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Ed Gamble tour dates 2024

Ed Gamble is currently touring across 1 country and has 57 upcoming concerts.

Their next tour date is at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall in Liverpool, after that they'll be at Milton Keynes Theatre in Milton Keynes.

Currently touring across

Upcoming concerts (57) See nearest concert

Liverpool Philharmonic Hall

Milton Keynes Theatre

Corn Exchange Kings Lynn

De Montfort Hall

Warwick Arts Centre

Opera House, Manchester

Victoria Theatre

Engine Shed

The Alexandra

Southend Cliffs Pavilion

Victoria Hall

The Royal Hall

Hull City Hall

New Theatre Peterborough

Brighton Dome

Tunbridge Wells Assembly Hall

Marina Theatre

Theatre Royal

G Live Guildford

Yeovil Westlands

New Theatre Oxford

Hexagon Theatre

Hackney Empire

Leas Cliff Hall

White Rock Theatre

New Theatre Cardiff

Cast - Doncaster

Grand Opera House, York

Watford Palace Theatre

The Queens Theatre

Hall for Cornwall

St Georges Hall, Bradford

Festival Theatre Edinburgh

Cheltenham Town Hall

Grove Theatre

Wyvern Theatre

Assembly Hall

Devonshire Park Theatre

The Orchard Theatre

Winding Wheel

Tyne Theatre & Opera House

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Portsmouth Guildhall

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Ed Gamble announces massive 2024 tour

Wednesday 26th July 2023, 10:52am

• Ed Gamble is to embark on his biggest stand-up tour yet next year
• Hot Diggity Dog will begin in March and run for more than 50 dates
• Tickets are available at Ticketmaster

Comedian and podcaster Ed Gamble has announced a new 2024 stand-up tour.

Previewing in February, Hot Diggity Dog runs from March to June with 53 dates currently planned, making it the largest tour of his career to date.

Promoters Avalon tease: " Ed Gamble has minced a load of meat (thoughts), piped it into a casing (show) and it's coming to a bun (venue) near you. There will be all your classic Gamble ranting, raving and spluttering but he's doing fine mentally. Promise."

Ed says: "I'm absolutely delighted to once again slog around the UK to perform another one of my best shows ever. Standard sort of day will be: arrive, get peri chicken delivered backstage, do the show. I can't wait."

The first of a range of presales have opened this morning, with tickets going on general sale to the public from this Friday. Booking is available via Ticketmaster .

His first book, Glutton: The Multi-Course Life Of A Very Greedy Boy will be published in October.

February 04 - Nottingham, Royal Concert Hall 15 - Leicester, De Montfort Hall

March 12 - Canterbury, Marlowe Theatre 14 - Colchester, Charter Hall 15 - Cambridge, Corn Exchange 16 - Ipswich, Regent Theatre 17 - Norwich, Theatre Royal 20 - Shrewsbury, Theatre Severn 21 - Buxton, Opera House 22 - Dunfermline, Alhambra 23 - Aberdeen, Music Hall 24 - Glasgow, Theatre Royal 28 - Crawley, The Hawth 29 - Swansea, Grand 30 - Cardiff, St David's Hall

April 04 - Leeds, Grand Theatre 05 - Sheffield, City Hall 06 - Newcastle, Tyne Theatre 07 - York, Grand Opera House 11 - Aylesbury, The Waterside 12 - Dublin, Vicar Street 13 - Dublin, Vicar Street 14 - Belfast, Ulster Hall 18 - Northampton, Royal & Derngate 19 - Portsmouth, Guildhall 20 - Bath, Forum 21 - Cheltenham, Town Hall

May 22 - Liverpool, Philharmonic 23 - Milton Keynes, Theatre 24 - Kings Lynn, Corn Exchange 25 - Leicester, De Montfort Hall 26 - Coventry, Warwick Arts Centre 29 - Manchester, Opera House 30 - Halifax, Victoria 31 - Lincoln, Engine Shed

June 01 - Birmingham, Alexandra Theatre 05 - Southend, Cliffs Pavilion 06 - Stoke, Victoria Hall 07 - Harrogate, Theatre Royal 08 - Hull, City Hall 09 - Peterborough, New Theatre 13 - Brighton, Dome 14 - Tunbridge Wells, Assembly Theatre 15 - Lowestoft, Marina Theatre 16 - Nottingham, Theatre Royal 19 - Guildford, G Live 20 - Poole, Lighthouse 21 - Yeovil, Westlands 22 - Oxford, New Theatre 23 - Reading, The Hexagon 25 - London, Hackney Empire 26 - London, Hackney Empire 27 - London, Hackney Empire 28 - London, Hackney Empire 29 - London, Hackney Empire

Ed Gamble - Glutton: The Multi-Course Life Of A Very Greedy Boy

The hilarious memoir from comedian, Off Menu host and Great British Menu judge, Ed Gamble .

From a young age, Ed Gamble 's immaculate bibs and extremely dirty nappies hinted at his capacious appetite. Before he could walk, Ed already knew that he preferred poached salmon to puree, that celery was a calorie-sapping waste of time, and that mashed potatoes should be made with lashings of butter.

