Harry Enfield has spent much of his career being other people: Loadsamoney, Kevin, Tim Nice-But-Dim and a sizeable proportion of the men you hoped wouldn’t sit next to you in The Wellington. From Channel 4’s Friday Night Live to his BBC sketch shows and The Windsors, he’s built quite the cast. Now he’s coming to Birmingham as himself. Mostly.
Harry Enfield And No Chums arrives at Symphony Hall on October 28. As the title suggests, he’s flying solo, reflecting on his life in comedy, sharing the backstories behind his characters and performing sketches featuring some familiar faces. Presumably this also means he gets the dressing room to himself.
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You haven't performed live since you toured with Paul Whitehouse in 2015. How did this tour come about?
These folks from Fane Productions approached me. It sounded fun. You know, if people ask me to do something, I tend to do it. Otherwise, I'm just quite happy sort of pottering around, really.
Do you still enjoy performing live?
When I was young and used to do characters in clubs I was really nervous. That's why I stopped as soon as I could. Now I'm so old I don't care anymore. The tour with Paul was really fun, but we spent all our money on making it a slick show with loads of costumes and sets. I said to Paul afterwards people would love it if we just chatted and did a bit of this or whatever as a surprise. The next thing I know, he was doing that with The Fast Show reunion tour.
Thief! Can you give Brummies a flavour of who we will be seeing again?
A lot of them, DJ Nicey is back! He has a podcast and it's very, very, very right-wing. He keeps getting cancelled and coming back. Angry Frank is still angry. And there are some new characters thrown in too.
Like who?
I'll be doing one of The Surgeons that I did in the BBC series Harry & Paul. He's based on someone I met who told me stories about his life that were absolutely heartbreaking. His daughter died, and he said: 'and then she sadly died, "ah boo-hoo.”’ There's a whole bunch of people in this country, sent to prep school aged seven and if they blubbed for their mummies they were beaten. So anything that's happened to them in their life, they just go, 'ah boo-hoo,' and carry on.
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You sound like you've turned into one of your old gits, taking pleasure in having a moan about the modern world...
I have. I'm still embarrassing. My children find me embarrassing. They think I'm ridiculous. I just can't really grow up.
You are also revisiting Loadsamoney. Is he still, you know, relevant?
Yes, money is everything now. The rich have got richer. The poor have got poorer. I imagine that he now runs Pimlico Plasterers and he's gone to live in Dubai in case Labour tax him more.
Those early BBC series were mostly written by you, director Geoffrey Perkins, Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson. That's a great team.
When I first started doing Stavros, Paul was still plastering and Charlie was painting with him. When I was interviewed and asked who my comedy heroes were I said 'Monty Python, Peter Cook and my friend Paul down the pub.' And Geoffrey Perkins said, 'this guy Paul, you keep on mentioning him in interviews, do you think he'd like to write for you?'
Did you watch your old programmes to prepare for this tour?
Yes. I thought they were really funny. Which surprised me, because at the time you do these things and you move on and don't really think about it anymore, but a lot of it I thought was really well written. We really got something right about a lot of things. And now I can see when I watch that stuff that Paul was a f*cking genius.
Are there any particular characters you are fond of?
I love Wayne and Waynetta Slob. I love them all, actually. I'm very proud of them. I do a bit of Wayne and Waynetta in the show, they are probably great, great, great grandparents by now.
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"I IMAGINE THAT HE NOW RUNS PIMLICO PLASTERERS AND HE'S GONE TO LIVE IN DUBAI IN CASE LABOUR TAX HIM MORE."
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How do you respond to people who suggest the Slobs are 'punching down' or you shouldn't do foreign accents such as Stavros?
They are all just comic book characters. My thing is always mischief, not malice. Stavros is interesting because I did him again in 2022 when Channel 4 revived Friday Night Live. The Channel 4 people behind the scenes wanted me to take my make-up off. I told them that my make-up was exactly the same shade as Ben Elton's who was hosting. Anyone who wants to take offence has got no sense of humour as far as I'm concerned.
The world has changed during your lifetime...
Onstage I show a picture of me as a baby eating coal. Why did my parents take a picture of me eating coal and not stop me?
We don't see much of you on TV these days. How do you spend your time?
I like reading, walking and swimming in Hampstead Pond. But mainly I like arsing about with friends. I still write sketches, but not very often. I sold one to David Mitchell and Robert Webb for their Channel 4 show. It was David explaining to Rob the violent plot of John Wick, but with this fear of saying the word 'dead', saying 'sadly passed away' instead.
