Winner of Dave’s Funniest Joke of the Fringe 2024 Mark Simmons has announced his next tour starting in 2026. His debut tour, Quip Off the Mark, lasted three years, with over 215 dates over across the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand and sold over 25,000 tickets. Along the way he picked up a Joke of the Fringe Award in 2024, alongside Danny Ward, won the Victoria Wood Panel Prize at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards, and won the Comic’s Comic of the year in 2022.
The new show, Jest to Impress, is another hour of back-to-back finely crafted gags from the master of one liners. He is taking the show to bigger rooms than ever including the Hackney Empire, Brighton Corn Exchange, Nottingham Playhouse, Yvonne Arnaud Guildford, as well as returning to old favourites, The Salford Lowry, Leeds City Varieties, and many more. Mark’s comedy special – the recorded version of Quip Off the Mark – has just been released as an online special which can be watched HERE.
Mark has previously appeared in ITV’s Out There, Mock The Week, BBC Radio 4Extra Stands Up, a Channel 4 pilot starring alongside Bridget Christie, as well as BBC3’s One For The Road. Mark also presents his popular podcast, Jokes With Mark Simmons, where he invites a fellow comic to discuss jokes that they’ve written but just haven’t worked, and see if there is a way to salvage them or should they simply be thrown on the rubbish heap. This has featured the likes of Rob Beckett, Milton Jones, and Seann Walsh.
UK Tour Dates 2026
Ticket links here
23 JAN TUNBRIDGE WELLS Trinity Theatre
24 JAN FAVERSHAM The Alex
28 JAN SOUTHAMPTON Mayflower Studios
30 JAN BRIGHTON Corn Exchange
31 JAN WARWICK Arts Centre (ON SALE FRIDAY JAN 31st)
5 FEB CAMBRIDGE Junction
6 FEB NORWICH Playhouse (ON SALE FEB 28th)
8 FEB KETTERING Arts Centre
10 FEB LEICESTER Little Theatre
12 FEB GUILDFORD Yvonne Arnaud
13 FEB CHORLEY Theatre
14 FEB LEEDS City Varieties (ON SALE FEB 7TH)
15 FEB SALFORD Lowry
20 FEB SWINDON Wyvern Theatre
21 FEB CHELMSFORD Theatre
22 FEB WINCHESTER Royal
25 FEB POCKLINGTON Arts Centre
26 FEB KENDAL Brewery Arts
27 FEB SOUTHPORT Atkinson Theatre
3 MAR NOTTINGHAM Playhouse
5 MAR PLYMOUTH Quad Theatre
6 MAR ST AUSTELL Keay Theatre
7 MAR PAIGNTON Palace Theatre
10 MAR NORTHALLERTON Forum
11 MAR BARNARD CASTLE The Witham
12 MAR CARLISLE Old Fire Station
13 MAR SUNDERLAND Fire Station
14 MAR ALNWICK Playhouse
21 MAR HEXHAM Queen Hall Arts Centre
25 MAR BATH Komedia
26 MAR WIMBORNE Tivoli
27 MAR EXETER Barnfield
31 MAR SCUNTHORPE Plowright Theatre
1 APR HUDDERSFIELD Lawrence Batley Theatre
2 APR LICHFIELD Garrick Theatre
7 APR CANTERBURY Gulbenkian
10 APR SOUTHEND Palace Theatre
16 APR BANBURY Mill Arts Centre
17 APR NEWBURY Corn Exchange
18 APR BEDFORD Quarry Theatre
25 APR FROME Merlin Theatre
1 MAY MONMOUTH Savoy Theatre
7 MAY WORCESTER Huntingdon Hall
8 MAY SHREWSBURY Severn Theatre
15 MAY EASTLEIGH The Point
28 MAY LINCOLN New Theatre Royal
5 JUN LONDON Hackney Empire
12 JUN MILTON KEYNES The Stables
27 JUN BRISTOL Redgrave
MORE DATES TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON
Picture by Steve Ullathorne