Whilst he might ordinarily have been upset by the calls of 'precocious little sh*t' coming from his family, he was too busy stuffing his gob and staging rebellions against the patronising list of misery that is a children's menu.

In Glutton , Ed shares a relatable buffet of experiences and stories from a life lived through food. From the trials of being a diabetic with a sweet tooth to his teenage battles with obesity, to the joy of cooking and the power of food to bring us together, this is a wonderful, hilarious and heart-warming memoir of a delightful obsession.

First published: Thursday 26th October 2023

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• Publisher: Bantam Press
• Catalogue: 9781787636316

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• Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio

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Ed gamble to head out on biggest tour yet.

Award winning comedian, co-host of chart topping  Off Menu  podcast and judge on BBC2’s  Great British Menu ,  Ed Gamble  announces his brand new national stand-up tour,  Hot Diggity Dog , with 53 dates available, making it his biggest tour to date. This follows   an extended sold-out UK tour of his previous stand-up show  Electric.  

The nationwide tour will see Ed kick off on 12th March 2024 at Canterbury Marlowe Theatre and include 5 nights at London’s iconic Hackney Empire with the final performance there on 29th June. There’s an exclusive fan pre-sale on Wednesday 26th July at 10am for those signed up to the official mailing list at  www.edgamble.co.uk , a Ticketmaster exclusive agent pre-sale on Thursday 27th July at 10am and a general sale on Friday 28th July at 10am.

Ed Gamble has minced a load of meat (thoughts), piped it into a casing (show) and it’s coming to a bun (venue) near you. There will be all your classic Gamble ranting, raving and spluttering but he’s doing fine mentally. Promise. 

Ed said,  “I’m absolutely delighted to once again slog around the UK to perform another one of my best shows ever. Standard sort of day will be: arrive, get peri chicken delivered backstage, do the show. I can’t wait.”

Ed has seen a very busy period having recently announced bringing his multi award winning  Off Menu  podcast with co-host  James Acaster  to the live stage later in the year, as well as his first book  Glutton: The Multi-Course Life of a Very Greedy Boy  available to pre-order before 26th October release date.  Crowned the series nine champion of the award-winning TV show  Taskmaster  (Dave/Channel 4), Ed was featured on the second  Champions of Champions  episode in 2022 and is the current host of the  Taskmaster  Podcast. He has been a contestant on  The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up to Cancer  and appeared in over 30 episodes of the hit satirical panel show  Mock the Week  between 2015 to 2021, making him one of the most frequent regulars on the show.

He is also a judge on BBC Two's  Great British Menu  and co-hosts his Sunday morning show on Radio X with  Matthew Crosby . Ed additionally served as one of six rotating guest-hosts for  Pointless  (BBC One) – alongside  Alexander Armstrong . Other stand-up appearances include  Live at the Apollo  (BBC Two),  The Royal Variety Performance  (ITV1),  The Russell Howard Hour  (Sky One),  Live at the Comedy Store  (Comedy Central) and  Conan  (TBS). His numerous guest appearances include  QI  (BBC Two),  Would I Lie To You  (BBC One),  Hypothetical  (Dave),  The Apprentice: You’re Fired  (BBC Two),  I’ll Get This  (BBC Two),  Richard Osman’s House of Games  (BBC Two),  Jon Richardson’s Ultimate Warrior  (Dave),  Insert Name Here  (BBC Two) and  Roast Battle UK  (Comedy Central). Ed first came to prominence playing Georgie Carlton in two series of  Almost Royal  (BBC America/E4/Netflix) and co-wrote series 3 and 4 of  Greg Davies’  sitcom  Man Down (Channel 4), as well as appearing in two episodes.

Onstage, his previous stand-up tour, Electric , was given an Autumn extension after his twice-extended 2019 show,  Blizzard , and his 2019 Amazon Prime special,  Blood Sugar .

Dates and tickets here .

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Ed Gamble - Hot Diggity Dog

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Taskmaster and Off Menu's Ed Gamble announces new solo standup tour

Hot Diggity Dog , anyone?

Titled Hot Diggity Dog , Ed's new tour starts in March in Canterbury and concludes with a five-night residency at the Hackney Empire in east London in June.

Tickets go on general sale this Friday (July 28), with pre-sales on Ticketmaster and for members of Ed's mailing list.

" I'm absolutely delighted to once again slog around the UK to perform another one of my best shows ever," said Ed.

"Standard sort of day will be: arrive, get peri chicken delivered backstage, do the show. I can't wait."

Ed's new standup show follows on from his sold-out Electric tour. If you want to get a taste of what to expect, his 2019 stand-up special Blood Sugar is available to stream now.

In addition to his obligations to the Taskmaster podcast and Off Menu , co-hosted with his friend James Acaster, Ed has recently appeared on Celebrity Hunted . Paired with James, they were able to evade the Hunters for several days, even luring them into a face-to-face confrontation at the Taskmaster house .

Related: Taskmaster boss reveals surprise cameo from former stars

Ed is also a judge on the BBC's Great British Menu and has previously been a guest host on Pointless .

His memoir Glutton: The Multi-Course Life of a Very Greedy Boy will be published on October 26.

