Archives: Events

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to experience Harry Enfield’s groundbreaking Mockumentary Norbert Smith: A Life on the big screen!  Widely regarded as a seminal work of British television comedy, Norbert Smith: A Life has been celebrated for its clever satire, and masterful performances. Lauded as an important cultural touchstone, the film brilliantly parodies the history of British cinema while … Read more

Join us for an unmissable evening with national comedy treasure Harry Enfield, creator of such unforgettable characters as the ‘Loadsamoney’ boasting plasterer; Tim Nice-But-Dim, kebab king Stavros; Kevin and Perry (with Kathy Burke) and with The Fast Show’s Paul Whitehouse, the iconic radio DJs Smashie and Nicey. In a rare onstage appearance, Harry will sit … Read more

Alasdair and Robin introduce this special big screen outing of Chaplin’s masterful and timely satire.  They will explore how Chaplin skillfully used comedy to take aim at authoritarianism, racism, and war. Released before the USA entered WWII, The Great Dictator was Chaplin’s first talking picture, and he didn’t hold back. His brilliant lampooning of Adolf Hitler made the … Read more

Slapstick is thrilled to welcome award-winning comedian Alasdair Beckett-King to host our annual celebration of the greatest comedy duo of all time: Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy.  Join Alasdair as he dives into the timeless brilliance of Laurel & Hardy in conversation with stand-up comedian and writer Robin Ince. Alasdair will bring his unique blend … Read more

Made on a lowly $100,000 budget, this surprise independent hit about a trapper (Ryland Brickson Cole Tews) battling malevolent beavers is already heading towards cult classic status, having picked up scores of awards from festivals worldwide, earning glowing reviews from top critics & audiences and getting a 97% score on the Rotten Tomatoes’ tomatometer. It … Read more

Join actor and Lloyd superfan Paul McGann for a screening of one of Harold Lloyd’s best-loved comedies on Bristol’s largest screen. In this satire of college life, Lloyd plays a student desperate to gain popularity, including on the football field, despite having no flair for the game. Some of his classmates, however, are faking friendship … Read more

From Punky Business with Jane Asher to Joan Sims and June Whitfield as gangsters running the world of ballroom dancing, Samira Ahmed and Graeme Garden provide a follow-up to their hugely popular Slapstick 2024 show, this time drawing on a rich archive of clips to discuss the importance of the many comic actresses who featured … Read more

As his brother’s band were enjoying their first chart success, the younger of the McCartney brothers was adopting the name Mike McGear and forming satirical comic trio The Scaffold, with poet Roger McGough and comedian John Gorman.  They went on to score UK hits with Lily The Pink, Thank U Very Much and Liverpool Lou but Mike … Read more

Whether it’s the flamboyant pratfalls of The Pink Panther films or the aural anarchic of The Goon Show, the essence of Slapstick comedy was vital to the comedy career of Peter Sellers. Robert Ross, Britain’s Comedy Historian and the author of the new book, Best Sellers: Peter Sellers A Life in Comedy, presents an affectionate … Read more

Nigel Planer is a man of very many parts– actor, poet, comedian, author, playwright, voiceover artist, musician– and possesses a showbiz CV which takes in everything from starring roles in award-winning musicals, TV whodunits, fondly-remembered comedies and stage dramas. However, in this event, he’s focusing on two of his best loved comedy parody characters– Neil, … Read more

This year’s winner of the Aardman Slapstick Comedy Legend Award is comedian, actor, author, playwright, lyricist and director Ben Elton. He first achieved widespread fame for the left-leaning satirical rants he delivered as the host of Channel 4’s Saturday Live. But his career as a scriptwriter began in 1980 and went on to give him … Read more

Rik Mayall was a pioneer of alternative comedy, writing and performing in a style which revolutionised TV sitcoms and led to such memorable series as Filthy Rich & Catflap, The Comic Strips Presents, Bottom, The New Statesman, and the one which still brings location tourists to Bristol, The Young Ones. Here, his Young Ones and … Read more

At the heart of this event is a rare big screen outing for Kubrick’s iconic satirical masterwork, Dr. Strangelove: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. Released 60 years ago, the film remains as sharp and relevant as ever. It follows the pandemonium that ensues when a delusional US general orders a … Read more

Stephen K. Amos dives deeper into his admiration for Mel Brooks as he introduces the film he considers his all-time favourite comedy: Blazing Saddles (1974). This Mel Brooks classic stars Cleavon Little as a Black sheriff, appointed by a scheming villain intent on destroying a town, only to prove himself a worthy adversary. The film … Read more

Making a welcome debut at Slapstick is an exceptional comic talent. Comedian, actor and gay rights champion Stephen K. Amos, has a 20+ year record of making worldwide audiences laugh with his sharp wit, charm and energy. His many accolades include a BAFTA nomination, an RTS Award, a Royal Variety Show appearance, getting life advice … Read more

First aired in 1996, Goodness Gracious Me, is the pioneering radio and television comedy series that redefined British comedy by challenging stereotypes and spotlighting British-Asian experiences. Join the series’ creators and stars, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Meera Syal, and Anil Gupta, in conversation with host Matthew Sweet (BBC Radio 4’s Free Thinking) as they reflect on the … Read more

There’s another side to globally famous musician Rick Wakeman CBE- his love of classic screen comedy. Here, with the help of clips and home movie footage, he delves into why he considers Dad’s Army one of the finest comedies ever made and reflects on his cherished friendship with Ian Lavender, one of the show’s stars … Read more

Recognised widely as a masterpiece of Soviet silent cinema, this is also a delightful comedy of manners satirising  contemporary life in Moscow during a time of  ever-shifting, often contradictory, policies, It stars Vera Maretskaya, a five times winner of the Stalin Prize for acting, as a country girl seeking her uncle in the big city … Read more

Eddie Murphy plays the lead in this comedy send-up of every horror film ever built on the premise of a family thinking they’ve found their dream home only for ghosts and ghouls to get in the way. It’s a Disney production and comes with a PG rating so is suitable for youngsters but anyone especially … Read more

Keaton is both touching and very, very funny in this spoof cowboy film as Friendless, a hapless soul who decides to try his hand at cattle ranching after failing to find a big city job. Spurned by the ranch owner’s daughter (Kathleen Myers), Friendless forms a loyal bond with a young cow, Brown Eyes, and … Read more

Dustin Hoffman gives an Oscar nominated performance as an unsuccessful actor who poses as a woman to try for a part in a hit TV series. He gets the role and relishes living as a woman but the situation becomes farcical when he falls for a co-star,  her Dad falls for ‘him’ and a fellow … Read more

Join us this half-term for a rare big screen outing of Aardman Animation’s new feature film Vengeance Most Fowl (2024) starring everyone’s favourite duo, Wallace & Gromit! This special screening is preceded by their award-winning classic prequel The Wrong Trousers, (1993) a true masterpiece of animation. The event will be introduced by none other than … Read more

It is rare for a film to score 100% on Rotten Tomatoes but this silent comedy-drama – by a Japanese director so in love with Hollywood and Harold Lloyd, he played truant to visit cinemas – does so. It looks at family life through the eyes of two young rascally brothers, new to their Tokyo … Read more