Daliso Chaponda has been writing jokes about the news for over a decade - on Have I Got News For You, Radio 4’s News Quiz, Australia’s Good News Week and he’s even been the news himself, making headlines across the world after his unforgettable run on Britain’s Got Talent.
Now he is about to hit the road with his brand-new show Topical Storm, which comes to The Studio in Bradford town on 7th February.
Recently, Daliso has found the headlines so absurd, chaotic and overwhelming that they’ve started to mock themselves. In his new show, he asks - where do we go from here?
Topical Storm is his response. A show not just about the news, but about news itself. Journalists, bloggers, fake news, satirical news - has the reporting of events become part of the chaos rather than the cure? Are we more polarised than ever? And would we be better off going right back to the first news bulletin - a caveman scratching on a wall - and starting over?
Daliso explores all this with the sharp one-liners, playful curiosity and thought-provoking punchlines that have made him one of Britain’s most beloved stand-up comedians. At once hilarious and timely, Topical Storm is comedy’s attempt to find clarity in the avalanche of 24-hour rolling headlines.
Daliso’s shows are never just about laughs: in Malawi, he once dared to joke about the arrest of two men for homosexuality, sparking dialogue where silence had reigned. For him, comedy isn’t about changing minds - but it is about starting conversations we’re too afraid to have.
Expect jokes about the latest absurdities, a journey through the history of journalism, and a finale that asks what role comedy (and we as citizens) can play in the storm.
Daliso Chaponda is a comedian, writer and satirist who shot to fame on Britain’s Got Talent, reaching the final and amassing over 10 million YouTube views of his audition which you can see HERE. Since then he’s had his own Radio 4 series (Citizen of Nowhere), appeared on QI, The Royal Variety Performance and The Now Show, and toured across the UK and around the world.
Listings Information: For tickets visit: https://dalisochaponda.com/
FEBRUARY 2026
Thursday 5th Guildford G Live trafalgartickets.com/g-live-guildford
Saturday 7th Bradford The Studio bradford-theatres.co.uk
Sunday 8th Leek Foxlowe Arts Centre foxloweartscentre.org.uk
Thursday 12th New Milton Forest Arts Centre forest-arts.co.uk
Friday 13th Shoreham-by-Sea Ropetackle Arts Centre ropetacklecentre.co.uk
Saturday 14th Bury St Edmunds Theatre Royal theatreroyal.org
Sunday 15th Leicester Firebug firebugbar.net
Friday 20th Barton-upon-Humber The Roperwalk the-ropewalk.co.uk/
Thursday 26th Aldershot West Edn Centre westendcentre.co.uk/
Friday 27th Birmingham The Glee Club glee.co.uk/
Saturday 28th N. Finchley artsdepot artsdepot.co.uk
MARCH 2026
Thursday 5th Salisbury Salisbury Arts Centre wiltshirecreative.co.uk
Friday 6th Chorley Chorley Theatre chorleytheatre.com
Saturday 7th Bristol The Wardrobe Theatre thewardrobetheatre.com
Wednesday 11th Sale Waterside watersidearts.org
Friday 13th Maidenhead Norden Farm Centre Norden. Farm
for the Arts
Saturday 14th Deal The Astor theastor.co.uk
Sunday 22nd Edinburgh Monkey Barrel Comedy monkeybarrelcomedy.com
Monday 23rd Glasgow The Stand thestand.co.uk
APRIL 2026
Thursday 9th Mold Theatr Clwyd theatrclwyd.com
Saturday 11th Stockton ARC Stockton arconline.co.uk
Wednesday 15th Chipping Norton Chipping Norton chippingnortontheatre.com
Theatre
Saturday 18th Blackheath, London Blackheath Halls blackheathhalls.com
Sunday 19th Faversham The Alex thealex.org.uk
Friday 24th Hemel Hempstead The Old Town Hall oldtownhall.co.uk
Saturday 28th Ulverston The Laurel & Hardy laurel-and-hardy.co.uk/
Museum
Wednesday 29th Brighton Komedia komedia.co.uk
MAY 2026
Sunday 3rd Newcastle Huntingdon Hall worcestertheatres.co.uk
Saturday 9th Southend-on-Sea The Stand thestand.co.uk
Sunday 10th Peterborough Key Theatre keytheatre-peterborough.com
Saturday 16th Shrewsbury Theatre Severn theatresevern.co.uk/
Sunday 24th Salford Lowry thelowry.com
Saturday 30th Bedford The Quarry Theatre quarrytheatre.org.uk
JUNE 2026
Tuesday 2nd Coventry Warwick Arts Centre warwickartscentre.co.uk
Sunday 7th Leeds Old Woollen oldwoollen.co.uk/
Thursday 11th Winchester The Arc arcwinchester.org.uk
Friday 26th Cambridge Cambridge Junction junction.co.uk/
JULY 2026
Friday 3rd Oxford The North Wall Arts thenorthwall.com
Centre
Wednesday 29th Norwich Norwich Theatre norwichtheatre.org
Playhouse
Picture by Steve Ullathorne
