Making a triumphant return to the stand-up scene, the legendary Ben Elton is set to open the 2019 Aberdeen Comedy Festival as part of a 53 date national tour presented by Phil McIntyre Entertainments which kicks off in Dublin on September 27.
After a 15-year absence, the comedian and writer, who shot to fame more than 30 years ago hosting Channel 4’s ground breaking ‘Saturday Live’, will headline the 2019 festival at Aberdeen’s Music Hall on October 3. His Aberdeen date will be the fifth on his national tour which takes him from Dublin to Torquay and Ben promises to try and make sense of a world which appears to have gone stark raving mad.
Presented by Aberdeen Performing Arts, Ben Elton’s date joins Aberdeen Inspired’s stellar comedy festival line-up for 2019 which includes internationally acclaimed stand-up comedians Jimeoin and Daniel Sloss.
Commenting on the announcement, Adrian Watson, chief executive of Aberdeen Inspired, said: “It is a huge coup for the city, Aberdeen Comedy Festival and APA to have secured such a big name. Being a part of Ben’s return to stand-up is a tremendous honour and we are very much looking forward to him being the opening act at our fourth festival.
“We are committed to delivering a world class festival and this announcement, alongside Daniel Sloss and Jimeoin, reinforces our ambitions for 2019, making this the biggest and best celebration of comedy the north-east has ever seen.”
Ben Torrie, director of programming & Creative Projects at Aberdeen Performing Arts, said: “We can’t wait to see Ben Elton make his return to comedy and are thrilled that Aberdeen and the wonderfully restored Music Hall will play a part in his 2019 UK Tour. We are proud to be hosting such a prestigious comic and are sure that this will be an opening act to the festival that no-one will want to miss!
Ben Elton said: “The last time I toured I was still smarter than my phone. Things have definitely taken a funny turn!”
Well known as a regular on Channel 4’s Saturday Live, Ben also starred in his own BBC show, The Man From Auntie, in 1990. Along with his stand-up, he is an established 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.
Aberdeen Comedy Festival will run at a multitude of city venues, bars and clubs over the course of 11 days from Thursday, October 3 until Sunday, October 13, 2019. It will continue to shine a spotlight on local talent as well as showcasing the best acts on both the national and international comedy circuit.
Thousands of comedy fans are expected to flock to Aberdeen to see the best comedy on offer next October. The festival has been organised and promoted in its entirety by Aberdeen Inspired since 2016 with generous support from The McGinty’s Group Scotland.
Tickets for Ben Elton’s show are priced at £29.50 (plus booking fee) and go on general sale on Monday, December 10 at 10am and are expected to be snapped up fast.
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