You used to be the partner of Lily Allen's mother Alison Owen and helped to bring up Lily. Do you follow her career?
She's doing all right now, Lil. I think her latest album is a work of genius. She's so close to my heart, both Lily and Alfie. Lily was actually in one of my sketches. She was about seven and played a girl coming out of Santa's Grotto crying and then the Old Gits say 'bugger off'. But every time she passed the camera she kept on giggling.
What TV comedy makes you giggle?
I'll watch Paul in something or David Mitchell. And I quite often watch something like Michael McIntyre's Big Show. It always makes me laugh. I'm more Michael McIntyre than Stewart Lee.
Were there characters you weren't ever able to do on TV?
There is one character that the BBC wouldn't go for. Geoffrey Perkins drew the line at that one. But I'm going to do it onstage, so if you buy a ticket you'll see that.
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A LITTLE NEW ORLEANS, A LOT OF CHRISTMAS
Friday the 13th: traditionally bad news for teenagers in horror films, considerably better news for anyone wanting free fireworks in the Jewellery Quarter.
Christmas arrives in Golden Square on November 13, with the annual light switch-on bringing two hours of music, festive food and an excuse to start referring to every drink as a Christmas drink.
Running from 5pm to 7pm, the free gathering features two acts from The Jam House. The Black Jeans bring their Best of Birmingham set, working through a musical family album featuring Black Sabbath, Dexys Midnight Runners, Duran Duran, ELO, UB40 and Ocean Colour Scene. Plenty to sing along to, even if your contribution is mostly confident mumbling.
Heavy Beat Brass Band supplies the Mardi Gras energy. The six-piece has been mentored by Keith Frazier of New Orleans’ Rebirth Brass Band, so expect enough brass-powered exuberance to bring a little Bourbon Street to Vyse Street.
Nearby cafés, bars and venues will serve festive food and drinks, with Thai street food doyens Buddha Belly joining on the square and warming tums. At 6pm, a special guest hits the switch, followed by whizzbangs.
Free entry, big tunes and things exploding overhead. A persuasive argument for moving your usual Friday evening plans off the sofa. More
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JERSEY BOYS
Four men, immaculate harmonies, less immaculate decision-making. Jersey Boys is back in Birmingham, bringing a reminder that being in a band involves more than agreeing who gets the tambourine.
The Tony and Olivier Award-winning musical takes over The Alexandra from November 2 to 21 as part of its 20th anniversary tour, tracing Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons’ journey from New Jersey streets to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
On stage, the voices fit together beautifully. Away from the microphones, things get messier. Behind the sharp suits and soaring falsetto sits a story of friendship, ambition and the complications of getting everything you thought you wanted.
Then there are the songs. Sherry, Big Girls Don’t Cry, Walk Like A Man, Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, Beggin’ and Oh What a Night: an outrageous concentration of hits from four blokes who somehow resisted the temptation to call themselves Frankie Goes to New Jersey.
The original Broadway creative team returns for this anniversary outing, celebrating a show seen by more than 30 million people worldwide.
It opens a week on Monday. Book now for your preferred date, then give your shower performance of Sherry some overdue professional reference material. Your neighbours have been very patient. They deserve this much.
Tickets
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20% OFF FOR ALL ICB READERS
Daniel Craig in a dinner jacket is (effortlessly) doing some of the heavy lifting here, but the CBSO will be putting in a proper shift. Symphony Hall has three blockbuster nights lined up before October’s out, with Bond, dragons and the world of Azeroth all getting the full orchestral treatment and YOU landing yourself 20% off ticket prices.
First up, the firebreathers. This very Saturday, October 24, How to Train Your Dragon 2 in Concert sends Hiccup and Toothless soaring across the big screen, with John Powell’s score performed live by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Expect secret ice caves, wild dragons and considerably more emotional investment in an animated reptile than you’d planned. Tickets from £31.50 but apply the code HTTYD2 at check out for 20% off.
On Friday, October 30, Casino Royale in Concert gives Daniel Craig’s first outing as Bond the orchestral treatment, with the CBSO performing David Arnold’s score live alongside the film. Celebrating its 20th anniversary, it’s an opportunity to revisit the poker, the parkour and a man whose tailoring survives substantially more than a night at your local balti house. Tickets from £42.50 but apply the code CASINO at check out for 20% off.