Ed Gamble's Hot Diggity Dog tour will call at the following venues :

• March 12: Canterbury, Marlowe Theatre

• March 14: Colchester, Charter Hall

• March 15: Cambridge, Corn Exchange

• March 16: Ipswich, Regent Theatre

• March 17: Norwich, Theatre Royal

• March 20: Shrewsbury, Theatre Severn

• March 21: Buxton, Opera House

• March 22: Dunfermline, Alhambra

• March 23: Aberdeen, Music Hall

• March 24: Glasgow, Theatre Royal

• March 28: Crawley, The Hawth

• March 29: Swansea, Grand

• March 30: Cardiff, St David's Hall

• April 4: Leeds, Grand Theatre

• April 5: Sheffield, City Hall

• April 6: Newcastle, Tyne Theatre

• April 7: York, Grand Opera House

• April 11: Aylesbury, The Waterside

• April 12-13: Dublin, Vicar Street

• April 14: Belfast, Usher Hall

• April 18: Northampton, Royal & Derngate

• April 19: Portsmouth, Guildhall

• April 20: Bath, Forum

• April 21: Cheltenham, Town Hall

• May 22: Liverpool, Philharmonic

• May 23: Milton Keynes, Milton Keynes Theatre

• May 24: Kings Lynn, Corn Exchange

• May 25: Leicester, De Montfort Hall

• May 26: Coventry, Warwick Arts Centre

• May 29: Manchester, Opera House

• May 30: Halifax, Victoria

• May 31: Lincoln, Engine Shed

• June 1: Birmingham, Alexandra Theatre

• June 5: Southend, Cliffs Pavilion

• June 6: Stoke, Victoria Hall

• June 7: Harrogate, Theatre Royal

• June 8: Hull, City Hall

• June 9: Peterborough, New Theatre

• June 13: Brighton, Dome

• June 14: Tunbridge Wells, Assembly Theatre

• June 15: Lowestoft, Marina Theatre

• June 16: Nottingham, Theatre Royal

• June 19: Guildford, G Live

• June 20: Poole, Lighthouse

• June 21: Yeovil, Westlands

• June 22: Oxford, New Theatre

• June 23: Reading, Hexagon

• June 25-29: London, Hackney Empire

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Wed 19 October

Ed gamble : electric.

Returning to The Electric Palace

Due to overwhelming demand, award-winning comedian Ed Gamble extends his brand-new stand-up tour Electric with over 35 more dates nationwide from September 2022. This Autumn run includes Ed’s biggest solo show yet, at London’s Hammersmith Apollo!

He’s been on the road since February, played three sold out nights at London’s iconic Hackney Empire and now Ol’ Broken Pancreas is charged up and ready to flick the switch on even more nights of attention seeking.

Co-host of the award-winning mega-hit podcast Off Menu with James Acaster, new judge on Great British Menu , Taskmaster champion and host of Taskmaster the Podcast , and has his own special Blood Sugar available worldwide on Amazon Prime.

Also seen and heard on Mock the Week (BBC2), Live At the Apollo (BBC), The Russell Howard Hour (Sky), QI (BBC2), Would I Lie To You (BBC) and Sunday mornings on Radio X alongside Matthew Crosby.

“ Mesmerically funny and original…consistently eye-wateringly hilarious ”

Rachel Aroesti, The i

“ Platefuls of stand-up talent…You can bet on Gamble to deliver laughs” ”

Bruce Dessau, Evening Standard

“ Gamble shows masterful comedy skills ”

Steve Bennett, Chortle

19 October - 19 October

£21 adv & on door.

Sun 28 Apr 2024

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Ed Gamble on his stand-up tour Electric: ‘It’s all focused on me because I’m a massive egotist’

Ed gamble talks to lara kilner about the unexpected success of his podcast, presenting ‘pointless’ and why his new stand up show is all about him – and breakfast, of course.

When Ed Gamble texted his fellow stand-up comedian and friend James Acaster one day back in 2018 suggesting they do a podcast talking about food because “that’s what we do all the time anyway”, they thought they’d do 10 episodes and then call it a day. Five years, eight series, 155 chats about whether guests prefer poppadoms or bread, and nigh on 100 million downloads later, it didn’t quite work out that way.

“It’s insane. Absolute madness. It’s just four of us in a room having the dumbest chat we could possibly have. We’ve got some coming up that are honestly some of the stupidest, silliest conversations you could possibly imagine. I can’t believe it plays to such a big audience, and that the general public hop on board with that sort of nonsense,” says Gamble of Off Menu, their show where they talk to famous people about their dream meal in a dream restaurant. “But we snuck in at the beginning of a really strong age for podcasting. It’s a massive thing, and we’re very grateful.”

Off Menu has had some stellar guests, mixed in with more niche comedy names, and recent episodes have featured Taron Egerton, Ed Sheeran, Jarvis Cocker and Rob Brydon. But never mind them, because Gamble ’s absolute highlight has been Ainsley Harriott.

“He’s the one we always wanted because we are huge fans, he’s a national icon. ‘Hello, Jill’, the meme from when he went to surprise a baffled old lady on This Morning, is mine and James’s favourite thing in the world. We finally got the definitive story behind that, and he didn’t disappoint,” says Gamble. “The same with Ross Kemp. Within two minutes, he used the phrase, ‘You would not believe how many Nazis have offered me a cake’. He absolutely brought it.”

