Ropery Hall News

Ian Smith: Foot Spa Half Empty 

Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee Ian Smith (co-host of the Northern News podcast) heads back out on tour with a new show about stress, love and buying a magic spell off Amazon.

As seen on Live at the Apollo, Have I Got News For You and The Stand Up Sketch Show – and heard on The News Quiz, The Unbelievable Truth, Just A Minute and his own Radio 4 series, Ian Smith is Stressed. 

His last show Crushing was also shortlisted for the (ISH) Edinburgh Comedy Award, runner-up in Next Up’s “Biggest Award in Comedy” and nominated for a Chortle Award for Best Show. It was one of the Guardian’s Top 10 Comedy Shows of 2023 and featured on the British Comedy Guide’s Best Reviewed Shows of 2023.

“Effortlessly brilliant” ★★★★ Scotsman

“There are few fringe shows as purely funny as this” ★★★★ Guardian

 “An outstanding and stressed-out hour of stand-up” ★★★★ Fest

“The hilarity just keeps coming… he has excelled himself” ★★★★ Beyond the Joke

“Ian Smith turns incredulity into an art form, confirming his status as the undisputed sultan of nerve-shredding stress” Rolling Stone

Age guidelines: 16+ 

Join us for a wonderful night of comedy with our regular Barnstormers compere and three comedians from the national circuit.

Join us for a wonderful night of comedy with our regular Barnstormers compere and three comedians from the national circuit.

Join us for a wonderful night of comedy with our regular Barnstormers compere and three comedians from the national circuit.

Let Yourself Go!

Festival favourite Lucy returns with a brand new show about the power of letting yourself go – in every sense. Whether that means embracing your wrinkles and love handles whilst living in a slanket, or having a couple of babychams and dancing like nobody’s watching (and if you’re a middle aged woman, they’re probably not). It’s also about letting go of the person you’ve always thought you are, and using your midlife crisis to pursue new goals and reinvent yourself.

“Impeccably punchlined anecdotes … genuinely delightful” The Telegraph

“A treat from start to finish” The Herald

Hal Cruttenden: Can Dish It Out But Can’t Take It

Hal is back with a brand-new tour for 2025/2026 with a show that promises to stick it to ‘The Man’, as long as ‘The Man’ doesn’t stick it back to him.

With his trademark hard-hitting ‘take no prisoners’ comedy (this is what Hal told me to write!!!) he will be hilariously pontificating on subjects like middle aged dating, social media, the insanity of modern politics and the fact that his daughters love him but don’t respect him. He believes that, after you’ve seen the show, you’ll feel exactly the same way.

His last tour was extended four times and he’s one of a select number of comics to have done Live At The Apollo three times and the Royal Variety twice, TV also includes Have I Got News For You, The Apprentice You’re Fired, Bake Off Extra Slice and Would I Lie To You.

‘Reminded me of how much I love stand up‘ ★★★★ The Times

 ‘Go and see Hal Cruttenden, he’s got something to say and he’ll make you laugh; a lot.’ ★★★★★ Daily Mirror

 ‘Naturally funny…challenging and provocative’ ★★★★ Daily Telegraph