A HUGE THANK YOU!

Everyone at Team Slapstick would like to extend their gratitude to each one of our supporters who donated to the festival via our BIG COMEDY NIGHT IN campaign or helped in some other way.

You blew us away with your overwhelming generosity and messages of encouragement. We had set ourselves a target of £5000, which we considered to be the minimum amount we would need to ensure Slapstick 2021 could go ahead. In the end, we raised £11,000 – more than double what we had hoped for. This, along with the renewed support of our friends at Aardman Animations and the BFI, means that we will not only be able to run a festival in January but also that it will be of the size and scale we hoped to be able to deliver it at.

We are going to be spending the next few weeks focussing our thoughts on Slapstick 2021. We are incredibly excited at the prospect of sharing the details with you. If you would like to be amongst the first to hear the latest news, please

Subscribe to our newsletter

Like so many organisations, Slapstick Festival has suffered a huge loss of income as a result of not being able to put on live events and fundraisers during the Covid19 pandemic.

So if you are in a position to offer Slapstick a donation, please

Donate Here

Revisit Our Lockdown Series

Of Events

During the Spring and Summer of 2020 Slapstick responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by releasing two series of events on our YouTube channel.

For the first, Laughter In Lockdown, we dug deep into our archives to release classic shows from the previous decade, while for the second, Laughing Out Of Lockdown, we mixed up unique live-streamed events and more archive shows.

Many of the above are still on our YouTube channel.

Laughter After Lockdown

Like so many organisations, Slapstick Festival has suffered a huge loss of income as a result of not being able to put on live events and fundraisers during the Covid19 pandemic.

So if you are in a position to offer Slapstick a donation, please

Donate Here

To be kept in the loop about upcoming Slapstick events – including Slapstick Festival 2021 – please

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter

Click for info

Tim Brooke-Taylor OBE 1940 – 2020

It is with deep deep sadness that my Slapstick colleagues and I have learned of the passing of Tim Brooke-Taylor from COVID -19 related illness last night.

Tim was first and foremost a dear friend, both personally and to the Bristol Slapstick Festival. Tim’s passion, enthusiasm, love for classic comedy and, in particular Buster Keaton, meant that Tim and Slapstick Festival was a perfect pairing, with Tim becoming a Patron for us in 2008. Each year Tim would tell us that Slapstick was his favourite festival and expressed regularly how much he looked forward it.

As one-third of the legendary comedy team The Goodies and through his work on such shows as I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue, Do Not Adjust Your Set, At Last the 1948 Show and more, Tim’s contribution to the history of comedy is notable and significant.

Tim first appeared at Slaptick in 2007 with Graeme Garden and has been a special guest almost every year since – appearing in and hosting countless events over the years. He was with us again in Bristol in January 2020, taking part in no fewer than four events with his usual enthusiasm, passion, charm and energy to the delight of full house audiences.

Everyone involved with Slapstick joins me in sending sincere and heartfelt sympathies to his wife Christine, his family and friends.

Slapstick’s Big Comedy Bash will be back!

Given the ongoing global situation, we are still in the process of rescheduling our special fundraiser The Big Comedy Bash which was due to have taken place at The Hexagon Reading on 29 April 2020.

We are discussing new dates with the same comedy stars who were booked to play the original show, as well as some of the festival’s other celebrity friends, to present a rescheduled event at some point in the new year.

We will announce the new date as soon as it is possible. Watch this space for updates or keep an eye on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram feeds.

Thanks for your understanding and continued support.

Click for info

The music

Slapstick is always proud to present world-class live musical accompaniments for its silent comedy screenings, from solo piano improvisations to full orchestral scores and this year we have an exceptional line up of talent.

At our “Slapstick at the Cathedral” events led by Slapstick’s Musical Director, maestro Günter A. Buchwald we have the unstoppable four-piece ensemble The European Silent Screen Virtuosi (ESSV), in the form of Günter A. Buchwald (violin, piano), Frank Bockius (percussion) and Romano Todesco who return to provide accompaniment for the “Slapstick Divas”, the “Silent Comedy Gala” and “So This Is Paris” screenings during the festival. In addition we are delighted to welcome back pianist and composer Daan van den Hurk and our long-serving pianist John Sweeney as well as ‘I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue’s very own Colin Sell.

Click for info

Volunteer with slapstick!

We’re always on the lookout for people who can help with the smooth running of not only the festival itself but also events we stage during the year.

No experience is needed and there are lots of diverse roles available, all of which provide valuable experience in the film, arts and events industries.

So if you or someone you know might be interested click the button below to drop Jacqui a line.

DROP US A LINE!