Wells Comedy Festival 2018

Wells Comedy Festival ﬁrst shows announced for 2018

James Acaster, Limmy, Sara Pascoe, Tim Key, Mark Watson, Hal Cruttenden, Desiree Burch, Paul Foot and many more head to England’s smallest city for Somerset’s weekend-long comedy festival

The Wells Comedy Festival – now in its fourth year – is back, bigger and better, for 2018, announcing the ﬁrst batch of shows for this year’s Somerset shindig.

Over the bank holiday weekend of May 25-27 England’s smallest city plays host to a ‘weekend-long stand-up jamboree’ (The Guardian), with dozens of comedy shows taking place at six venues in Wells, all within walking distance of one another.

Comics performing at the three-day fest include ‘Mock the Week’ regular James Acaster, cult Scottish comedy hero Limmy screening his Vines, multi-award stand-up and author Sara Pascoe, Edinburgh Comedy Award-winner and ‘Alan Partridge’ star Tim Key, Bristolian wonder Mark Watson, ‘Live at the Apollo’ stars Hal Cruttenden and Desiree Burch, and absurdist master Paul Foot.

Also announced are shows from TV names including ‘The Chase’s Paul Sinha, ‘Live at the Apollo’ star Dane Baptiste, ‘Never Mind the Buzzcocks’ favourite Tony Law, local hero Richard Herring with his hugely popular podcast and ‘Upstart Crow’s Spencer Jones.

There are Edinburgh Comedy Awards-nominated comics galore, including double award winner John Kearns and fellow nominees Joseph Morpurgo, Elf Lyons, Ahir Shah, Lucy Pearman, Ben Target, Adam Hess, Mat Ewins, Kwame Asante, Gein’s Family Giftshop and Steen Raskopoulos.

And that’s not all, there are also shows from YouTube sensations The Brett Domino Trio, character comic Colin Hoult and Radio 4 sketch stars Lazy Susan. Plus acclaimed stand-ups Lou Sanders, Fern Brady, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Brett Goldstein, Bobby Mair, Harriet Kemsley, Stephen Bailey, Evelyn Mok, Tez Ilyas, Sean McLoughlin, Pat Cahill and Luke McQueen.

Ben Williams, founder and producer of the festival, said: ‘This is another huge year for the Wells Comedy Festival, nearly doubling in size compared to 2017. I couldn’t be happier with the line-up so far, covering all areas of the comedy spectrum. And there’s plenty more to come.’

Tim Lethaby, editor of the Wells Journal – the festival’s official media partner – said: ‘I am delighted that the Wells Journal will again be the official media partner of the Wells Comedy Festival. Last year’s line-up was great, but the comedians coming this year will take the event to another level. There really is comedy for everyone, even people with a terrible sense of humour, like me. At the Wells Journal, we look forward to supporting the festival and helping it raise the profile of the city.’

Tickets for the initial Wells Comedy Festival shows are on sale now from www.wellscomfest.com.

Further shows will be announced over the coming weeks.

[ENDS]

of 4 Wells Comedy Festival 2018

Full details

Wells Comedy Festival Somerset, BA5 Friday 25 to Sunday 27 May 2018 Tickets from £6 www.wellscomfest.com

Ofﬁcial media partner

www.somersetlive.co.uk

Wells Comedy Festival is produced by Plosive Productions

Plosive Productions produces comedy events across the country. It produces the Wells Comedy Festival in Somerset, the Audible Presents audio series for Audible.co.uk, and solo shows, including Lucy Pearman’s Edinburgh Comedy Awards Best Newcomer nominated ‘Maid of Cabbage’.

