Lee Mack 1 © David Betteridge 2

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

Tim-Vine-Richard-Herring

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

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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

laughter in lockdown

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.

Main Image 2021 twitter cover

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

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GOLDRUSH COMPETITION  Want to win two VIP tickets to our Silent Comedy Gala screening of Charlie’s Chaplin’s The Gold Rush? One of cinema’s most iconic scenes is the bread roll dance from The Gold Rush! We would love to see your modern reinterpretations of this comic gem. To win two VIP tickets to The … Read more

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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

slapstick gala 2019

Slapstick Sunday At Bristol Hippodrome Here are a selection of photos from the 2019 Slapstick Festival gala day on Sunday 10th Feb which featured a matinee performance by Andy Day from CBeebies and our Silent Comedy Gala which featured Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times. All the photos were taken by our regular photographers, Paul Lippiatt and David Betteridge. … Read more

FOR A FEW DAYS ONLY – 2 FOR 1 ON SLAPSTICK FESTIVAL TICKETS! Join us for a very special HD screening of Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times accompanied by a 40-piece orchestra at Bristol Hippodrome on Sunday, February 10th. Hosted by Marcus Brigstocke, this year’s Silent Comedy Gala will also feature shorts from Laurel & Hardy and Buster … Read more

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Slapstick Festival 2019 Slapstick 2019 – In Photos Here is a selection of photos from the 15th edition of Slapstick Festival taken by our regular photographers, Paul Lippiatt and David Betteridge. Check out more work by Paul and David at their websites, which can be found here (for Paul) and here (for David). More photos from Slapstick 2019 … Read more

Goodies fans will be thrilled to hear that the long wait is finally over as The Goodies: The Complete BBC Collection has, at last, been released!!! We have full details about this quite magnificent artefact below – plus a chance for two lucky people to win a copy of it! The low down: “The DVD set contains … Read more

A Dogs Life © David Betteridge

Slapstick Festival 2018 Slapstick ’18 – In Photos Here are a selection of photos from the 14th edition of Slapstick Festival which we reproduce here with thanks to our brilliant team of photographers, Paul Lippiatt, David Betteridge and Dave Nelson. Check out more of their work on their websites, which can be found here (for … Read more

We’re running a cheeky little competition to win a pair of tickets to Saturday’s event with Ronnie Golden in The Lantern at Colston Hall. To enter just answer this simple question: Ronnie Golden was the former leader of cult 70s New Wave quartet Fabulous Poodles who were famously radio 1 DJ John Peel’s favourite band. Can … Read more

Jason Donovan Rocky Horror © David Betteridge

Slapstick Festival 2018 Welcome to Slapstick 2018 To an increasingly crazy world, comedy brings solace and sanity and Bristol’s SLAPSTICK now stands as Europe’s biggest and best festival of comedy, bringing together classic screen clowning with today’s fnest living laughter-makers from British stage and television. This year is the 14th and our biggest edition yet. … Read more

Great Dictator Ronnie Golden Neil Innes 2 All Photos © David Betteridge Photography

Ronnie Golden and Neil Innes perform a song for Donald Trump During the 2017 edition of Slapstick Festival the organisers programmed a screening of Charlie Chaplin’s The Great Dictator (1940) to coincide with the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States of America, something that happened the day before this … Read more

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N PHOTOS: SLAPSTICK 2017 In Photos: Slapstick 2017 Above are a series of photos taken during Slapstick 2017, which ran between 25th – 29th January 2017. All events took place either at Colston Hall, Watershed, Bristol Old Vic or Arnolfini. All images were taken by one of our official festival photographers; Paul Lippiatt, David Betteridge and David … Read more

Simon Callow 3 All Photos © David Betteridge Photography

Day 5 of Slapstick 2017 – A Quick Recap of Yesterday It’s the morning of the last day of the festival! Yesterday was jam-packed with exciting events at the Watershed and Colston Hall. The day started with Chris Serle presenting a Fairbanks and Chaplin double bill. This was followed by a conversation with Roy Hudd … Read more

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Day Four at Slapstick Festival 2017 – Reliving the Gala Last night was our annual Silent Comedy Gala hosted by the wonderful impressionist, Rory Bremner. Topical as always, his Donald Trump was spot-on! He soon had the audience chuckling with his very funny political satire (extremely appropriate considering the timing of the gala with the … Read more

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Slapstick Festival 2017 – 2 Days In! It’s Day Two here at the Slapstick Festival – and we are in full swing! We’ve got our welcome desk set up at the Watershed. If you are coming to one of the events, come and say hello. We’ve also got some great t-shirts, badges, magnets, and posters … Read more

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The 2017 Slapstick T-shirt: The Year Of The Custard Pie Slapstick patron and film historian David Robinson provides some context for our special ‘limited edition’ bonus festival t-shirt. This year’s special ‘bonus’ festival T-shirt simply displays George Orwell’s commendation of the custard pie. Orwell, Britain’s greatest assailant of totalitarianism and authoritarianism, author of 1984 and … Read more

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Wednesday 18th January Wed 18 Jan 2017 NOTFILM (2015) Watershed | 11.30am | Tickets: £8.00/£6.00dir. Ross Lipman | US | 130mins NOTFILM is a documentary about the embattled collaboration between Nobel Prize-winning playwright Samuel Beckett and silent-era genius Buster Keaton as they filmed Beckett’s only on-screen work. During the restoration of FILM (1965), NOTFILM director Ross Lipman discovered its long-lost prologue … Read more

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Sun 22 Jan 2017 Accidentally Preserved: Surviving Slapstick on 16mm Watershed | 9.30am | Tickets: £8.00/£6.00 Slapstick comedy shorts were excellent fodder for home movie companies of the 1920s and 1930s. Kodascope and Pathéscope rented or sold safety film prints for people to watch in their homes, not realising that decades later they would out-survive the … Read more

Gala Roy Hudd 6 All Photos © David Betteridge Photography

Slapstick Festival 2017: SATURDAY Sat 21 Jan 2017 Silent Comedy: A Century Ago | A Fairbanks and Chaplin Double Bill Watershed | 9.30am | Tickets: £8.00/£6.00 Join us for a taste of the ‘flickers’ from a century ago – Saturday morning pictures circa 1916. A classic silent comedy double bill featuring two of the biggest stars of the … Read more

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Slapstick Festival 2017: FRIDAY Fri 20 Jan 2017 Raymond Griffith: The Silk Hat Comedian Paths to Paradise (1925)Watershed | 9.30am | Tickets: £8.00/£6.00dir. Clarence Badger | US | 60mins Oscar-winning director, historian and silent film champion Kevin Brownlow introduces a rare Raymond Griffith feature, Paths to Paradise, from his personal collection and champions this unsung comic who, … Read more

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Slapstick Festival 2017 18th – 22nd January Archive: Slapstick Festival 2017 Slapstick 2017 (18-22 January) was our biggest ever festival with more events staged – and more guests attending – than at any previous edition. By all accounts, it was also our most successful festival ever – something our festival director, Chris Daniels, reflected on in a post … Read more