Leading Women: Exit Smiling (1926)

Leading Women: Exit Smiling (1926)

Cert 15
Wednesday 14th Feb. 14:00 Watershed
Dir: Sam Taylor 1926 USA 77mins
£11.00 (£8.50/ £5.00 concs)

Beatrice Lillie was already a stage superstar and billed as ‘the funniest woman in the world’ when she made her Hollywood debut in this film – her only silent and an early solo directing gig for longtime Harold Lloyd collaborator Sam Taylor. In it, she plays a maid working for a travelling theatre company who dreams of becoming a leading lady. But there’s a snag. Unlike Lillie, she can’t act. Various reviewers describe her as ‘wonderful, hilarious, mesmerising”.

Watch out too for Franklin Pangborn in a laugh-out-loud role which earned this film a place in TCM’s Gay Images in Hollywood series. With an onscreen introduction by Slapstick favourite film historian legend David Robinson and with live piano accompaniment from Daan van den Hurk.
Approx event running time 85 mins

ExitSmiling portrait

The Big Comedy Bash, Oct 2023

The Big Comedy Bash, Oct 2023

Hosted by Rob Brydon with Adam Kay, Alasdair Beckett-King, Jay Lafferty, Alistair McGowan, Arthur Smith, Dee Allum. + more

Date: Thursday 19th October 2023
Time: 19:30
Venue: Hexagon, Reading
Price: £32.50
Hosted by our Patron and supporter, the award-winning comedian, actor, presenter, singer and writer. ROB BRYDON. Rob will be joined by BAFTA-winning TV writer, author, comedian and former doctor ADAM KAY (This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor). Along with JAY LAFFERTY, ALASDAIR BECKETT-KING, ALISTAIR MCGOWAN, ARTHUR SMITH & DEE ALLUM this promises to be one of our finest fundraisers to date.

The Big Comedy Bash is back at The Hexagon for another evening of hilarious comedy in aid of Bristol’s Slapstick Festival.

PG Advised. 14+ Only. Live Stand-Up Comedy.

This event has now finished, but you can see photos (courtesy of David Betteridge) from the event below.

Rob Brydon with Adam Kay, Alasdair Beckett-King, Jay Lafferty, Alistair McGowan, Arthur Smith, Dee Allum

Photos of the event

The Big Comedy Bash 2023

The Big Comedy Bash 2023

MARCUS BRIGSTOCKE, JO BRAND, MILTON JONES, RIA LINA, ARCHIE MADDOCKS, DR PHIL HAMMOND + more

Date: Wednesday 10th May 2023
Time: 19:30
Venue: Hexagon, Reading
Price: £26 / £24 Concessions (including booking fees)
Ages 14+ Advised ~ May contain Adult Material.

Slapstick Festival’s annual comedy fundraiser is back at Reading’s Hexagon theatre for a sixth year running, with another outstanding series of top comedy performers lining up to help raise funds for Bristol’s Slapstick festival*.

You can expect an evening of brilliant stand-up comedy with sets from satirist, actor and comedian MARCUS BRIGSTOCKE, comedian, actor and Bake-Off: Extra Slice star JO BRAND, stand-up comedian MILTON JONES (Mock The Week) and comedian and scientist RIA LINA (Live at the Apollo, Have I Got News For You), and stand-up comedian Archie Maddocks, and comedian and doctor Dr. Phil Hammond.

This promises to be an unforgettable night of laughter and fun, For one night only.

*Slapstick Festival is a not-for-profit silent/classic comedy festival that’s been celebrating the finest in vintage comedy for almost two decades

The big Comedy Bash 2023

Harold Lloyd in Safety Last! (1923)

Harold Lloyd in Safety Last! (1923)

With specially recorded introductions from Suzanne Lloyd and Vic Armstrong

Date: Saturday 1 April 2023
Time: 20:00 hrs
Venue: St George’s Bristol
Price: From £10
Dir: Fred Neymeyer and Sam Taylor
USA (1923), 74 mins, cert U

The clock sequence in Safety Last! is arguably the best known of any in a silent comedy. Genuinely dangerous, too, as it was shot high up on the side of real LA skyscapers and using clever camera angles and a series of platforms still creates a sense of peril in audiences today as the witness Harold’s long climb to the top.

