From 17th century Drury Lane antics to contemporary alternative comedy, London is peppered with forgotten comedic history. City landmarks identifying major moments in comedy evolution have gradually been lost to public consciousness, ignored by daily passers-by. Over time, accidents and flukes in comedy have developed the business into bigger and better things but the original details have faded from collective memory. 

 

Opening the lid on a treasure trove of secrets, The Comedy History Tour of London will expose some astonishing facts. For example:

How did the Music Hall Lion Comique lead to the creation of today’s hospital A & E departments? 

Where did the ridiculing of a mediocre actor trigger the birth of UK pantomime? 

Why were the walls of the original Comedy Store covered in hessian sacks and gold foil curtains? 

Which runaway teenager, roughing it in Soho, would be the driving force of sixties’ satire? And what exactly was the West-End steeplechase?

 

This is not just a trek around the city to share in its concealed comedy inventory. It’s also two hours in the company of a comedy history expert who is as thrilled and delighted by the insights and quirky stories he has uncovered about the sites that changed UK comedy forever.