Then, on Saturday, October 31, World of Warcraft: 20 Years of Music brings Azeroth to Birmingham through a two-hour celebration featuring the CBSO and choir. From the original game to Dragonflight, expect epic musical landscapes and absolutely no requirement to explain your character’s backstory. Tickets from £31.50 but apply the code WARCRAFT at check out for 20% off.
All three start at 7.30pm.
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THE GRASS IS ALWAYS STRONGER ON THE OTHER SIDE
Half term: a chance to make memories, get outdoors and discover whether your child has a millionaire-bound future in broomstick engineering. Birmingham Botanical Gardens is covering all three. With bamboo.
Running October 28 to 30, Bam-BOO! turns the Gardens into a hands-on celebration of the giant grass, with building challenges, broomstick races and a visiting puppet who makes your tallest friend look hobbity.
On the main lawn, join Bam and Boo (above) to construct a giant bamboo marble run, testing and tweaking your design until it, y'know, works. Or until someone else’s child offers unsolicited engineering advice.
Over on the West Lawn, aspiring witches and wizards can make bamboo broomsticks before entering races and team games. Meanwhile, Bo, a 13ft bamboo and willow puppet (also above), will roam the Gardens, dancing and making friends.
The Secret Life of Bamboo trail reveals bats, underground networks and other botanical surprises. It costs an additional £2, with family offers available. There’s also the bamboo maze, Victorian Glasshouses, Adventure Playground and Medicine Bakery Café for essential parental refuelling.
Recommended for ages three upwards, with supervision required. Members and under-fives go free. Family tickets cost £29.25 for one adult and up to three children, or £37.50 for two adults.
For grown-ups taking bamboo seriously, October 30’s UK Bamboo Summit explores its greener future through architecture, science and sustainability. Tickets start at £30. Consider it the advanced marble-run qualification. Book
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MALICE IN WONDERLAND?
Follow the White Rabbit. Bring your financial curiosity. Down the AI Rabbit Hole is turning MAC into Financial Wonderland on October 31, with an interactive game exploring what happens when artificial intelligence gets involved with your money. Curiouser and curiouser. Potentially pricier and pricier.
Part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science, the experience puts you in the shoes of a household member navigating everyday financial decisions. Think budgeting, education, mortgages, pensions and fraud prevention: the sort of things that rarely feature a talking rabbit, despite often making you feel you’ve fallen into a hole.
Along the way, you’ll discover where AI advises, where it decides and where it sometimes gets things wrong. Make your choices, compare answers and discuss what’s happening behind the scenes, exploring the opportunities and risks of handing decisions to automated systems.
Designed for families and curious minds of all ages, the game takes just 20 minutes. Drop into the Deloitte Room at MAC, Cannon Hill Park, between 9.30am and 1.30pm on Saturday, October 31. No booking required. A Halloween outing where the mysterious presence might be an algorithm. More
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OCEAN’S ELEVEN OUT OF TEN
Hans Zimmer could make a goldfish circling a plastic castle feel like the defining moment of your life. Give him the actual ocean and things escalate.
Blue Planet III Live in Concert arrives at Birmingham’s bp pulse LIVE on May 22, 2027, bringing the BBC series’ underwater wonders to an enormous 200-square-metre Ultra HD LED screen. Finally, a fish tank you won’t be asked to clean.
The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra will perform the score live, with music by Zimmer, Thom Lukas and Laurentia Editha for Bleeding Fingers Music accompanying specially curated footage from across the series. Expect the sort of spectacle that makes watching nature documentaries on your phone seem a questionable use of everyone’s efforts.
Hosting proceedings is series executive producer Elizabeth White, whose two decades at the BBC Studios Natural History Unit should provide considerably better behind-the-scenes insight than your dad announcing how long he reckons they waited for that shot.
She’ll share stories from the making of the series, revealing what went into capturing its extraordinary marine life.
Tickets are on sale now, starting at £40.
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Venue: Wildmoor Oak, Top Rd, Wildmoor, Bromsgrove B61 0RB; Instagram
Choice: Venison Wellington to share (£69) Chooser: Sarah
Please don’t shoot the messenger. He has an overly-dependent luxury breed cat, a fixed-rate mortgage that's barely been dented and absolutely no involvement in the decision-making process whatsoever, but... pub food is getting worse. It’s not the pubs’ fault — they’re operating within an increasingly impossible business model. All costs are up and the only thing that’s down is dining out dosh. So, in the absence of being able to charge £37 for fish and chips (we see you, Tom Kerridge), corners have been cut across the country.