But the scene is only one of the reasons this film regularly appears on Funniest Film Ever lists. Lloyd sparks laugh after laugh with his over-ambitious efforts to make it in the big city so that he can marry his home-town sweetheart (Mildred Davis).

And this screening will be extra special – showing here exactly 100 years to the day of its first release and with live accompaniment by a trio of stellar musicians, The Stephen Horne Trio and with a special guest host (to be announced).

Don’t miss this special centenary screening of an undisputed comedy masterpiece.

EVENT RUNNING TIME APPROX 1.20 hrs

Post Event Notice

A hugely successful sell-out event at St Georges celebrating Lloyd’s classic thrill picture 100 years to the day of it’s original release.

harold lloyd safety last tallys broadway theatre
Harold Lloyd Safety Last, With Tallys Broadway Theatre Below

Stranger Films, With Alasdair Beckett-King

The Slapstick Festival Presents:

Stranger Films

With Alasdair Beckett-King

Date: Saturday 12th November 2022
Time: 19:00 & 21:00
Venue: The White Bear: High Kingsdown, Bristol
Price: From £4 plus booking fee

Slapstick Festival is launching a brand new event in partnership with The Room Above Theatre at the White Bear and BFI: Stranger Films.

Discover the crazy world of early cinema with stand-up comedian, animator and video games writer Alasdair Beckett-King – named by Rolling Stone magazine as an unmissable act at the 2022 Edinburgh Fringe, a favourite on Mock the Week and a YouTuber with more than 250K followers.

Films and clips line-up from the eccentric early pioneers of film comedy, including; Charley Bowers, George Melies and Ladislaw Starewicz.

This night aims to showcase the absurdly alternative comedy that paved the way for your favourite slapstick movies and physical comedians today.

You never know what to expect in these hilarious archival films, but we can tease with the fabulous Dancing Pig and delightfully funny scenes from Laurel and Hardy as they fight a crab 40 floors up on a scaffold.

Come early or stay on to enjoy some further strangeness downstairs in the White Bear Pub.

Stranger Films With Alasdair Beckett King
Stranger Films With Alasdair Beckett King

Post Event Buzz and Pictures

Thank you to Alasdair Beckett-King and all those behind the scenes for making this event such a success.

Here are a few pictures taken on the night

Legacy award for the Tiswas team

Legacy award for the Tiswas team

On April 16th 2022, Chris Tarrant, Sally James, John Gorman, Bob Carolgees and Benny Mills (The Phantom Flan Flinger), reunited for an evening of fun. They were accompanied by Matthew Lewis who reprised the performance of the Watership Down theme BRIGHT EYES that he gave, dressed as a rabbit, as a five year old in 1980.

The performers were also there to receive their Legacy Awards, given in recognition of creating significant new work in the medium of silent and visual comedy.

Below are some pictures from the evenings entertainment, courtesy of David Betteridge

Chris Tarrant and John Gorman
Chris Tarrant and John Gorman
tiswas

Tiswas Stars Reunite for One-Off Reunion

Tiswas Stars Reunite for One-Off Reunion

Our slapstick season finished on an absolute high, with the stars of the classic children’s TV series Tiswas reuniting for an evening of fun and mayhem.

Chris Tarrant, Sally James, John Gorman and Bob Carolgees, along with Spit the Dog, were among those that took to the stage on April 16th for this special event.

Sally James unmasked the Phantom flan Flinger, who turned out to be retired Birmingham taxi driver Benny Mills, now 87.

Matthew Lewis reprised the performance of the Watership Down theme BRIGHT EYES he gave as a five year old in 1980 accompanied by his daughter Nova, five, wearing the original rabbit costume.

The event concluded with The Four Bucketeers and Phantom Flan Flinger receiving the Slapstick Comedy Legacy Medal, honouring those entertainers who continue the comedy traditions of the silent film era.

Tiswas: The Reunion was a co-production between Bristol’s Slapstick Festival and Bristol Ideas and was a fund-raiser for Childen’s Hospice South West.

