Ghosts and The Great British Sewing Bee star, Kiell Smith-Bynoe is heading out on tour with his smash hit improvised comedy show - Kool Story Bro. With an all–star cast of comedians and some very special guests joining him, the show will see the cast taking stories from the audience and turning them into completely improvised comedy scenes. Kicking off in Bristol on 10th April, the tour pre-sale begins at 10am on Thursday 6th February, and fans can sign-up for early access tickets at koolstorybro.co.uk. General sale begins 10am on Friday 7th February.

Fresh from sold-out shows in Edinburgh, London and Brighton, Kool Story Bro is the unmissable improv show that spins unscripted sketches out of the audience’s weirdest and wildest anecdotes. Together with a surprise celebrity co-host, these “world-class improvisers” (Corr Blimey) are about to create a totally unique and utterly ridiculous show from scratch.

Kiell said today: “I've been trying to push the slogan Make Improv Kool Again but apparently that "doesn't have a ring to it". I'm very excited to take Kool Story Bro on tour around the country and bring the audience's stories to life, joined by the best improvisers on the world (it is on, think about it) and some huge special guest hosts from the world of TV. I'm also just really looking forward to sleeping in different Premier Inn's. Lenny Henry makes it look proper comfortable.”

Heading out across the UK Kiell will be joined by members of Kool Story Bro’s rotating cast of improvisers. This includes Starstruck favourites Lola-Rose Maxwell and Nic Sampson, Afterlife and Austentatious’s Graham Dickson, Big Boys’ Robert Gilbert, Mock The Week’s Emily Lloyd-Saini, Shadow and Bone’s Anna Leong Brophy Taskmaster’s Emma Sidi, with more to be announced.

CAST

Kiell Smith-Bynoe is an actor and writer most known for his brilliant comedy work in BBC One’s Ghosts, Channel 4’s BAFTA winning Stath Lets Flats and BBC’s Three’s Man Like Mobeen. Ghosts, for which he played the lead, had had four successful series and two Christmas specials. Kiell’s other television roles include those in Merman comedy Dreamland opposite Lily Allen, BBC Three’s hilarious Enterprice, BBC’s hugely popular Horrible Histories, Ellie & Natasia sketch show and Channel 4’s much loved Friday Night Dinner. As of last year, Kiell hosted The Great British Sewing Bee after previously appearing as a contestant on the Celebrity special series in 2021. Kiell has appeared on popular TV shows such as Taskmaster, Would I Lie To You and Celebrity Catchphrase. Kiell’s Channel 4 blap, Red Flag, in which he co-wrote and starred in, aired in 2022 to huge critical acclaim.

Lola-Rose Maxwell is an actor, writer and director from Croydon. Series regular in all three seasons of BBC/HBO’s Starstruck, singled out in reviews as ‘Hilarious’Mashable) and ‘merits spin off’ ( Evening Standard). She has also starred in The Now Show, Screentime, Down From London, Doctors, Kevcoin (The Movie), Deloping and most recently, Nick Moorcroft’s new dramedy feature film Mother’s Pride out in cinemas in 2025. Lola-Rose is probably most well known for her sketches with Stevie Martin which have amassed over 45 million views on social media. The pair were headhunted and now direct commercials for Chief productions. Lola-Rose also directed her own short Attack of the Coat in Jan ‘25.

Nic Sampson is a comedian, actor, improviser and writer originally from New Zealand.. He is one of the co-writers of BBC3/HBO Max’s Starstruck, in which he also appeared, and has featured in films including Netflix’s The Breaker Upperers and Baby, Done, which was executive produced by Taika Waititi. Previously, Nic was a core writer and performer on the New Zealand sketch series Funny Girls for TV3, and co-creator of the sitcom Golden Boy. In 2024, he voiced one of the bears in Paddington in Peru, and has also written on Taskmaster Junior (Channel 4). 

Graham Dickson is an actor, writer and improvisor. His recent screen credits include his critically acclaimed performance in the feature All My Friends Hate Me as well as supporting roles in TV shows such as Renegade Nell, Witchfinder, Afterlife and PLS Like.  He is one of the most experienced improvisers in the UK. He is co-founder of the West End smash hit Austentatious as well as the founder of the UK's leading long-form improv school and theatre, The Free Association, where he also performs regularly. 

Anna Leong Brophy is a writer, actor and comedian. She is one of the stars of Netflix's wildly popular fantasy series Shadow and Bone, playing warrior Tamar Kir-Bataar as part of the main cast in Season 2. She appeared as Bryony in series 2 of Channel 4’s Back, alongside David Mitchell and Robert Webb, and in Netflix’s The Billion Dollar Code. Other television includes BBC 1's Last Tango in Halifax and The Girl Before, Traces and Ragdoll for Alibi, and spy series Berlin Station alongside Ashley Judd. Her theatre credits include Henry VI Part One (Royal Shakespeare Company), Pitcairn (Chichester Festival Theatre/Shakespeare’s Globe), and In the Night Time (Before the Sun Rises) (Orange Tree Theatre). 

Rob Gilbert is an actor, writer and comedian. He has featured TV shows and films like Killing Eve, Big Boys, Big Mood, The Tragedy of Macbeth and the upcoming Bergerac. He is one of the managing partners of Soho Comedy Factory, and regularly performs improv on house teams at The Free Association.

Emma Sidi is an actress, comedian and writer for radio, stage and screen. She has starred in hit TV shows such as Taskmaster (Channel 4), Starstruck (BBC 3 & HBO Max), playing Jessie's OTT flatmate Kate and as lead role Millipede in three series of Bafta-nominated comedy Pls Like (BBC 3). Other credits include King Gary (BBC 1), W1A (BBC 1), Ghosts (BBC 1), Industry (BBC 1) and Stath Lets Flats (Channel 4), and in 2025 she stars in Brian and Maggie (Channel 4).  Emma's hit solo show Emma Sidi: Telenovela ran at the Edinburgh Fringe, Soho Theatre and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, and in 2024 her new show Emma Sidi is Sue Gray sold out at the Edinburgh Fringe and on tour. 

Emily Lloyd-Saini is an actor, writer and comedian. She stars as series regular Winnie in BBC Three’s sitcom ‘Juice’, DI Ryle across two seasons of Sky’s hit comedy ‘Code 404’ and is a series regular in ‘Horrible Histories’. She has most recently wrapped on a supporting role in upcoming comedy feature film ‘Mother’s Pride’.

TOUR DATES

10.04.25                                BRISTOL                                                 OLD VIC

11.04.25                                CARDIFF                                                SHERMAN THEATRE

12.04.25                                BRIGHTON                                            DOME (CORN EXCHANGE)

17.04.25                                LEEDS                                                     CITY VARIETIES

18.04.25                                NORWICH                                            PLAYHOUSE

20.04.25                                CHELMSFORD                                     CHELMSFORD THEATRE

23.04.25                                LIVERPOOL                                           ST. GEORGE’S  HALL (CONCERT ROOM)

24.04.25                                SALFORD                                              THE LOWRY (QUAYS THEATRE)

25.04.25                                BIRMINGHAM                                      TOWN HALL

26.04.25                                SHEFFIELD                                             FOUNDRY

01.05.25                                NORTHAMPTON                                 ROYAL & DERNGATE

04.05.25                                MACHYNLLETH                                    COMEDY FESTIVAL

07.05.25                                GLASGOW                                           GLEE CLUB

08.05.25                                NEWCASTLE                                         NORTHERN STAGE

22.05.25                                LONDON                                              SOHO THEATRE WALTHAMSTOW

PICTURE CREDIT: BARDHA KRASNIQI