However, some foodie pubs have popped up in the past few years as exceptions to prove the rule, run by those who might be the only people in the country who actually know how to make money out of this madness. Sarah and Bex at Bromsgrove's Wildmoor Oak are on that list.
I lost the driving coin-toss, so dinner was up against it from the off, but because I have the pre-planning skills of a man who arranges his own surprise parties, I'd only gone and advance-booked the venison Wellington, thus putting booze several rows back at this particular evening's Wedding of Importance.
Wildmoor Oak is marking the vanishing daylight with autumnal Game Nights and a menu that justifies the almost superhuman effort of getting off the sofa, locating proper trousers and venturing into a world that has, quite unreasonably, become both dark and cold.
Rabbit can be a gentle introduction to game, though terrine-ing it then pairing it with ’nduja suggests the kitchen isn’t overly concerned about easing anyone in. The combination makes sense: lean, delicate meat given a little porky richness and chilli cleavage, with charred sweetcorn bringing sweetness and a smoky edge.
Actual popcorn joins the party too, adding crunch and briefly raising the possibility of a three-hour Christopher Nolan epic about the rabbit’s complicated past. Tarragon oil supplies a pinch of aniseed, completing an autumnal proposition with one foot still stubbornly in summer. What a start.
Mains we poo-pooed in favour of the Welly included a pheasant and white bean cassoulet and a particularly handsome-looking roast mallard breast. But we'd gone all in, and along pottered the venison beauty above — a waistband-bursting riot of pleasure that went straight to my brain’s hard drive.
The pastry was deep golden and proudly puffed, shattering beneath the knife in a buttery avalanche that immediately expanded my understanding of the word sharing. Light, crisp layers scattered across the plate, giving way to the venison beneath, while even the underside held its nerve. The gravy was plentiful and weapons-grade savoury, while the confit garlic mash was indecently smooth, the sort of thing you drag your fork through once before quietly moving your bowl two inches closer to your heart.
Slow cooking had softened the garlic into something sweet and mellow, threaded through potatoes that had clearly enjoyed a lengthy, unsupervised relationship with butter. I’d have happily eaten a litre of it on its own, though I’d probably have drawn the curtains first.
If the dish has a hamartia — and we’re really searching for one here — it’s that our particular cut was tougher than venison tends to be, but what it lacked in tenderness, it made up for in deep, woodland richness.
Dessert was abandoned in favour of what felt like a 120-year, venison-induced postprandial nap, but I note that their white chocolate cheesecake with drunken raisins, candied pecans and rum'n'raisin ice cream still only costs £9.75 and is about as good as pud gets, if memory serves.
Wildmoor Oak, on a school night, was a thrumming, unstuffy joy, filled with diners like it was flying ant day and worth every penny for that glow-giving, B-postcode, countryside pub sense of occasion.
Appetites change and pub empires crumble. But what Wildmoor does will never go out of fashion. Website and bookings
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THESE BOOTS WERE MADE FOR HAUNTING
Nothing says “you’re perfectly safe” like monumental copper figures wearing steel boots. Permindar Kaur’s new exhibition, Dread Naught, arrives at Wolverhampton Art Gallery next week with a cast of characters whose intentions are considerably less clear than their footwear.
Are they soldiers? Civilians? Robots? Monsters? Nobody’s handing you a reassuring name badge. Formed from copper outlines and anchored by those hefty boots, these ambiguous presences explore protection, danger and security, leaving visitors to decide whether they’ve encountered the cavalry or something the cavalry should be worried about.
Kaur’s largest show of new work to date brings these newly commissioned sculptures together with important early pieces, including a fresh iteration of Innocence, first made in 1993. The British Sikh artist came to prominence during the 1990s, with appearances at British Art Show 4, Ikon and Tate, before taking time away to raise a family.
Alongside Dread Naught, three local artists have been working with Wolverhampton community groups on artworks exploring What Connects Us, displayed on market stalls within the gallery. Kaur’s Teddy Bear Wallpaper also invites visitors to colour it in: a gentler assignment than establishing whether the enormous copper stranger is friend or foe.
Dread Naught runs from October 24 to April 11, 2027. Free
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YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU 🫵
England has been getting very good at whisky. Which is awkward for anyone whose entire drinks knowledge consists of pointing vaguely north.
Returning to Birmingham on November 21, the English Whisky Festival celebrates its fifth year with more than 30 distilleries, independent bottlers and blenders, all ready to explain why your next favourite dram might come from closer to home.