Such leftfield comments from guests is one of the biggest joys of Off Menu. “Serge from Kasabian, suddenly out of nowhere, said that, when he was a kid, he couldn’t eat when a magician was on the telly. James will just go ‘Yeah’ to that sort of comment because he’s weird as well, but I’m like ‘Hang on, can we just go back to that? Why?’ It turned out to be because he could imagine the smell of the magician’s props.”

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Not all guests have been on board with the concept though – mostly when they’ve recorded episodes in the US. “James will be looking more and more stricken as he has to shout ‘poppadoms or bread’ while an American looks at me for the translation of what the hell he just said. Susie Essman from Curb Your Enthusiasm, who is just brilliant, got really angry, like ‘Poppa what the f**k?’. We also did Anthony Jeselnik, who is a great comedian, and I think it’s fair to say he did not enjoy the vibe.”

A vibe that is being enjoyed though, is by the audiences on Gamble’s stand-up tour, Electric, which he’s about to perform at Edinburgh Fringe. “It’s all focused on me because I’m a massive egotist,” he smiles.

There’s a lot of material about the fact he had to cancel his wedding to TV producer girlfriend Charlie Jamison three times during the pandemic – they finally got married last September. “I had to throw my wife her own hen do but the only people allowed to be invited were me and her. How bleak that occasion was.”

Gamble is not a comedian who ventures into controversial territory. “I don’t have the chops. I genuinely sat down to write this show and thought maybe this is the year I have a big political revelation, maybe this show will be a heartfelt opinion piece. But I can’t stress enough that it’s mainly about breakfast. Every single aspect of breakfast that you could possibly imagine. It started off as an aside and now it’s a good 20-minute routine.”

At 36, Gamble has reached that glorious point in his career where people are completely on board when they watch him live. “My audience is extremely up for it and absolutely lovely. I’ve hit a stage where people are coming specifically to see me rather than just to see some comedy. It feels like a real tipping point,” he says.

Alas, it wasn’t always thus. He recalls his Edinburgh solo debut as “hands down the worst gig he’s ever done in his life”, not helped by the fact his mum (Gamble is not from showbiz stock – she was an NHS nurse, his dad a solicitor) was in the audience. “Pure silence for an hour. Just dreadful. I’m waiting for laughs, I have an eager look on my face like a desperate little puppy. If you’re not laughing, it’s a pretty awkward hour. I had some pretty rude stuff in there, in the silence, in a small room with my mum sitting in it. “

Suffice to say, things gradually improved. “Edinburgh audiences always keep you on your toes though. One night you think you’re the best comedian in the world and the next, it’s absolutely brought crashing down to its knees. You get people who’ve watched five shows that day and you’re a bit of their schedule, they’re not invested, whereas you have everything invested. It used to be a slog in my student days, but I loved it and I kind of miss it,” he says.

“The idea of having your own room to stay in back then was absolutely laughable. Someone would be sleeping on the floor in the kitchen, you’d have eight people sharing one room, and I never batted an eyelid.”

Gamble started out in sketch group the Durham Revue with mates, including The Mash Report’s Nish Kumar, when he was at university there.

“I knew I wanted to be a comedian and then I just kept trying really hard to work out how to be funny. We did a gig above a fish and chip shop in Durham every Sunday and it was broadly terrible,” he says. “But you’ve got to sort of stumble blindly into these things. You see people now who are absolute careerists who’ve got it all mapped out, but you do lose some of that wonder and excitement that way.”

The plan clearly worked. Alongside the audio success (Gamble also hosts the Taskmaster podcast, having been champion in 2019), the sell-out tours and the weekly show on Radio X, came telly and a brand new, wider audience. He’s just finished filming Celebrity Hunted with Acaster, and is one of several names set to fill the almighty shoes of Richard Osman on quiz show Pointless.

“I have absolutely no idea why they chose me. But I’ve been on the show and I’m obsessed with it, so I will bring a huge amount of enthusiasm.”

Elsewhere, Gamble’s culinary enthusiasm landed him another gig, judging on The Great British Menu. “I don’t think the contestants are worried about me as a judge, they worry about Tom Kerridge and Nisha Katona because they work in the industry. I just eat everything with glee,” he says. He tends to get people coming up to him in the street to tell him he’s scored a dish wrongly. “I absolutely love an argument like that.”

Does he get recognised a lot?

“We were on our honeymoon recently and went to some really cool places in LA and Palm Springs where no one came up to me, so I thought ‘Well, I guess maybe our audiences are just a bit cool and they don’t want to chat to me’. And then we went to a Las Vegas buffet and someone came straight up to me and said ‘We love you on Taskmaster’. So there you go, that’s my audience.”

Ed Gamble brings his show, Electric, to the Gordon Aikman Theatre as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe from 8-14 Aug. He will be touring the show nationwide from 3 Sep, see edgamble.co.uk

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Ed Gamble: ‘Terrifying ego and an astonishing lack of self-esteem got me into comedy’

The standup on his worst gig, being inspired by his cat, and the comic genius of Rylan

Who inspires you? My cat, Pig. He wakes up, eats a bowl of tuna, does a huge dump, acts like an idiot for an hour and then naps. It’s the day-to-day routine that every comedian craves.

