Have you ever wanted to take your children to a comedy gig but worried there might be unsuitable content? Have you ended up taking them and squirmed in your seat when a potty-mouthed comedian was in full flow? The first-ever Brighton Dome Comedy Festival is giving younger children the chance to experience the thrill of proper stand-up comedy with the rude bits taken out in their upcoming Live at Brighton Dome Bleeped, an expletive-free edition of its flagship comedy showcase Live at Brighton Dome.
Festival producer Rosie Crane says she’s often told there’s too much swearing in comedy these days, which is off-putting for some. And with many comedians using TikTok and Instagram to grow audiences, there’s also an entire generation of online comedy fans who love everything from Monty Python to James Acaster, who are being left out of live show due to age restrictions.
Crane was keen to encourage a ‘love funny, hate sweary’ to come to the Festival. This special gig, at the Brighton Dome Corn Exchange on Saturday, October 26 at 8pm, features viral stand-up Finlay Christie; Insta/TikTok star Daniel Foxx; Mo Gilligan-favourite Chantal Nash; and Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee Ian Smith; and rest assured if you bring your young one there will be no awkward rude bits. The age limit is 11+, so parents and their teenagers can enjoy the show together, echoing the cross-generational appeal of clever, clean-cut TV comedy shows like Taskmaster. Expect all the thrills and spills of live stand-up with the filth taken out.
It’s not the first time a comedy show has been tweaked to make it child-friendly. The organisation Comedy Club 4 Kids puts on shows for younger comedy fans all over the UK. And a few years ago Joanna Neary, who is based on the south coast but not doing the Festival, was doing a run at the Edinburgh Fringe when her childcare fell through. Her only option was to edit her show Wasp In A Cardigan to make it suitable for her offspring. The word “bitch” was allowed, but probably only when referring to a female dog.
For any adults heading to the Brighton Dome Comedy Festival who prefer their humour more unfiltered, the original Live At Brighton Dome will take place simultaneously in the nearby Concert Hall, with Sara Pascoe, Jamali Maddix, Rachel Fairburn and Phil Kay. In fact, Brighton’s own Jam Tarts Choir will kick off proceedings with a rendition of Modern Toss’ infamous Periodic Table of Swearing, so if you are grown up enough and do want some smut you know where to go. But if you have children with you just don't get the venues confused.
Buy tickets for Live at Brighton Dome Bleeped here.
The Brighton Dome Comedy Festival runs from October 24 - 27. For all Festival info click here.
Pictured l - r: Chantal Nash, Finlay Christie, Ian Smith, Daniel Foxx.
