FRI 29th MARCH – GOOD FRIDAY SPECIAL! – 8pm (doors from 7.30pm – Belfry pop-up by lift first floor.

It’s time to get booking our 3rd Comedy Cottage show at the Harlequin Theatre New pop up in the Belfry in Redhill. Friday 29th March.

Our March shows have always been hosted by the inimitable late great Annabel Giles. Who appeared on the 1st televised Comic Relief and hosted our March shows in aid of Comic/Sports relief since we started the club.

Who can forget her ‘Rubbish Raffle’ compromising of Annabel’s household tat, like her childhood potty, an ex’s belongings or her son’s broken mug, stuck together again with glue. All hilarious and memorable.

Sadly, Annabel passed away suddenly at the end of last year. Leaving a big void for those who loved her dearly on and off stage.

She really enjoyed her annual stint at the Cottage, stating ‘it’s the only gig I agree to do every year’ and she loved you our wonderful audience. So much so that the family asked us to have some audience representation at her funeral.

Over the years Annabel helped us raise thousands of pounds towards the Comic Relief charitable work. So We felt it would be a fitting tribute to this incredible lady if we ran this years March Show in her honor and in aid or 2 charities important to her.

Martlets hospice Home – Martlets who offered her care in her final days and

Amaze For families with disabled children and young people in Sussex – Amaze (amazesussex.org.uk)

Annabel’s beloved son Tedd, who often accompanied her, playing the role of her hilarious side kick from the wings, has agreed to run ‘Annabel’s Rubbish Raffle’ one last time to help raise funds for her charities – he’s given it his own spin on it, calling it the ‘RubbRaff’.

An incredible line-up awaits for you as always! Who happen to be comedians who loved Annabel and she loved them.

Headlining for us the doyenne of TV/Radio comedy quizz shows!

ANGELA BARNES @AngelaBarnes
Winner BBC Comedy Award 2022
Angela swapped a career in health and social care for stand-up in 2010 and hasn’t looked back.

Within just a couple of years she had won the BBC New Comedy Award in 2011 and toured around the country with her stand-up shows like ‘Hot Mess’.

Angela has starred in BBC Two’s Mock the Week, Live at the Apollo, House of Games, and Hypothetical on Dave. She is a firm favourite on BBC Radio 4, having featured on The Now Show and The News Quiz – including a recent stint as the host. She has also hosted BBC Radio 4 Extra’s Newsjack.

Angela co-hosts the less-than-serious popular podcast We Are History (Acast) with John O’Farrell.

‘She’s just a gloriously down-to-eartch, straight talking and extremely funny comic’ (The Guardian)

‘Great Punchlines Galore’ (Edinburgh Festival Magazine)

SIMON DONALD @SimonDonald
Simon Donald co-founder of 80’s publishing sensation – Viz Comic – writing and drawing on its pages for 24 years. Simon Donald has been appearing as a stand-up comedian since 2005. He has written and performed seven Edinburgh Fringe shows. He often appears as a character comic as a number of different outrageous creations. The most popular of these is Barry Twyford, a hapless market research dogsbody whose surveys often pose more questions than they answer.

He appears as a compere, both at comedy clubs and events, lectures on the history of Viz Comic to arts and business courses and hosts cartoon workshops for younger students.

He released his highly acclaimed autobiography in 2010 which received 5 * reviews and his first live comedy DVD in 2011.

‘In a small way, Simon Donald changed the way the world laughs, for ever. We had a sneaking suspicion that flatulence was funny, but it took this Geordie visionary, this Giotto of flatus, to free us from the shackles of our sensibilities’
(Stewart Lee)
‘Brilliant. Donald is clearly Newcastle’s second funniest man’ (Ross Noble)
‘Hugely entertaining’ (Chortle)

SUZY BENNETT @FunnySuzyB
Winner of the Funny Women Award.
Tour support for Russell Kane
Former Butlins Redcoat and proud Devonian Suzy Bennett ‘accidentally’ won an award on her 6th gig and has kept the laughs, and her accent, going strong ever since, performing around the UK as well as overseas.
She is the voice of the ‘PlymouthTrails’ Tour app and was recently named as one of the ‘50 Coolest people from Plymouth’ by the Evening Herald ( It was in no particular order so she assumes she came third after Dawn French and Wayne Sleep)

‘Suzy is Delightful company’ – (Metro)
‘The physical presence and panache of Dawn French’ – (Chortle )

SIR IAN BOWLER (Aka Nat Tapley) @sirianbowlermp
(Our resident honorary local MP)
Hackney Empire Finalist
TV writing credits inc – Have I Got News For You’ The Revolution Will Be Televised, The News Quiz, Tonightly, Gigglebiz and Dick and Dom.

You can see his latest work as head writer and voice director on  Bad Dinosaurs which lands on Netflix day before this show on the 28th March,

“An angry masterpiece.” (Radio Times)
“A powerhouse performance, and funny with it” (Chortle)
“His punchlines repeatedly hit their targets” (The Stage)

Mc SAJEELA KERSHI @SajeelaKershi
Won a ton of awards been on stage, screen TV & everything.

‘Magnetic, loveable and extremely witty’ (Spectator)
‘Should be available on prescription’ (Brighton Argus)

House Tunes from Pete Dennis

our lovely Team Angels on hand on the night.

Tickets still only £13

Message back to reserve or book tickets via  website Comedy Cottage – Harlequin (harlequintheatre.co.uk)

NB: please bring cash on the night for raffle tickets & Collection

There will be a bar. 

We will be at the Belfry first floor by the lifts.