Lloyd The Kid Brother 1927

Thursday 27th January 2022
3:00pm
Introduced by Suzanne Lloyd (Lloyd’s granddaughter) Harold Lloyd stars in one of the greatest ever silent comedies

First Women in Comedy

Thursday 27th January 2022
1:00pm
Lucy Porter and Sian Norris present a series of short films celebrating pioneering women in film comedy

An Old Gangster Molls 1927

Thursday 27th January 2022,
10:00am
This Czechoslovakian silent comedy ‘An Old Gangster Molls’ stars Anny Ondra, who later became one of Hitchcock’s leads in ‘Blackmail’

my grandmother 1929 1

Wednesday 26th January 2022
3:30pm
introduction from actor and early Russian cinema enthusiast Paul McGann, My Grandmother is an avant-garde gem of early filmmaking

Silent Ozu Days Of Youth 1929

Wednesday 26th January 2022
10:30am
The oldest known surviving film by legendary Japanese director Yasujirô Ozu, introduction by film historian David Robinson.

3 Edward Everett Horton – Silent Comedian 1

Tuesday 25th January 2022
5.30pm
Ben Model and Steve Massa join us live from New York as they live-stream their latest discoveries in silent comedy

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We’re excited to announce that tickets for Slapstick 2021, possibly our best festival ever, are now on sale.

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Please support Slapstick’s Big Comedy Night In and help save Slapstick 2021! We are delighted to announce that a stellar line-up of the UK’s best-known comedians and entertainers will take part in an online comedy show on Sunday 27 September (7.30 pm start) as part of efforts to stave off the financial crisis facing Slapstick Festival … Read more

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All 1,800 tickets sold out within hours and many 100s more fans were turned away when we announced in 2017 that we were re-uniting Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders live on stage for the first time in almost a decade

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Laughter In Lockdown #9 – Jo Brand’s Top Comedy Picks Laughter In Lockdown #9 – Jo Brand’s Top Comedy Picks In 2018 Jo Brand made her debut at Slapstick Festival where she delighted and entertained a sold-out audience with a selection of her top comedy picks. Jo had been someone we’d wanted to bring to … Read more

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Laughter In Lockdown #8 – Lee Mack hosts Laurel & Hardy’s Liberty (1929) Laughter In Lockdown #8 – Lee Mack hosts Laurel & Hardy’s Liberty (1929) Back in January 2018 stand up comedian and writer Lee Mack joined us at Colston Hall to present his “Laurel and Hardy Classics” – a unique evening of hilarious … Read more

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Laughter In Lockdown #7 – Tim Vine’s Top Comedy Picks with Richard Herring Laughter In Lockdown #7 – Tim Vine’s Top Comedy Picks with Richard Herring Just over a year ago, in January 2019, stand up legend and master of the one-liner Tim Vine joined fellow comedian Richard Herring on stage at Bristol Old Vic … Read more

Victoria-Wood

Laughter In Lockdown #6 – Remembering the comedy genius of Victoria Wood Laughter In Lockdown #6 – Remembering the comedy genius of Victoria Wood On 20 April 2016, the world lost the extraordinarily talented and exceptionally funny comedian, actress, singer, composer, screenwriter, producer and director Victoria Wood. As a regular guest at the festival (which … Read more

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Laughter in Lockdown 5 – The Goodies 50th Anniversary LIVE with Robin Ince Laughter in Lockdown 5 – The Goodies 50th Anniversary LIVE with Robin Ince Back in January, The Goodies gathered together on a Slapstick stage for what ultimately proved to be the last time as a trio, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their … Read more

Harry Hill slapstick

Laughter in Lockdown 4 – Harry Hill’s Top Comedy Picks Laughter in Lockdown 4 – Harry Hill’s Top Comedy Picks We’re up to week four of our laughter in lockdown series and this week we’re travelling back to 2014 for award-winning comedian Harry Hill’s Top Comedy Picks. An annual sell-out event, the format of this … Read more

laughter in lockdown

Laughter in Lockdown 3 – I’m Sorry I’ll Read That Again… Again! Laughter in Lockdown 3 – I’m Sorry I’ll Read That Again… Again! Our third exclusive Laughter in Lockdown stream is the closing event of Slapstick 2020 – ‘I’m Sorry I’ll Read That Again… Again!’ A show with added poignancy as it featured the … Read more

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Laughter in Lockdown 2 – John Cleese, Rory Bremner and Friends hosted by Tim Vine

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Laughter in Lockdown 2 – John Cleese, Rory Bremner and Friends hosted by Tim Vine

For our second Laughter in Lockdown stream (see details about Laughter in Lockdown 1 here), we’ve selected a comedy fundraiser from Autumn of 2016 which at the time we styled “A Slap Up Feast Of Fun: A Evening Of Music And Laughter”

Headlined by none other than comedy icon, writer, actor and Python John Cleese, the evening also featured a set by Rory Bremner, who had lots of material to play with bearing in mind Autumn 2016 was just months before Donald Trump was elected president of the US.  As such, this event not only provides lots of laughs but also a fascinating snapshot of an important period in history seen through the eyes of one of the world’s leading impressionists.

The wonderful Monty Python collaborator Neil Innes, who is mainly known for his work in the Rutles and the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, opened the show with some quintessentially and intrinsically witty songs. The “music and comedy” theme was further enhanced with a set by the inimitable Ronnie Golden and Aardman Slapstick Comedy Legend and ‘I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue’ star Barry Cryer, who also might just have slipped a parrot joke or two into the proceedings buy inderal tablets (spoiler: he totally did).

Compering the evening was that king of the one-liners Tim Vine, brilliantly providing the glue that held all the other sets together.

In their review of the evening Bristol 24/7 wrote:

“All the performers are such national treasures that there was a very British family feel and innocence to the show that modern comedy somehow doesn’t evoke.”

…and concluded…

“It really was a gem of a line-up.”

 We hope you enjoy this rare chance to watch a once in a life time line up.


N.B. These recordings were made for archive purposes and as such are not recorded in ‘broadcast quality’. Where the odd word is hard to hear or the artist can’t be seen as they’re side stage, please remember that these films were never meant to be seen in public and this is a rare chance to glimpse these films thanks to the generosity of the artists involved allowing us to view them. Enjoy!

We’re releasing one video a week for the duration of lockdown – or for as long as we have events available. They will be going live on YouTube first so please subscribe to our channel over there via the button below.

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SLAPSTICK LIVE ONLINE 1-7 March 2021 Chaplin famously said, “A day without laughter is a day wasted”. Well, I’m not too sure about that, but I do know that laughter is a great way to help us forget about our troubles, and in these unprecedented times who wouldn’t want that? Working closely with our board, … Read more

The Goodies

Those of you who are old enough, cast your minds back to the evening of the 8th of November 1970.

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Slapstick Festival is returning to Bristol in January with a fantastic line up of incredible stand-up, theatre and of course, silent comedy. And with the festival fast approaching, we need your help! We’re on the lookout for a lovely team of dedicated volunteers who can assist in ensuring the festival runs smoothly! There are lots … Read more