What made you get into comedy? The perfect mix of a terrifying ego and an astonishing lack of self-esteem. I can’t tell day to day whether I’m arrogant or I hate myself, but I think somewhere in-between is absolutely ideal for a comedian . What did you spend lockdown doing? Some days it was quite similar to Pig. Then on other days I was recording so many podcasts on Zoom that I felt like I was made of pixels and living inside the laptop, which was actually quite comforting. Other than that, I would do things like cycle to the butcher’s like I was a character in Heartbeat . I was barbecuing about four times a week, which I considered to be my spiritual pinnacle, but my wife has since confided that she thought I was having a breakdown.

Can you recall a gig so bad it’s now funny? Jamie Oliver’s food festival. No idea what year, but I remember my stage time: 11:40am. On the main stage. They open the gates at 11:30am. I had to beckon people to come forward from one mile away to try to banter with them. A disaster, yes, but I enjoyed every second. Where do you find your material? In a bin on Clapham Common. Second one from the right when you come in the south entrance. No idea who’s writing it, but it’s pretty solid stuff. What’s your current show about? The political situation, the death of the novel and third- wave feminism from a French perspective. That’s all subtext though – on the surface it’s mainly about buffet breakfasts.

Any pre-show rituals? I turn off MasterChef approximately seven seconds before I walk on. I prefer to be as close to my personality as I can be on stage as I am off. Although quite often I end up being more like Gregg Wallace. Comedy hero and why? Mr Blobby. Because he genuinely does not care.

Non-comedy hero and why? Rylan . Because he is as funny as any comic I know, but has too many skills in other arts to bother with standup. He’s brilliant. Best heckle you have ever got? There is no such thing as a good heckle. Don’t heckle. It is always annoying.

Best advice you wish to give? To up-and-coming comedians: gig, gig, gig, and remember that nothing matters as much as you think it does. To people in general: buy tickets to come and see me on tour.

Ed Gamble: Electric is on tour until 20 November .

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Ed Gamble adds 31 new UK tour dates with tickets on sale today

The Off Menu star has added another 31 dates!

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Ed Gamble has added an extra 31 dates to the Hot Diggity Dog UK tour.

The comedian's new show was originally planned to run from March to June with 53 dates on the books but now, thanks to incredible demand, the show is set to last well into November.

Now coming to everywhere from Bath to the Isle of Wight, this tour is set to be Gamble’s biggest yet, and will see fans across the country howling at his classic brand of self-deprecation and brutal honesty.

Following the original tour announcement, promoters teased: “Ed Gamble has minced a load of meat (thoughts), piped it into a casing (show) and it’s coming to a bun (venue) near you.”

Plus, Gamble himself has said: "I'm absolutely delighted to once again slog around the UK to perform another one of my best shows ever. Standard sort of day will be: arrive, get peri chicken delivered backstage, do the show. I can't wait."

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In the build-up to such a massive tour, you might want to remind yourself of some of Gamble’s biggest achievements. After making his solo debut at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2014 with the Gambletron 500, the comedian quickly became a regular panellist on shows like Mock the Week and also starred in the faux-reality series, Almost Royal.

In 2019, Gamble competed on and won the ninth series of Taskmaster and in 2022, he appeared on the cooking show Great British Menu, which later landed him a permanent gig as a judge.

Then there’s Off Menu: the hit podcast with Gamble and James Acaster that’s been downloaded over 120 million times. Since starting off in 2018, this show, where the two comedians ask their celebrity guest to choose their perfect meal, has become one of the biggest podcasts around.

So, if you’ve seen him before you’ll know you’re guaranteed a laugh. If you haven’t, well, we reckon it’s worth a gamble – here’s everything you need to know about how to get tickets.

Buy Ed Gamble tickets at Ticketmaster

When are Ed Gamble's new UK tour dates?

Gamble has added over 30 new tour dates to Hot Diggity Dog, taking the show into November. Here's a full list of the new dates and venues:

• 26th Sep 2024 – Birmingham, Alexandra Theatre
• 28th Sep 2024 – Folkestone, Leas Cliff Hall
• 29th Sep 2024 – Hastings, White Rock Theatre
• 5th Oct 2024 – Aberystwyth, Arts Centre
• 6th Oct 2024 – Cardiff, New Theatre
• 8th Oct 2024 – Doncaster, Cast
• 9th Oct 2024 – York, Grand Opera House
• 10th Oct 2024 – Watford, Palace Theatre
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How much do Ed Gamble UK tour tickets cost?

For the original release tickets started at around £28, so you can expect a similar cost for the new dates. Be aware, however, that the price is likely to vary depending on the venue.

When do Ed Gamble's new UK tour dates go on sale?

Tickets for the extra dates go on sale today, Friday 26th April , at 10am.

Considering how quickly the first round of tickets sold, you might want to read our tips on how to beat the Ticketmaster queue.

Did you know that Jason Manford also recently extended his UK tour? Plus check out how to see David Tennant in Macbeth and the best musicals on tour UK .

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Review: Ed Gamble: Hot Diggity Dog

It’s been fascinating to see the transformation Ed Gamble has made over the past 15 years.

