Aberystwyth Comedy Festival makes its highly-anticipated return for 2023 this evening, bringing big hitters from across the UK comedy scene to town.
Organised by Little Wander, the same team behind the renowned Machynlleth Comedy Festival, this year’s event is the biggest yet with the addition of two new venues and a special focus on inclusivity.
Over three days, from Friday, 29 September until Sunday, 1 October, the festival will showcase approximately 100 shows, including Darren Harriott, Grace Petrie, Stephen Bailey, Ania Magliano, Dave’s Funniest Joke of The Fringe winner Lorna Rose Treen, Eric Rushton (winner of the inaugural Sean Lock award), and Welsh rising star Mel Owen, drawing comedy enthusiasts from far and wide to this charming seaside setting.
With acts fresh from sell-out Edinburgh fringe runs alongside family friendly programming that includes Aardman Animation Workshops and Clwb Carco, a Welsh language children’s show, there’s something for everyone. And even more so with this year’s continuation of live captioned performances as Little Wander strive to make their comedy offerings more accessible to disabled audiences.
In its fifth year Aberystwyth Comedy Festival is now a part of HYNT, a national access scheme working with venues across Wales to ensure there is a consistent offer available for audience members with impairment or specific access needs.
In particular this year’s programming offers real time on-screen captioning for Bridget Christie Who Am I?, Aberystwyth Comedy Festival Friday Night Showcase, Kiri Pritchard-McLean Work in Progress, Kieran Hodgson Big in Scotland, Aberystwyth Comedy Festival Saturday Night Showcase, Rosie Jones Triple Threat, and Tamsyn Kelly Crying in TKMaxx.
Aber 2023 also sees Little Wander proudly step into the world of festival radio with the launch of Little Wander Radio, a brand new pop-up station. Broadcasting on 90.2 FM and online from its home in Aber’s Eco Hub, Little Wander Radio will provide music, festival news, and guest DJ sets throughout the weekend. Tickets available here.
Edinburgh Comedy Award, Rose d’Or and South Bank Sky Arts Award winner Bridget Christie, brings her highly acclaimed show Who Am I? To Aberystwyth.
Bridget Christie is hot, but not in a good way. She leaks blood, sweats, and thinks that ‘Chris Rock’ is the same person as ‘The Rock’. She cannot ride the motorbike she bought to combat her mid-life crisis because of early osteoarthritis in her hips and RSI in her wrist, and she wonders why there are so many films, made by men, about young women discovering their sexuality – but none about middle-aged women forgetting theirs. Who Am I? Is a menopause laugh-a-minute with a confused, furious, sweaty lady who is annoyed by everything.
Who Am I? is Bridget’s 13th show. Previous shows include A Bic For Her – which won the Foster’s Award for Best Show at the 2013 Edinburgh Festival, a South Bank Sky Arts Award, and became the best-selling show at the Soho Theatre ever. Her Brexit-themed show, Because You Demanded It, was named as The Guardian’s No 1 Comedy of the Year in 2016 and won the Chortle Award for Best Show (her second Best Show Chortle Award).
In 2016, Bridget recorded her debut stand-up special – Stand Up For Her (Live from Hoxton Hall) – released direct to Netflix in 2017, making her the first British female stand-up on the streaming service.
Her BBC Radio 4 series Bridget Christie Minds the Gap won Best Radio Series at the 2014 Chortle Awards, Best Radio Comedy at the 2014 Rose d’Or awards, and another Chortle Award – for best radio programme – in 2015. Her third series, Utopia, was a finalist in the BBC Audio Drama Awards 2018, with Radio Times calling it “the funniest show on the radio in years”. Her fourth series Mortal won the BBC Audio Drama Award 2022 and was hugely critically acclaimed.
Bridget is currently leading an all-star cast in her brand new, highly acclaimed, Channel 4 comedy drama The Change, which she also created, wrote and executive pro-duced. Produced by BAFTA award winning production company
Bridget comes to the Commodore Cinema as part of the Aberystwyth Comedy Festival on Friday, 29 September.
Aberystwyth Comedy Festival runs from Friday, 29 September to Sunday, 1 Ocotber. Shows can be found all over town. Acts performing at Aberystwyth Arts Centre include Tom Stade, John Osbourne, Wifi Wars, Rob Auton, Colin Hoult, Darren Harriott, Rosie Jones.
Over at Arad Goch, you can catch Paddy Young (Saturday, 30 September, 4.30pm).
He’s hungry. He’s horny. He’s scared. He’s in the gutter but he’s looking down on all of you.
Join Northern powerhouse Paddy Young, one of comedy’s fastest rising stars, for his unmissable debut stand-up hour.
As seen on Channel 4, ITV2, Sky and Stewart Lee’s recommendation list. Over 10 million views online.