Ben Elton announces 2019 tour
- Ben Elton is to tour a stand-up show in 2019, his first in 15 years
- Ben Elton Live 2019 will visit 53 venues between September and November
- Tickets are on sale now from Ticketmaster
Ben Elton has announced a new stand-up tour, his first in 15 years.
Ben Elton Live 2019 will tour the UK between September and November 2019.
Elton rose to fame as a stand-up comedian in the 1980s, having been signed by The Comedy Store as their regular compère in 1981. His act was notably political, and often attacked the policies of the then Conservative government, led by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
Following his success in the club he soon started appearing on television and became a regular on Channel 4's Saturday Live (later re-named Friday Night Live). He was given his own BBC show - The Man From Auntie - in 1990.
However, his scripts for shows including The Young Ones, Blackadder and The Thin Blue Line meant he was soon as much in demand as a writer as a stand-up comedian.
In the 1990s he also made a name for himself as a novelist and to date has published 15 books, a number of which have become best-sellers. He also writes for stage plays and musicals, including collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber.
His TV shows in the 2000s - the topical satire show Get A Grip and the BBC sitcoms Blessed and The Wright Way - each only lasted a single series, however he has recently found renewed sitcom success with Shakespeare-focused BBC Two comedy Upstart Crow, which has so far run for three series. A festive special is due to be shown on Christmas Day.
British Comedy Guide revealed in November that Elton was planning to tour.
Confirming the news, his promoters say: "More than 30 years ago, Ben Elton exploded into the national consciousness hosting Channel 4's ground breaking Saturday Live. Now, after a 15 year absence, the Godfather of modern stand-up returns to the medium he did so much to define. Back on the road with an all new stand-up show, Ben promises to try and make sense of a world which appears to have gone stark raving mad.
Elton himself comments: "The last time I toured I was still smarter than my phone. Things have definitely taken a funny turn."
The 53 date tour kicks off in Dublin on 27th September and then travels across the UK culminating in Torquay on 30th November. A full list of dates is below.
Tickets are on sale now from Ticketmaster
Work In Progress dates
14 September 2019: Frome: Cheese and Grain
15 September 2019: Andover: The Lights
16 September 2019: Newbury: Corn Exchange
17 September 2019: Worcester: Huntingdon Hall
19 September 2019: Newark: Palace
20 September 2019: Cleethorpes: Parkway
21 September 2019: Lancaster: Grand
22 September 2019: Wrexham: William Aston Hall
23 September 2019: Stafford: Gatehouse
2019 dates
27 September 2019: Dublin: Olympia Theatre
28 September 2019: Belfast: Ulster Hall
30 September 2019: Nottingham: Playhouse
1 October 2019: Glasgow: Pavilion
2 October 2019: Inverness: Eden Court
3 October 2019: Aberdeen: Music Hall
4 October 2019: Edinburgh: Queens Hall
7 October 2019: Middlesbrough: Town Hall
8 October 2019: Hull: City Hall
9 October 2019: Scunthorpe: Baths
10 October 2019: Southport: Theatre
11 October 2019: Newcastle: Tyne Theatre
12 October 2019: Bridlington: Spa
14 October 2019: York: Barbican
15 October 2019: Liverpool: Philharmonic
16 October 2019: Leeds: Town Hall
17 October 2019: Leicester: DeMontfort Hall
18 October 2019: Chesterfield: Winding Wheel
19 October 2019: Warrington: Parr Hall
20 October 2019: Bath: Theatre Royal
22 October 2019: Birmingham: Town Hall
23 October 2019: Coventry: WAC
24 October 2019: Salford: Lowry
25 October 2019: Northampton: Derngate
28 October 2019: Tunbridge Wells: Assembly Hall
30 October 2019: Colchester: Charter Hall
31 October 2019: Chatham: Central
1 November 2019: Folkestone: Leas Cliff Hall
2 November 2019: Southend: Cliffs Pavilion
4 November 2019: Wycombe: Swan
5 November 2019: Basingstoke: Anvil
6 November 2019: Salisbury: City Hall
7 November 2019: Cardiff: St David's Hall
8 November 2019: Poole: Lighthouse
9 November 2019: Barnstaple: Queens Theatre
11 November 2019: Eastbourne: Congress Theatre
12 November 2019: Southampton: Guildhall
13 November 2019: Reading: Hexagon
14 November 2019: Worthing: Assembly Hall
15 November 2019: Crawley: Hawth Theatre
16 November 2019: Watford: Colosseum
18 November 2019: Guildford: G-Live
19 November 2019: Aylesbury: Waterside
20 November 2019: Canterbury: Marlowe
21 November 2019: Ipswich: Corn Exchange
22 November 2019: Peterborough: Cresset
23 November 2019: Lincoln: Engine Shed
25 November 2019: Blackburn: King George's Hall
26 November 2019: Stoke-On-Trent: Victoria Hall
27 November 2019: Llandudno: Venue Cymru
28 November 2019: Swansea: Brangwyn Hall
29 November 2019: Weston-Super-Mare: Playhouse
30 November 2019: Torquay: Princess Theatre
Tickets from Ticketmaster