This year, local group Biscuit Barrel sold over 1,700 tickets at Edinburgh Festival, as well as over 300 tickets across their weekend at Brighton Fringe. Now, to kick-off the December season, they’re bringing that same show for a weekend at The Bristol Improv Theatre.
Headlining these bumper Christmas shows are star of Disney Plus’s Extraordinary Luke Rollason (Sat 2nd Dec), as well as local legend/BBC alumni Sally-Anne Hayward (Sunday 3 December).
This year, local group Biscuit Barrel sold over 1,700 tickets at Edinburgh Festival, as well as over 300 tickets across their weekend at Brighton Fringe. Now, to kick-off the December season, they’re bringing that same show for a weekend at The Bristol Improv Theatre.
Headlining these bumper Christmas shows are star of Disney Plus’s Extraordinary Luke Rollason (Sat 2nd Dec), as well as local legend/BBC alumni Sally-Anne Hayward (Sun 3rd Dec).
Each night will feature an opening act (TBC), The 69-Sketch Show, followed by the headliner.
Daryl Reader (DazzReviews; 100 million views) and James Horscroft (Finalist ‘David Nobbs Comedy Writing Award’) created the latest Biscuit Barrel show with the TikTok generation in-mind. Taking classic sketch conventions and trimming them to a snappier pace, they set out to prove that live comedy can match the speed of its online counterpart.
Having spent five years refining their unusual format, Barrel retains the variety of a traditional sketch revue – slapstick, music, and even elements of horror. Featuring insecure self-checkout machines, the ugly truth of Quorn-farming, and a classic cops-and-robbers running gag. The twist? The robber in question’s broken into the production; stealing sound effects, characters, and an entire sketch’s dialogue.
With almost all the group living in Bristol, Barrel have been active in the area since 2019. Primarily with their comedy night at Bristol Improv Theatre, as well as several appearances on BBC Radio Bristol. They also raised £300 for Bristol Refugee Rights with their preview show in May.
Founded seven years ago at the University of Winchester, with a common passion for sketch-comedy, the group set out to find their take on the genre. “Our uni had no Russell group-style sketch revue, so I just made my own and paid for it through retail work” - James Horscroft (group leader).
Quickfire is nothing new, but they sought after a middle-ground between traditional 3-minute skits and an exhausting hour of 100 one-liners. As with many things, 69 seemed to be the gold-spot.
The songs are penned by cast-member and Bristolian stand-up Capriella Monique. In addition to original members (Horscroft, Reader, Monique), the 2023 cast added character-comedian Lily Maryon (Rose Bruford) and Harry Brown (Mountview). The show is directed by Holly Meechan (Tobacco Factory Theatre) and Horscroft.
Show: Biscuit Barrel: The 69-Sketch Show + Guests
Venue: The Bristol Improv Theatre
Dates/Times: 02/12/2023 – 03/12/2023
Book here
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