Indoor performances to a live audience may return from August 1, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced in a speech today.

This may hopefully include comedy clubs and venues as well as theatres. 

This was one of the further easings of restrictions confirmed at Friday morning's press conference. The re-opening is, however, dependent on the success of pilot events being carried out. And everything is under constant review.

Johnson also said that football matches would hopefully be able to allow spectators from mid-October after piloting larger gatherings and weddings can have thirty people. 

Bowling and skating rinks will also be allowed to resume from August 1. Nightclubs and soft play areas will remain closed.

The timetable, he said "is contingent on every one of us staying alert and acting responsibly." 

And he did add that all of these measures should be done in a Covid-secure way, so there will, inevitably, be limits on audience sizes, which may threaten the viability of some venues reopening.

Here is the full quote: "Also from 1 August, we will reopen most remaining leisure settings, namely bowling, skating rinks and casinos, and we will enable all close contact services such as beauticians to resume.

Nightclubs and soft play areas will sadly need to remain closed for now – although this will be kept under review.

We will restart indoor performances to a live audience, subject to the success of pilots, and we will also pilot larger gatherings in venues like sports stadia, with a view to wider reopening in the Autumn.

We will also allow wedding receptions for up to 30 people.

All of these measures for 1 August should be done in a Covid Secure way."