Below are some pictures from the evenings entertainment, courtesy of David Betteridge

Chris Tarrant and John Gorman
Chris Tarrant and John Gorman
tiswas

Slapstick Sunday

Slapstick Sunday

Our last full day of festival events began with Paddington (2014), introduced by Andy Day, and concluded with Lee Mack’s hilarious Desert Island Comedy Flicks.

In between there was a moving tribute to the late great Barry Cryer hosted by his friend and long-time comic collaborator Les Dennis, with Barry’s Son Bob Cryer along with regular collaborators on I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue, Graeme Garden and Colin Sell.

This event was followed by the awesome Tim Vine, who paid a tribute to comedy legend Kenny Everett.

Below are some pictures from the evenings entertainment, courtesy of David Betteridge

tim vine lee mack

Tiswas: The Reunion

Event Recently Ended

Tiswas: The Reunion

Date: Sat 16th April 2022
Time: 20:00pm
Venue Website: St Georges Bristol
Map: St Georges Bristol
Price: £12-£25 Plus booking fees

In collaboration with Bristol Festival of Ideas and for one night only, a unique opportunity to see TV comedy legends Bob Carolgees, John Gorman, Sally James and Chris Tarrant as they re-unite on stage to discuss their much-loved show Tiswas.

It’s been 40 years this April since the launch of the programme, a Saturday-morning highlight for many children – and perhaps even more adults – from 1974 to 1982.  This is a rare chance to see all four Bucketeers together in person as they share their Tiswas memories with Bristol Ideas Director and passionate fan of the show, Andrew Kelly.

The performers will be presented with Slapstick’s Comedy Legacy Medal for their phenomenal achievement in comedy which followed in the footsteps of the late great silent comics but with their own brand of anarchic/slapstick humour – from the Dying Fly and Spit the Dog to the Phantom Flan Flinger and endless custard pies.

In support of Children’s Hospice South West.

The Big Comedy Bash 2022

Event Recently Ended

The Big Comedy Bash 2022

Date: Tuesday 12th April 2022
Time: 20:00
Venue: Hexagon: Queen Walk, Reading. RG1 7UA
Price: £24.50 / £22.50 (including booking fees)

Hosted by Al Murray, with the following acts: Angela Barnes, Rory Bremner, Shazia Mirza (plus two more names TBA).

Slapstick Festival’s annual comedy fundraiser is back at Reading’s Hexagon theatre for a fourth year running and this line-up is better than ever!

Six standout stand up comedians top the bill at this one off evening of mirth and laughter – and all to raise funds for Slapstick, the not-for-profit silent/classic comedy festival that’s been celebrating the finest in vintage comedy for almost two decades. 

Hosted by the comedy legend Al Murray’s Pub Landlord, Al will be introducing a bevy of top comic talent for the evening including the Impressionist and satirist Rory Bremner, award-winning “live at the Apollo’ star Angela Barnes, the trailblazing iconoclast and stand-up comedian Shazia Mirza, stand-up comedian and talented mimics Luke Kempner, and winner of the Mercury Comedian of the Year award Alasdair Beckett-King

Join us for this unforgettable night of laughter and fun.  

Trafic (1971)

Event Recently Ended

Trafic (1971)

Date: Sat 2 April 2022
Time: 6.00pm
Venue Website: Arnolfini
Map: Arnolfini
Price: £8.50 / £6.00 concs

Over looked by many, Tati’s Trafic sees the bumbling Monsieur Hulot, kitted out as always with tan raincoat, beaten brown hat, and umbrella, take to Paris’s highways and byways.

In this, his final outing, Hulot is employed as an auto company’s director of design, and accompanies his new product (a “camping car” outfitted with absurd gadgetry) to an auto show in Amsterdam.

Naturally, the road there is paved with modern-age mishaps. This late-career delight is a masterful demonstration of the comic genius’s expert timing and sidesplitting knack for visual gags, and a bemused last look at technology run amok.

Trafic 1971

Playtime (1967)

Event Recently Ended

Playtime (1967) + Onstage Discussion

Date: Sat 2 April 2022
Time: 2.15pm
Venue Website: Arnolfini
Map: Arnolfini
Price: £8.50 / £6.00 concs

Jacques Tati’s gloriously choreographed, nearly wordless comedies about confusion in an age of high technology reached their apotheosis with his 1967 film Playtime.

