist and leader and co-founder of the ‘True Levellers’ or ‘Diggers’], doing a talk in a church, where someone said, ‘if you get rid of the oath to the King, that would be the most radical thing you could do’.
“I said, ‘well, actually, I don’ think it is. If you want democracy to work, you should have voting at 16, proportional representation, and you need to abolish the House of Lords’…whereas they’re just tidying up what [Tony] Blair started all those years ago. The most radical thing would be to ban donations to political parties. Make it state-funded, giving money to run parties and campaigns, making it a level playing field.
“Do you know who is the only other country in Europe to have a ‘first past the post’ electoral system? Belarus. So if anyone is out of step, it’s us. I think eventually PR [proportional representation] will come in; it’s just a question of what form it takes.”
How does the change of ruling party in Westminster from the Conservatives to Labour after 14 years have an impact on Thomas’s venting? “It changes the goalposts because it’s a new set of people to attack for a new set of reasons,” says Mark. “It’s the new austerity that they’re proposing that’s not great.
“The fact is that Starmer got some of the things right over the riots. I find it fascinating that there is this a disconnect; the idea that everyone who rioted was a racist, but not everyone was, because riots have a movement of their own, but certainly the organisers were far right.
“I didn’t vote Labour. I’m a Socilaist, why on Earth would I vote Labour?” says Mark Thomas. Picture: Art by Tracey Moberly
“You can be a Zen Buddhist but if you set fire to an asylum seekers’ hotel, then you’re a racist.”
Long associated with spouting anti-Tory sentiment aplenty, Thomas will hold the incoming Labour Party to account too. “I think it’s healthier that way in politics. The honeymoon period is over already,” he says.
“I didn’t vote Labour. I’m a Socialist, why on Earth would I vote Labour? There shouldn’t be a honeymoon period anyway, but I expect the right-wing press to go at Labour with gusto because they want to shape not only this government, but the next Tory one too.”
Any suggestions for policy change, Mark? “Local government can run the bus companies, but it’s really important that it’s not about making the maximum profit. That’s what used to happen until Thatcher changed it,” he says.
“I’m lucky now – because I’m 61, I get the 60+ London Oyster card for £20 [administration fee] that allows me to travel everywhere in London for free and I use buses a lot. That’s one of the great things about London: wherever you are, there will be a night bus coming along in a moment.”
He is looking forward eagerly to tomorrow’s return to The Crescent. “I love The Crescent,” he enthuses. “What they may lack in technical facilities, it’s a proper community venue. I always say, when talking about what community venues could be, take a look at this place.”
Mark Thomas: Gaffa Tapes, Burning Duck Comedy, The Crescent, York, tomorrow, 7.30pm; Marsdsen Mechanics, November 8, 8pm; Social, Hull, November 16, 8pm; Sheffield Memorial Hall November 10, 8pm; Leeds City Varieties Music Hall, February 5 2025; Wakefield Theatre Royal, February 6 2025, 7.30pm.
Box office:York, thecrescentyork.com; Marsden, 01484 844587 or marsdenmechanics.co.uk; Sheffield, sheffieldcityhall.co.uk; Hull, socialhumberstreet.co.uk; Leeds, 0113 243 0808 or leedsheritagetheatres.com; Wakefield Theatre Royal, 01924 211311 or theatreroyalwakefield.co.uk (on sale soon) Age guidance: 16 plus.
Mark Thomas: the back story
The next step for Mark Thomas: Touring Gaffa Tapes
“IF you don’t know what Mark does, ask your parents. In his time, he has won eight awards for performing, three for human rights work… and one he invented for himself. He has made six series of the Mark Thomas Comedy Product and three Dispatches for Channel 4, made five series of The Manifesto for BBC Radio 4, written five books and four play scripts, curated and authored two art exhibitions with artist Tracey Moberly and was commissioned to write a show for the Royal Opera House.
“He has forced a politician to resign, changed laws on tax and protest, become the Guinness Book of Records world-record holder for the number of protests in 24 hours, taken the police to court three times and won (the fourth is in the pipeline), walked the length of the Israeli Wall in the West Bank (that’s 724km), and generally mucked about trying to have fun and upset (shall we say) the right people.”
