‘There’s magic, blood and gore!’ Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton on touring Inside No 9 – and being megastars in China

As the show based on their cult TV hit goes on the road, the duo discuss haunted theatres, feeling like arthritic swans and what it was like being mobbed in ShanghaiHow do you make a shopping centre in Woking spooky? I bow before Reece Shearsmith and S…

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Ideal review – stage return for Johnny Vegas’s TV weed dealer fails to score

Lowry, Salford Reprise of Graham Duff’s cult comedy delights the series’ fans but there’s not much here for anyone elseIf you are a fan of the cult BBC Three sitcom Ideal, you should immediately book a ticket for this show. Judging by tonight’s audienc…

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Haywire review – early history of The Archers inspires behind-the-mic farce

Barn theatre, CirencesterFeaturing extraordinary voice acting, this play about the birth of the BBC’s farming drama will equally satisfy superfans and everyday folkEven regular listeners to Radio 4’s The Archers can balk at the laborious annual plotlin…

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The best theatre to stream this month: Basil’s back as Fawlty Towers reopens for business

John Cleese’s stage version of his beloved sitcom, a cast recording of Cornish musical The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Robert Wilson’s production of Handel’s Messiah are among September’s highlightsFifty years ago this month, Torquay’s most fam…

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Susan Sarandon, Whoopi Goldberg and Caliban’s take on The Tempest: the best theatre, comedy and dance of autumn 2025

Andrea Riseborough and Sarandon deliver a decade-hopping drama, superstar standups hit the road and Shobana Jeyasingh rewrites Shakespeare• See the rest of our unmissable autumn arts preview picks here Continue reading…

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Rodney Black: Who Cares? It’s Working review – a loathsome standup stirs hatred

Gilded Balloon Patter House, EdinburghThe onstage ranting of a comedian is interrupted by impassioned accounts of violence against women in Sadie Pearson’s dramaFull Frontal Theatre is a female-led company with a commitment to fighting misogyny. No sur…

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Golden Time (and Other Behavioural Management Strategies) review – a magic hour

Pleasance Dome, EdinburghKate Ireland’s warmly delivered one-woman show considers the pressures of productivity, rules and rewards at school and beyondShe has been given 60 minutes out of her audience’s day and Kate Ireland won’t waste them, she promis…

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Black Blues Brothers: Let’s Twist Again! review – circus pals rock, roll, jump and jive

McEwan Hall, EdinburghThe sharply dressed quintet perform acrobatics that often complement the 50s chart hits on the jukeboxFor their fifth season at the fringe, this quintet of Kenyan acrobats are performing to golden oldies, opening with both Chubby …

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The Crawl review – madcap swimming comedy performed by synchronised duo

Pleasance Dome, EdinburghAlexander Burnett and Ellie Whittaker dive into multiple roles in a bubbly show with plenty of audience participationThis highly physical comedy about two competitive swimmers begins at the beginning – not with a referee’s whis…

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The Crawl review – madcap swimming comedy performed by synchronised duo

Pleasance Dome, EdinburghAlexander Burnett and Ellie Whittaker dive into multiple roles in a bubbly show with plenty of audience participationThis highly physical comedy about two competitive swimmers begins at the beginning – not with a referee’s whis…

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