For this monumental achievement, a nearly three-year-long, bank-breaking production, Tati again thrust the lovably old-fashioned Monsieur Hulot, along with a host of other lost souls, into a baffling modern Parisian world.

With every inch of its super wide frame crammed with hilarity and inventiveness, Playtime is a lasting record of a modern era tiptoeing on the edge of oblivion.

Introduced by Matthew Sweet (Radio 4’s Free Thinking) and followed by an onstage conversation with Matthew hosted by festival of ideas Director Andrew Kelly discussing Tati’s legacy.

playtime 1

Mon Oncle (1958)

Event Recently Ended

Mon Oncle (1958)

Date: Sat 2 April 2022
Time: 11.15am
Venue Website: Arnolfini
Map: Arnolfini
Price: £8.50 / £6.00 concs

Slapstick prevails when Jacques Tati’s hero Monsieur Hulot is set loose in Villa Arpel, the geometric, oppressively ultramodern home of his brother-in-law in the suburbs of Paris. Young Gérard Arpel is very fond of his gauche uncle and the children in his neighbourhood but his disapproving parents resolve to get Hulot a job or a wife.

The disastrous outcome is a masterpiece of design and symmetry and of technically brilliant gags.

The heart-warming ending is true to Tati’s vision of the modern world as a confusing place that is ultimately full of charm and humanity.Jaques Tati’s multi-award-winning third feature, Mon Oncle is his first colour film and is a supremely amusing satire of mechanized living and consumer society that earned the director the Academy Award for best foreign-language film.
With specially recorded onscreen introduction from film historian and archivist Serge Bromberg.

mon oncle

Tati Day: Pass to all 3 films

Event Recently Ended

Tati Day: Pass to all 3 films

Date: Sat 2 April 2022
Time: 11:15 – 20:20
Price: £20.00 / £15.00 concs

  1. Mon Oncle (1958): Film screening with introduction (U / France / 117 mins) 11:15-13:30
  2. Playtime (1967): Film screening with introduction and discussion (U / France / 124 mins) 14:30-17:15
  3. Trafic (1971): Film screening with introduction (PG / France / 96 mins) 18:30-20:20

Watch all three films with our Tati Day Pass, alternatively you can buy a ticket for each fim separately.

Jaques Tati playtime website internal

This programme is part of Opening Up the Magic Box, a heritage element of Film 2021 which marks the centenary of the death of Bristol-born film pioneer William Friese-Greene and the 125th anniversary of the first public cinema screening in Bristol, which took place at the Tivoli on 8 June 1896, as well as celebrating Bristol – a UNESCO City of Film since 2017. It is generously funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Tati Day is also part of Future City Film Festival. The festival normally takes place every two years in the autumn but had to be postponed last year due to the pandemic. It will now run through 2022 as a series of special events. We are grateful to the British Film Institute for their support for the festival. 

Barry Cryer: An Audience With A Comedy Legend

Barry Cryer

We will be issuing an update shortly, following today’s very sad news 27-01-2022

An Audience With A Comedy Legend

Date: Sun 27th March 2022
Time: 3:30pm
Venue Website: Redgrave Theatre
Map: Redgrave Theatre
Price: £18 – £16, plus booking fee

Barry Cryer is currently 86 and a third of his life has passed already! He invites you to join him in a decorous orgy of comic nostalgia in this ‘slapstick conversation’ onstage and in person with his host, BBC’s very own Alex Lovell.

Barry’s long standing career has been nothing short of outstanding. His unique brand of comedy has spread across generations like wildfire, having written for some of the all time comedy greats like Tommy Cooper, Bob Hope and Richard Pryor.

He embodied that golden age of comedy where comedians seem to just glide onto the stage and have you in a laughing fit before they even reach the mic.

Still working today, a testament to his persistent professionalism, Cryer continues to claim his long standing seat on the ubiquitous panel show ‘I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue’. 

Join for Jokes, stories and much more as Barry discusses his incredible unmatched life in comedy. A life packed full of memories…if only he can remember them…?! 