Launching his comedy career with the cult hit Peacock and Gamble podcast with the help of fellow comedian Ian Boldsworth, Ed’s character began as a bumbling, giggling manchild with an endearing sense of mischief. Later, as he became more prominent in the stand-up circuit and made TV appearances on the big comedy panel programmes, Ed has since grown into a persona more akin to the straight man in a comedy double act, instead reacting to the bizarre things around him rather than manifesting the silliness himself.

It’s fitting, then, that change is a big theme in Ed’s latest stand-up tour, Hot Diggity Dog. As the name suggests, despite Ed’s developing “maturity,” there’s still plenty of childish wonder within him. The result is a highly entertaining show with insights from a man doing his best to be an adult, but failing due to his infantile instincts. His performance at Canterbury’s Marlowe Theatre was relatable, outlandish, and most importantly, very funny.

In his pursuit of becoming a more sensible adult, Ed is now a married man, an aspiring cook and a self-proclaimed cat dad. However, as it often goes for a stand-up comedian with stories to tell, his ventures into maturity often don’t go as planned.

When Ed tells the audience about his honeymoon in Las Vegas, he describes his humourous encounters with Elvis impersonators, drag artists, and gambling fanatics (who have a grating enthusiasm for the surname “Gamble,” much to his annoyance). The clashing of Ed’s upper-class English mannerisms and the obnoxious ramblings of Sin City’s residents makes for some hilarious anecdotes.

In another story about his good intentions descending into chaos, Ed talks about his attempt to connect to his local community. In what may be the highlight of the show, Ed explains how his participation in his street’s WhatsApp group quickly sees him degenerate back into his juvenile ways. Putting the chat on his TV screen and treating it as top-tier evening entertainment for him and his wife, Ed’s observances of his neighbours’ strange conversations and a particularly odd story of a man caught defecating on the nearby road make for some of Ed’s greatest-ever material.

He also talks about his attempt at making potato dauphinoise — a dish as exotic as it sounds. Unsurprisingly, Ed is out of depth in his culinary quest, and despite his best attempts to impress his wife, the endeavour quickly lands him in A&E in a very comical story.

An honourable mention must also go to warm-up act Chloe Petts, who opened the show with some very quick-witted interactions with the front row. She also gave some funny observances on typical vegan behaviour, football fans’ Twitter bios and the differences between male and female flirting — peppered with some edgy quips on vulgar topics which brought some infectious, inappropriate laughter from the audience.

It’s clear that Ed has developed a mastery of the stand-up art form. Every callback to previous jokes made all of his stories feel interwoven and complex, despite each individual tale being so simple and accessible. This set was the first gig of the new tour, yet the lack of flaws and filler made it seem perfectly crafted, as though performed a hundreds times prior. Ed managed to make the Canterbury crowd erupt into applause as well as laughter a number of times, which is no easy feat for a Tuesday night audience.

It’s always tempting to tell the people we admire to “never change,” but in Ed Gamble’s case, it’s impossible not to want him to continue on his evolving personal journey. It’s going to be incredibly exciting to see what transformation his comedy monster will make next.

Rating: 4/5

Featured image: Promotional artwork of Ed Gamble: Hot Diggity Dog

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Ed Gamble – Hot Diggity Dog

Door time: 7pm

£31.50

Ed Gamble has minced a load of meat (thoughts), piped it into a casing (show) and it’s coming to a bun (venue) near you.

There will be all your classic Gamble ranting, raving and spluttering but he’s doing fine mentally. Promise.

Co-host of the award-winning mega-hit podcast Off Menu with James Acaster, judge on Great British Menu, Taskmaster champion and host of Taskmaster The Podcast, and now host of The Traitors: Uncloaked, Ed also has his own special Blood Sugar available worldwide on Amazon Prime.

Also seen and heard on Mock the Week (BBC2), Live At the Apollo (BBC), The Russell Howard Hour (Sky), QI (BBC2), Would I Lie To You (BBC) and Sunday mornings on Radio X alongside Matthew Crosby.

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Mesmerically funny and original…consistently eye-wateringly hilarious The I

A Class Act. Comedy Gold Time Out

Platefuls of stand-up talent…You can bet on Gamble to deliver laughs Evening Standard

Gamble shows masterful comedy skills Chortle

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Ed Gamble is a stand-up comedian, writer and actor. Ed has appeared on some of the UK’s most popular TV shows: Mock the Week (BBC Two), Man Down more...

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Wed 30 October 2024 • 7:30pm

Event details

Ed Gamble has minced a load of meat (thoughts), piped it into a casing (show) and it’s coming to a bun (venue) near you.  

There will be all your classic Gamble ranting, raving and spluttering but he’s doing fine mentally. Promise.  

“Mesmerically funny and original…consistently eye-wateringly hilarious” ★★★★   Rachel Aroesti, The I  

“A Class Act. Comedy Gold” ★★★★   Saffron Swire, Time Out  

“Platefuls of stand-up talent…You can bet on Gamble to deliver laughs”   Bruce Dessau, Evening Standard  

“Gamble shows masterful comedy skills” ★★★★   Steve Bennett, Chortle  

Co-host of the award-winning mega-hit podcast Off Menu with James Acaster, judge on Great British Menu , Taskmaster champion and host of Taskmaster the Podcast , and now host of The Traitors: Uncloaked , Ed also has his own special Blood Sugar available worldwide on Amazon Prime.  