Hi-res images available here https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Lfjistl6D8eAKY9Ur0Z-gFgf6YAvezJE

Full listings

Show Venue Time Price

Friday May 25 2018

Opening Gala Cedars Hall 7pm £16

Mark Watson: This Is Halfway To Being Wells Little Theatre: Main House 7pm £10 A Show Tez Ilyas: Teztify White Hart Hotel 7pm £10

Kiri Pritchard-McLean: Appropriate Adult The Venue 7pm £8

Steen Raskopoulos Wells Little Theatre: Rehearsal Room 7.15pm £7

Sara Pascoe: Work-in-Progress Wells Little Theatre: Main House 9pm £10

Desiree Burch: Unf*ckable White Hart Hotel 9pm £10

Gein’s Family Giftshop: Vol 3 Wells Little Theatre: Rehearsal Room 9.15pm £8

Saturday May 26 2018

Sara Pascoe: Work-in-Progress Wells Little Theatre: Main House 1pm £10

Kwame Asante: Open Arms The Venue 1pm £7

Ahir Shah: Work-in-Progress Wells Little Theatre: Rehearsal Room 1.15pm £6

James Acaster: COLD LASAGNE HATE Cedars Hall 3pm £10 MYSELF 1999 Joseph Morpurgo: Hammerhead White Hart Hotel 3pm £10

Ben Target: Work-in-Progress The Venue 3pm £6

Lazy Susan: Work-in-Progress Wells Little Theatre: Rehearsal Room 3.15pm £6

Spencer Jones: The Audition Wells Little Theatre: Main House 5pm £8

Tony Law: Absurdity for Common People Tramways 5pm £12

Lucy Pearman: Work-in-Progress The Venue 5pm £6

Lou Sanders: An Apology to All the Guys Wells Little Theatre: Rehearsal Room 5.15pm £6 I’ve Touched Limmy’s Vines Cedars Hall 6pm £15

Dane Baptiste: G.O.D. (Gold. Oil. Drugs) White Hart Hotel 7pm £10

Luke McQueen: Work-in-Progress The Venue 7pm £6

Fern Brady: Suffer, Fools! Wells Little Theatre: Rehearsal Room 7.15pm £8

Saturday Night Gala Cedars Hall 9pm £15

Paul Foot: Image Conscious – White Hart Hotel 9pm £10 Work-in-Progress Stephen Bailey: Can’t Think Straight The Venue 9pm £8

Brett Goldstein: What Is Love Baby Don’t Wells Little Theatre: Rehearsal Room 9.15pm £6 Hurt Me – Work-in-Progress Sunday May 27 2018

Hal Cruttenden: Work-in-Progress Cedars Hall 1pm £8

Richard Herring’s Leicester Square Wells Little Theatre: Main House 1pm £10 Theatre Podcast (Except at the Wells Comedy Festival) Evelyn Mok: Work-in-Progress The Venue 1pm £6

Elf Lyons: Swan Wells Little Theatre: Rehearsal Room 1.15pm £7

Paul Foot: Image Conscious – Tramways 3pm £10 Work-in-Progress

Harriet Kemsley: Work-in-Progress The Venue 3pm £6

Colin Hoult as Anna Mann in How We Stop Wells Little Theatre: Rehearsal Room 3.15pm £8 The Fascists Tim Key: Megadate Cedars Hall 5pm £16

Paul Sinha: Shout Out to My Ex Wells Little Theatre: Main House 5pm £12

John Kearns: Don’t Worry They’re Here Tramways 5pm £10

Brett Domino’s House Party White Hart Hotel 5pm £10

Sean McLoughlin: Hail Mary – Work-in- The Venue 5pm £6 Progress Adam Hess: Work-in-Progress Wells Little Theatre: Rehearsal Room 5.15pm £6

Mat Ewins: Work-in-Progress White Hart Hotel 7pm £6

Pat Cahill: Work-in-Progress The Venue 7pm £6

Bobby Mair: Loudly Insecure Wells Little Theatre: Rehearsal Room 9.15pm £8

Venues

Cedars Hall Wells Little Theatre: White Hart Hotel Tramways The Venue 15 The Liberty Main House and 19-21 Sadler Street West Street 42 South Street Wells Rehearsal Room Wells Wells Wells Somerset Chamberlain Street Somerset Somerset Somerset BA5 2LQ Wells BA5 2RR BA5 2HN BA5 1SL Somerset BA5 2PS