Woolwich is having a very funny autumn.
Woolwich Works has unveiled a sizeable new comedy programme for September, October and November 2026, bringing The Comedy Store to SE18 for the first time alongside Shazia Mirza, Scummy Mummies, a gloriously ridiculous Buffy parody and some excellent half-term comedy for children.
Here are five shows we’d pick from the new season.
1. The Comedy Store comes to Woolwich
Friday 11 September and Friday 27 November
This is probably the biggest addition to the programme.
The Comedy Store has been part of British stand-up for decades, and this autumn it is heading to Woolwich Works for the first time.
The opening night on September 11 has a strong four-comic bill: American stand-up Dave Fulton, Britain’s Got Talent semi-finalist Markus Birdman, Lily Phillips and Jimmy McGhie.
And, importantly, it isn’t being treated as a one-off. There is already a second Woolwich Comedy Store night booked for November 27 with a different line-up.
The shows take place in the Fireworks Factory, one of Woolwich Works’ bigger spaces, which should give the whole thing the feel of a proper Friday-night comedy club rather than a few comics squeezed into the corner of a bar.
Tickets: £26. Age 18+.
Find out more at Woolwich Works.
2. Shazia Mirza headlines Big Bill’s Comedy Night
Friday 18 September
If you fancy a cheaper night out, this might be the one to book.
Shazia Mirza headlines the September edition of Big Bill’s Comedy Night. She has been doing sharp, fearless stand-up for years and has appeared everywhere from Have I Got News for You to QI and The Jonathan Ross Show.
The night is hosted by comedian Bilal Rashid, who has been using Big Bill’s to mix better-known names with newer comics coming through the circuit.
Tickets start at £13.50, which feels pretty reasonable for a London comedy night in 2026.
Big Bill’s is also back on October 23 and November 20, so it is worth keeping an eye on the later line-ups as they are announced.
8pm. Tickets £13.50, concessions £11.50. Age 18+.
3. Take the kids to some properly silly comedy
Sunday 25 October and Tuesday 27 October
October half-term comedy can sometimes mean an adult show with a few swear words removed. These two look much more promising.
First up is Out of the Box on October 25, an hour of clowning, physical comedy and general chaos from Darryl J Carrington. It has already picked up awards on the family theatre circuit and there are performances at 11am and 2pm.
Then on October 27 comes the magnificently titled Olaf Falafel’s Stupidest Super Stupid Show So Far.
Falafel won Best Kids’ Show at the 2024 Leicester Comedy Festival and his latest show involves jokes, live drawing, time travel and, apparently, truth-telling cheese.
Frankly, that last one has sold us.
Out of the Box: October 25, tickets £16.50, ages 3+.
Olaf Falafel: October 27, tickets £13.50, ages 5+.
Both have 11am and 2pm performances at Woolwich Works.
4. Watch all 144 episodes of Buffy in one night. Sort of.
Wednesday 28 October
There are niche comedy shows, and then there is Buffy Revamped.
Brendan Murphy’s one-man show attempts to race through all 144 episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer in a single evening.
It comes fresh from another Edinburgh Fringe run and has built up something of a following among people who still remember exactly what went wrong when Buffy and the gang graduated from Sunnydale High.
You absolutely do not need another Buffy reboot.
A comedian attempting to condense seven seasons of vampires, demons, apocalypses and teenage angst into one evening, though? That we can get behind.
8pm. Tickets £29, or £35 for premium cabaret seating. Age 14+.
5. Embrace the chaos with Scummy Mummies
Thursday 19 November
Helen Thorn and Ellie Gibson are bringing Scummy Mummies: Hot Mess to Woolwich in November.
If you already know the podcast and live shows, you will know roughly what you are getting: parenting disasters, relationships, bodily indignities and the sort of stories that become considerably funnier once enough time has passed.
The new show moves into menopause, mansplaining and middle-aged chaos, all delivered with the Scummy Mummies’ usual refusal to pretend family life is remotely glamorous.
Probably not one for a quiet date night.
Very possibly one for a night out with friends when everyone could do with a laugh.
7.30pm. Tickets £26, concessions £22. Age 18+.
Why Woolwich Works is becoming worth the trip
If you haven’t been to Woolwich Works yet, this autumn might be a good excuse.
The cultural venue sits inside the historic Royal Arsenal, a few minutes from Woolwich station, and the Elizabeth line has made getting there from central London considerably easier than it once was.
There is also enough around the Royal Arsenal and Woolwich riverside to make an afternoon or evening of it rather than simply arriving five minutes before curtain-up.
The full autumn comedy programme runs from September to November, with stand-up, family shows and comedy theatre spread across the venue.
See the complete programme and book tickets at Woolwich Works.
Woolwich Works, Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, London SE18.