Your ticket includes a branded tasting glass to keep and samples from every stand, with no extra charges for the interesting stuff. Founders and distillers will be on hand to talk you through their wares, whether your opening question concerns maturation techniques or simply: which one tastes nice?
Expect single malts, corn and rye whiskies, alongside cocktails and highballs for those who prefer their exploration with a mixer. Masterclasses offer a deeper dive, while local street food traders will provide essential ballast in the canalside courtyard.
There’s an on-site shop, plus exclusive and limited-edition bottles available directly from exhibitors, should your Christmas shopping suddenly develop a suspiciously personal focus.
Beginners are welcome, enthusiasts can get nerdy, and nobody needs to pretend they’ve detected wet leather and their grandfather’s potting shed. Just turn up curious. Leave with opinions. And possibly several bottles. Tickets are £50 to you. And everyone else, for that matter.
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BACK IN STOCK AND LEGALLY PRECARIOUS
Birmingham’s most cylindrical soft drink endorsement is back. Having sold out about a year ago, our 80s Rotunda pin badge returns, complete with a legally questionable interpretation of Coca-Cola’s logo. Yours for £13, it’s a tiny tribute to a time when Birmingham’s skyline came with added fizz.
To celebrate, we’ve dragged postage back to 1986: just 20p, the price of a large letter stamp back then. Finally, a way to express your civic pride and your willingness to become peripheral evidence in a trademark dispute. Stick it on your lapel and enjoy it before someone in Atlanta checks their emails.
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I SEE BUILDINGS FALL LIKE LIGHTNING
Clio Barnard’s film I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning follows five friends from the same Brum estate as fractured relationships, thwarted dreams and buried secrets put lifelong bonds through the wringer: a film rooted in our city, exploring who gets to move on, who stays behind and what happens to the friendships connecting them.
Adapted from Keiran Goddard’s novel, it pairs a cast including Joe Cole and Daryl McCormack with euphoric club music and a sharp eye for Britain’s widening inequalities. On Dec 1, MAC hosts a screening followed by live Q&A. This will sell out. Watch the trailer
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Twenty-five years after Phoenix Nights first opened its doors, join (some) members of the cast for an evening of stories, laughter and a look behind the scenes. Town Hall, May 15. Tickets
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There are, improbably, still plenty of tickets for Bill Bailey at the Utilita on Nov 11.
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Temper & Brown is giving your pint something to think about. The JQ bar hosts four Brum authors for readings and a Q&A on Oct 27, before Carl Chinn explores the people who shaped the city in Many Peoples. One Birmingham. on Nov 26. Both run 7pm to 9.30pm, both are free, but advance booking is recommended.
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Reggae, roots and rug tufting: SHOOBZ FEST arrives at Birmingham’s Legacy Centre of Excellence on Nov 14. Celebrating Caribbean house party traditions, it brings Chuck Fenda, Everton Blender and Birmingham talent together for live music, cultural history and family activities. Tickets
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Lap-fai Lee returns to Deadbeat, in Stirchley, Oct 28 to 30, with a menu led by slow-smoked ribeye, massaman mole and bone marrow. Subtle evening, then. Sittings are at 6pm and 8pm. Book via fireandricebookings@gmail.com. More
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Christmas gift option: Jimmy Carr brings Killing Jokes to The Alexandra on May 26, 2027. Tickets go on general sale tomorrow at 10am, here. Plenty of time to prepare your genuinely offended facial expression.
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Bristol-born Sandwich Sandwich opens today (Oct 22) at midday and the first 500 customers get free sandwiches. Details
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Give your front door ideas above its station with festive wreath-making at Blakesley Hall on Nov 21. Forage the grounds, get crafting and enjoy hot drinks plus a hall tour. Limited spaces: book now.
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Also on Nov 21, Oops, they’ve formed a metal band. Britallica give Britney Spears’ biggest hits a heavy makeover at The Castle & Falcon. Double denim meets considerably more black leather. Tickets
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Blue Moon’s Halloween Makers Market brings over 35 traders to Moseley Exchange on Oct 31, 10am to 3pm. Free entry, dog-friendly and fully accessible, with art, ceramics and jewellery. Moseley Farmers Market is happening the same day.
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Teachers get 20% off their food bill at The Plough (Harborne) over half term (Oct 26 to 30). Proof
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Speaking of half term, no issue of ICB next week as the schools have once again outsourced their core business to parents.
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