Lee Mack’s Desert Island Comedy Flicks

Event Recently Ended

Lee Mack’s Desert Island Comedy Flicks

Date: Sun 27th March 2022
Time: 20:30pm
Venue Website: Redgrave Theatre
Map: Redgrave Theatre
Price: £18/£16 Plus booking fees

Lee Mack teams up with Slapstick Festival as part our Slapstick Sunday’s series of events at the Redgrave Theatre this March. 

The prolific actor, writer comedian, best known for his appearances in his award-winning long running sit-com’ ‘Not Going Out’ and as team captain in ‘Would I Lie To You?’ discusses the comedy feature films he would he choose if he was stranded on a desert island but could only bring 10 films with him. Followed by a Q&A.

Leading the chat will be Bristol’s very own Jayde Adams, winner of multiple stand-up awards, and seen recently in Stephen Merchants Outlaws

Lee Mack

In The Best Possible Taste! Tim Vine salutes Kenny Everett

In The Best Possible Taste!

Tim Vine salutes Kenny Everett

Date: Sun 27th March 2022
Time: 18:30pm
Venue Website: Redgrave Theatre
Map: Redgrave Theatre
Price: £18/£16 Plus booking fees

Tim Vine adores Kenny Everett and wants to tell the world why.

Following his recent successful outing performing in homage to one of his great musical favourites – Elvis Presley (in the guise of Plastic Elvis) Tim returns to Slapstick Festival to champion one of his great comedy heroes, Kenny Everett.

Renowned and revered DJ Kenny exploded onto our small screens in 1981 with his wonderful Kenny Everett Video Show (1981-88).

The series was an instant hit utilising Kenny’s innovative jingles, multi-track recordings and ground breaking comedy sketches. Scripted by Barry Cryer and Ray Cameron the show had an intentionally anarchic and unpredictable live broadcast feel which all contributed to its popularity and legacy.

Tim shares his passion for Kenny with a series of extracts and a brief onstage appearance from none other than the legendary Barry Cryer.

Slapstick 2022 TimVine Instagram

BARRY CRYER: A Tribute With a Little Help from His Friends

BARRY CRYER: A Tribute With a Little Help from His Friends

Date: 27th March 2022
Time: 3:30pm
Venue Website: Redgrave Theatre
Map: Redgrave Theatre
Price: £16-£18 Plus booking fees

The national outpouring of sorrow and tributes at the passing of our friend Barry Cryer proved that he was the supreme British mirth-maker, a unique giant in the history of British comedy, to rank with mythical titans like Grimaldi, Dan Leno and George Robey. Yet even they each created only one character: Barry’s comedic invention did much to recognise the genius and shape the skills and style of several generations of star comedians.

The originally planned programme of Slapstick 2022 included a live show celebrating Barry in person. This show and celebration will now go on, hosted by his friend and long-time comic collaborator Les Dennis, with Barry’s Son Bob Cryer along and his regular collaborators on I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue, Graeme Garden and Colin Sell.

The evening is an opportunity to celebrate Barry’s memory and genius, presented by those who knew him best

Please join us in this celebration of Baz’s finest moments and memories – and a generous dose of parrot jokes.

All profits from the event will go to Barry’s favourite cause: The Royal Variety Charity

Show at 3:30pm

Paddington (2014): Introduced by Andy Day

Paddington (2014)

Introduced by children’s TV star Andy Day 

Running time 95 mins

Directed by Paul King 

Date: Sun 27th March 2022
Time: 12:30pm
Venue Website: Redgrave Theatre
Map: Redgrave Theatre
Price: £10.00 (adult), £5.00 (Children)

A rare chance to see the BAFTA award-winning, much celebrated first outing of Michael Bond’s beloved bear’s transition to the big screen. Slapstick’s special one-off screening is an occasion for the whole family. With an introduction from one of UK’s best loved Cbeebies presenter Andy Day.

Paul King, director of Paddington has cited Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin as being huge influences on Paddington’s character and transition to the big screen and at Slapstick we can only applaud that.

Upon release the film received showers of praise, living up to the reputation of the classic kids story. It stays true to the original, and beautifully depicts the comic misadventures of a young Peruvian bear who travels to London in search of a home. Finding himself lost and alone in the middle of Paddington station, he begins to worry that the city life is not all he had imagined. But his luck changes when he meets the kindly Brown family, who offer him a temporary haven. Paddington then starts to rather enjoy life in London, that is until a museum taxidermist gets sight of him…

We will also be handing out a special complimentary Paddington Pack for every young person, which includes a Marmalade sandwich – of course! This is fun packed family entertainment not to be missed.