Also seen and heard on Mock The Week (BBC2), Live At The Apollo (BBC), and on Sunday mornings on Radio X alongside Matthew Crosby.  

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Ed Gamble has minced a load of meat (thoughts), piped it into a casing (show) and it’s coming to a bun (venue) near you.

There will be all your classic Gamble ranting, raving and spluttering but he’s doing fine mentally. Promise.

Co-host of the award-winning mega-hit podcast Off Menu with James Acaster, judge on Great British Menu, Taskmaster champion and host of Taskmaster the Podcast, and has his own special Blood Sugar available worldwide on Amazon Prime.

Also seen and heard on Mock the Week (BBC2), Live At the Apollo (BBC), The Russell Howard Hour (Sky), QI (BBC2), Would I Lie To You (BBC) and Sunday mornings on Radio X alongside Matthew Crosby.

'Mesmerically funny and original…consistently eye-wateringly hilarious' Rachel Aroesti, The I

'A Class Act. Comedy Gold' Saffron Swire, Time Out

'Gamble shows masterful comedy skills' Steve Bennett, Chortle

'Platefuls of stand-up talent…You can bet on Gamble to deliver laughs' Bruce Dessau, Evening Standard

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He missed a chance to be the first Black astronaut. Now, at 90, he's going into space

Scott Neuman

Ed Dwight poses for a portrait in February to promote the National Geographic documentary film The Space Race during the Winter Television Critics Association Press Tour in Pasadena, Calif. Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP hide caption

Ed Dwight poses for a portrait in February to promote the National Geographic documentary film The Space Race during the Winter Television Critics Association Press Tour in Pasadena, Calif.

Edward J. Dwight Jr. has waited a long time for his ride into space.

In the 1960s, he seemed poised to become America's first Black astronaut. That dream was never realized. Now, at age 90, he's about to finally get his shot, aboard a Blue Origin rocket.

The opportunity is "a curiosity more than anything else," Dwight says. "They called me up and asked me if I was interested. And of course I said yes."

The 1st Black Woman To Pilot A Spacecraft Says Seeing Earth Was The Best Part

While Dwight won't be the first African American in space — that honor went to Guion Bluford Jr. in 1983 — he will be the oldest person to go there, edging out (by a few months) Star Trek actor William Shatner , who flew aboard a Blue Origin rocket in 2021.

For many his age, a journey into space would seem unthinkable. Dwight says he's ready to go. He points out that the rigors of his upcoming flight won't be much different from what he experienced as a test pilot in the Air Force. "I've pulled more G's than any person on Earth," he says with a wry smile. "I've been high enough to see the curvature of the Earth. ... I've been doing things like that most of my life."

Space health expert Dorit Donoviel says the 11-minute flight of Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket means many of the concerns about the long-term effects of orbital and deep-space missions won't come into play.

"The main thing we worry about is the G forces," says Donoviel, director of the Translational Research Institute for Space Health at Baylor College of Medicine.

Air Force Capt. Edward J. Dwight Jr., the first African American selected as a potential astronaut, looks over a model of the Titan III-X-20 Dyna-Soar combination during a visit to Air Force headquarters in the capital in November 1963. Getty Images/Bettman Archive hide caption

Air Force Capt. Edward J. Dwight Jr., the first African American selected as a potential astronaut, looks over a model of the Titan III-X-20 Dyna-Soar combination during a visit to Air Force headquarters in the capital in November 1963.

Those G forces cause blood to drain from the head, and that's an issue for anyone launching into space, regardless of age. However, she points out that the seats aboard Blue Origin's rocket are angled at 20 or 30 degrees. "As you're experiencing the G-forces, you're getting it through the chest, which is not affecting your head," Donoviel says. "It's distributed through the chest, which really shouldn't matter very much."

And then there's the landing. The crew capsule will separate from the booster and come down under a set of parachutes — emitting a last-minute retro thrust to reduce speed to about 2 miles per hour to cushion the impact. "It's not even a controlled crash. It's a crash," Donoviel says. Still, she anticipates no issues.

No launch date set

Blue Origin has not announced a launch date yet. But Dwight and his crewmates will train for two days before liftoff at the company's Launch Site One in western Texas, not far from the Mexico border.

The company, owned by billionaire Jeff Bezos, declined to disclose the per-passenger cost of the flight, but says Dwight's seat is being sponsored by Space for Humanity and Blue Origin, with additional support from the Jaison and Jamie Robinson Family Foundation . (Jaison Robinson, who flew on a previous Blue Origin flight, is on the NPR Foundation Board of Trustees.)

Leland Melvin, a retired NASA astronaut who flew two space shuttle missions to the International Space Station, says it will be good to see Dwight finally "get his due" all these years after he first trained for space.

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From touchdowns to takeoff: engineer-athlete soared to space.

Dwight sees his upcoming spaceflight as the "climax to an interesting story."

