Greg Davies to headline first Rik Mayall Comedy Festival
The line-up for first Rik Mayall Comedy Festival, due to run in Droitwich Spa from Saturday 31st May to Saturday 7th June 2025, has been announced.
The eight-day event is set to feature a show from Taskmaster host Greg Davies, who appeared alongside the Young Ones star in his Channel 4 sitcom Man Down. Mayall died within a year of the first series airing, in June 2024.
Peter Richardson, a founding member of The Comic Strip Presents..., of which Mayall was an original cast member, will also appear, as will Helen Lederer who worked with Mayall on shows such as Happy Families and Bottom.
Other performers bringing stand-up shows to Norbury Theatre as part of the Worcestershire-based festival include Shaparak Khorsandi, Red Richardson, Paul Foot and Laura Smyth.
The curated programme will also feature theatre, comedy for children and parents, panels and screenings. Free activities suitable for families will take place around the town during the weekends, and a pop-up museum will feature memorabilia, costumes and photography from Mayall's career.
The festival will also feature the world premiere of Serious About Comedy, a film produced in collaboration with the University of Birmingham's Shakespeare Institute and the Birmingham Rep, with a panel after the screening including the director of West End productions of Dr Strangelove and Upstart Crow, Sean Foley.
Other venues across town are part of an open Fringe, and applications open on the festival website to perform throughout the town. The Fringe will feature a variety of shows, with a large proportion of free and 'pay what you want' performances including stand-up, improv, theatre and live music.
The idea for a comedy festival came about through a discussion with Mayall's family and local councillor Richard Morris who was keen to celebrate the iconic comedian and his connection to Droitwich Spa. The family suggested that a celebration in the town where we found his feet in entertainment was a fitting tribute to his legacy.
Mayall, known for his extrovert characters, moved to Droitwich with his parents when he was three, taking part in plays at the Norbury throughout his childhood and teenage years.
Morris explains: "Growing up, Rik was regularly involved in productions at the Norbury Theatre and in many plays that his parents had written, and I believe this is where he found his love of performing. Supporting young people discovering acting and comedy is a key part of why we wanted to hold a festival and the family has given us their blessing."
The comedy festival which has been set up and run by a dedicated group of local volunteers. They say: "With the support of Rik's family and Ben Elton as a patron, we aim to honour Rik's legacy in a way that engages and entertains the community, while bringing new visitors to local businesses."
Tickets are available to local residents from 8th March and on general release from 9th March.
Chris Broad, chair of the festival committee, says: "We are so excited to welcome these fantastic comedians, actors and writers to our debut festival. It's a rare opportunity to see these big names in such an intimate setting as the Norbury. Tickets are very limited so we wanted to give our local community the opportunity to buy this initial release of tickets before we open them up nationally on our website."
Further details can be found at rikmayallcomedyfestival.com