Andy Day
PDF file icon
Paddington: An Ode to Slapstick
Paddington An Ode to Slapstick

Slapstick Conversations: W.C.Fields

Slapstick Conversations: W.C.Fields

Pre-Festival, Live Online Event
With James Curtis

Date: Wednesday 19 January 2022
Time: 8.00pm

W C Fields’ career spanned the whole of the 20th Century—burlesque, vaudeville, the legitimate stage, silent pictures, talkies, radio, books, and recordings.

He made some of the great enduring comedies of all time, including “It’s a Gift”, “My Little Chickadee”, and “The Bank Dick”. 

James Curtis – author of the definitive biography W C Fields – joins Slapstick live online to talk about the great man and his work and show some clips of his work.

James Curtis retouched
pre festival imagery

Sorry I Haven’t a Clue Live

47 Years Without A Clue: Featuring Graeme Garden, Tim Brooke-Taylor and Barry Cryer Talk With Rob Brydon

During Slapstick 2020, the I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue team gathered in Bristol for an event celebrating the legacy of Britain’s best-loved radio panel game show.

At the time, we had no idea that the world was about to become engulfed in a global pandemic; or that we would soon lose one of our most popular festival attendees, the lovely Tim Brooke-Taylor, shortly after. This event was the very last time Tim performed with his old playmates, Graeme and Barry.

Hosted by Rob Brydon, the team gave us an unforgatable night, enjoy!

Big Comedy Bash 23rd September 2021

Big Comedy Bash 23rd September 2021

THE BIG COMEDY BASH IS BACK!

On Thursday, the 23rd of September, Slapstick’s BIG Comedy Bash (Annual Fundraiser) took place at the Hexagon in Reading.

Hosted by Slapstick patron ROBIN INCE, the stellar comic line-up also included JACK DEEJO BRANDARTHUR SMITH and PIPPA EVANS.

Below are some onstage and backstage pictures of the event!

TBCB 2021 Twitter Post
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GET YOUR FESTIVAL MERCH!

Slapstick merchandise is usually only available on-site in festival venues, but this year we have partnered with online design platform REDBUBBLE to offer a positively vast selection of bespoke gear!

We hope you can find something there to make your experience with the festival more fun at home.

SLAPSTICK 2021 IS LIVE!


Slapstick Live Online

1-7 March 2021

This year Slapstick Festival has gone online!

Highlights include:

  • Rare access to silent films starring Clara Bow, W.C. Fields, Harold Lloyd, Max Linder and Josephine Baker
  • Comedy celebrations with contemporary comedians Noel Fielding, Matt Lucas, Lucy Porter, Rob Brydon, Stuart Lee, Henning Wehn and Jessica Martin
  • Exciting guests live from America including Dr Harriet Fields and Suzanne Lloyd (granddaughters of silent screen legends W.C.Fields and Harold Lloyd), Ben Model and Steve Massa whose Silent Comedy Watch Party streams have been a huge success throughout the current pandemic and Hattie Jacques son, Robin Le Mesurier
  • A celebration of Moms Mabley who broke racial and sexual boundaries and continues to inspire comedians to this day 
  • Live Q and As and virtual hangouts

Full details about the festival, which we’re proud to run out of Bristol, a UNESCO City of Film, can be found either on the Eventive website itself or via our programme which is available to download as a pdf.

Main Image 2021 enews

Slapstick Festival 2020

Slapstick 2020

The 16th edition of Bristol’s own Slapstick Festival celebrates comedy in all its aspects – the never-surpassed classic silent film comedy, the great era of classic comedy on television, and live visual performance.

Rediscovered silent comedy classics will be seen at Watershed and Bristol Cathedral on 23rd and 24th January, in part chosen by our guest curator: Serge Bromberg, founder-director of Lobster films, and one of the world’s great saviours and restorers of “lost” historic films.

