After a series of sell-out shows in 2024 and 2025, Hyde Park Book Club is bringing back its annual summer Work In Progress comedy programme for 2026, welcoming some of the most exciting comedy acts to Leeds ahead of the Edinburgh Fringe.
Running throughout June and July, the programme gives audiences the chance to catch favourite comedians testing brand-new material in the venue’s intimate Snug space in LS6, before their shows head to sold-out runs at the Edinburgh Fringe.
Following previous preview seasons featuring acclaimed comics including Jack Skipper, Amy Gledhill, Josh Jones, Christopher Macarthur-Boyd, Tom Lawrinson, Joe Kent-Walters, Alexandra Haddow, Chris Cantrill, Lou Wall, and Amy Annette, Hyde Park Book Club has built a reputation as one of the North’s key venues for showcasing emerging comedy and Fringe previews.
This year’s line-up mixes established names, Edinburgh award nominees, BBC New Comedy finalists and fast-rising online creators, with comedians appearing from across the UK, Ireland and Australia. Isabelle Allen, Programming Lead at Hyde Park Book Club, said:
“Our hope as a venue is to become a hub for emerging comedy in the North, bringing exciting new work-in-progress shows to Leeds audiences before they head to the Edinburgh Fringe and beyond.”
Highlights include the return from Harry Stachini, following another sell-out Fringe in 2025; he brings new material to Leeds ahead of Fringe 2026. Harry said,
“Leeds is one of my favourite places to gig! The audiences are always up for it, and Hyde Park book club is where I performed my first ever tour show”.
Alice Fraser, regular co-host of The Bugle and named by The Telegraph as one of the 50 funniest comedians of the 21st century; Australian comic and broadcaster Tom Ballard; acclaimed stand-up and podcaster Horatio Gould; and Brennan Reece, known for appearances on Live At The Apollo, Roast Battle and Celeb Coach Trip.
The WIP programme also spotlights comedy talent, including Grace Mulvey, Marty Gleeson, Raj Poojara, Imogen Andrews and Roger O’Sullivan and many more…
Audiences can expect a broad mix of stand-up, character comedy, sketch performances and lots of laughter across the month-long programme.
Other upcoming shows this summer come from the likes of Saturday Night Live UK star, Ayoade Bamgboye, with her critically acclaimed debut show about suffering (and smiling) on the 24th May. George Zacharopoulos brings his latest show, Immigrateful, a sharp, self-aware exploration of identity and belonging, on the 7th June.
Tickets and full listings are available at https://www.hydeparkbookclub.co.uk