His own story, that is. One of the earliest chapters begins at an airfield in Kansas City, Kan. As a child, Dwight's fascination with aviation led to odd jobs cleaning aircraft owned by wealthy flyers. But even then, he had greater ambitions. "I told them I didn't want their nickels and dimes for cleaning airplanes anymore," he says. "I wanted to fly." At age 8, he got his first flight.

Dwight was equally interested in art and earned a scholarship to pursue his passion after high school. His father would have none of it. Art wasn't a real career, he insisted. Dwight should study engineering instead, so he enrolled at a junior college, receiving an associate's degree in 1953, the same year he enlisted in the Air Force.

After finishing primary flight training, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant. Dwight also got a bachelor's of science in aeronautical engineering from Arizona State University. Discrimination was an ever-present reality in the armed forces at the time, but as a skilled pilot, he made captain.

Kennedy wanted a Black astronaut

That's when President John F. Kennedy — eager to link his administration's push for civil rights to the country's early space exploration efforts — asked for a Black astronaut.

At the time, it was test pilots who became astronauts, and there were no Black test pilots. So, Dwight was invited to attend the Air Force's newly opened Aerospace Research Pilot School (ARPS).

But when he got the invitation letter, he almost threw it out, Dwight recalls. His Air Force peers "got a big laugh out of it," telling him that "all those guys have swagger, and it's a club," he said, referring to the all-white astronaut corps. They said, "They are not going to let you get in that club."

"And, of course, they were right," he says.

'Black In Space' Explores NASA's Small Steps And Giant Leaps Toward Equality

It was a huge career gamble. Dwight's father, who played baseball in the Negro Leagues, was strongly opposed. His mother, though, changed her son's mind. "She said, 'You are going to do this' because she was thinking it would be uplifting the race and racial pride," he says.

Upon entering the flight-test program, Dwight experienced immediate pushback that he says was rooted in racism. He says Chuck Yeager, the famed test pilot who ran the school, resented having to accept a Black candidate. (Yeager, who died in 2020, wrote in his memoir that his only issue was Dwight's piloting skills, which he described as "average.")

Once on the astronaut track, Dwight became a minor celebrity, especially in the Black community. He appeared on the cover of magazines such as Ebony and Jet . But he also endured taunts of "Kennedy's boy" because of the president's support.

Kennedy's 1963 assassination nearly derailed Dwight's training, he says. Days after the president's death, "Lo and behold, I had orders in my mailbox shipping me out of the country," he says.

Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, the president's brother, intervened to keep him in the program, according to Dwight. He stayed in the Air Force for a few more years, but it became increasingly clear that he would not be selected as an astronaut. "When I found out it wasn't going to happen, that's when I left the program," he says. "I just packed my bags and left."

One of Ed Dwight's sculptures in Battle Creek, Mich., depicts escaped slaves along the Underground Railroad being led to freedom by Harriet Tubman and local abolitionist Erastus Hussey. Carlos Osorio/AP hide caption

One of Ed Dwight's sculptures in Battle Creek, Mich., depicts escaped slaves along the Underground Railroad being led to freedom by Harriet Tubman and local abolitionist Erastus Hussey.

After the Air Force, Dwight, who eventually settled in Denver, became a computer systems engineer for IBM, later opened a restaurant and worked as a real estate developer before being drawn back to his childhood love of art . Despite having little formal training, he was commissioned in 1974 to create a sculpture of Colorado's first Black lieutenant governor, George Brown.

Black History Month 2024

A child's dream to 'drive' a space shuttle propels him toward a historic nasa mission, from would-be astronaut to sculptor.

From there, his reputation as a sculptor blossomed. In 1977, he earned a master's of fine art in sculpture from the University of Denver. He specializes in sculpting historic African American figures. Among his more notable pieces are busts of jazz greats Dizzy Gillespie and one of Louis Armstrong on display at the National Museum of American History.

Melvin, who is African American, says when he met Dwight, he didn't know much about his backstory. "I got a copy of his book and I read some of the stuff that he had done," he says. "He reminded me of Katherine Johnson ," the NASA mathematician who led an all-woman group of "computers," who made vital orbital calculations for the agency's early crewed spaceflights. Their story was later featured in Hidden Figures, the book and 2016 film.

Dwight and Melvin became close friends. In recent months, they have worked together on The Space Race , a documentary released last year about the contributions and experiences of Black astronauts. Dwight's own story is prominent in the film.

NASA astronauts Victor Glover and Leland Melvin pose with Ed Dwight for a portrait to promote The Space Race in February at The Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena, Calif. Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP hide caption

NASA astronauts Victor Glover and Leland Melvin pose with Ed Dwight for a portrait to promote The Space Race in February at The Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena, Calif.

"He's not only funny, he's self-deprecating," Melvin says of Dwight. And one quality stands out. "He's got grit."

"But the other thing that his mother taught him was grace," he says. So, when being an astronaut didn't work all those years ago, "he gracefully pivoted to doing something else. It was just as impactful — just as impactful, especially in the Black community, which was his sculpture."

"He will now get his chance to do some zero-G floating and look at the planet from another vantage point," Melvin says.

Correction April 25, 2024

An earlier version of this story omitted Blue Origin as a sponsor of the flight that will take Edward J. Dwight Jr. into space.

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