Main 2020 website

Laurel & Hardy: Bacon Grabbers (1929) Live At Slapstick Festival With Marcus Brigstocke

Laurel & Hardy: Bacon Grabbers (1929) Live At Slapstick Festival With Marcus Brigstocke

Laurel & Hardy: Bacon Grabbers (1929) Live At Slapstick Festival With Marcus Brigstocke

In January 2019 the Slapstick gala moved to The Hippodrome for the first year ever, where it was hosted by satirist and comedian Marcus Brigstocke.

Coming as the gala did hot on the heels of the release of Stan & Ollie (2018), the film starring Steve Coogan and John C Reilly, we knew when we were programming it that a classic Laurel & Hardy silent would have to feature. We chose their 1929 two-reeler Bacon Grabbers and commissioned a score from Martin Pring of Bristol Ensemble.

As part of our Laughter in Lockdown series from the Slapstick archive, we now present the archive recording of the world premiere of Martin’s score, along with some audience laughter to boot!

This release represents the first opportunity for people who were not in the audience on the night to hear it!

French & Saunders: Live @ Slapstick Festival Comedy Legend Awards with Mel Giedroyc

French & Saunders: Live @ Slapstick Festival Comedy Legend Awards with Mel Giedroyc

French and Saunders June Whitfield Mel Giedroyc 2017 1

French & Saunders: Live @ Slapstick Festival Comedy Legend Awards with Mel Giedroyc

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 for a one-off show celebrating their 35-year contribution to screen comedy.

And now the event is back – this time as the latest free-to-view treat to be released from Slapstick’s vaults as part of its on-going Laughter in Lockdown series and complemented on Sunday 28 June (8 pm) by a free-to-join Watch Party + live Twitter chat.

Watch the Event

Laughter In Lockdown #10 – Ken Dodd at the Aardman Slapstick Comedy Awards

Laughter In Lockdown #10 – Ken Dodd at the Aardman Slapstick Comedy Awards

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Laughter In Lockdown #10 – Ken Dodd at the Aardman Slapstick Comedy Awards

In 2016 Slapstick Festival welcomed Sir Ken Dodd to Bristol where he became the fourth recipient of the Aardman Slapstick Comedy Legend Award.

Never one to do interviews in this way, this truly was a coup for Slapstick.

In conversation with writer and broadcaster Dr Matthew Sweet, Ken was in scintillating form on the night.

We hope you enjoy the tenth release in our Laughter in Lockdown series.

*This film is the unedited version of the whole event. The clips have all been left in – even though they are not visible – for reference only. This episode will be replaced with a shorter, edited version in July.

Laughter In Lockdown #9 – Jo Brand’s Top Comedy Picks

Laughter In Lockdown #9 – Jo Brand’s Top Comedy Picks

Jo-Brand-2-©-Paul-Lippiatt

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 Slapstick for some time, so when the undisputed comedy icon agreed to join us at Bristol Old Vic we couldn’t have been happier.

So settle back and enjoy Jo Brand in conversation with Robin Ince as she tells us about what makes her laugh, who her comedy  online australia heroes are and why (shock, horror) she isn’t a huge fan of slapstick comedy!

Laughter In Lockdown #8 – Lee Mack hosts Laurel & Hardy’s Liberty (1929)

Laughter In Lockdown #8 – Lee Mack hosts Laurel & Hardy’s Liberty (1929)

Laurel Hardy Liberty

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 extracts, comedy, music and film devoted to the greatest comedy double act of all time.

The star of long-running BBC sitcom ‘Not Going Out’ and ‘Would I Lie to You?’ team captain had chosen a selection of his favourite Laurel & Hardy clips and shorts for a packed Colston Hall audience.

One of the many highlights of the night was a complete screening of the boys’  classic silent comedy, Liberty (1929), which also featured the world premiere of a new semi-improvised score from composer Guenter A. Buchwald performed live by the European Silent Screen Virtuosi, who also included Romano Todesco, Frank Bockius and Marc Roos.

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

Tim-Vine-Richard-Herring-2

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 to talk about some of his favourite comedy shows and films.

The show crackled along as these two masters of quick wit and tight timing teamed up for an illuminating trip down memory lane. It also got quite poignant at times as Tim reflected on his late Dad’s influence on his comedy – and he even selected a clip of his Dad joining him on stage to tell a joke as one of his favourite comedy moments.