Free Range 2026: Tour Review
Now THAT was a tour! What an amazing five months on the road.
To the 35,000-plus people who came out to join me this Spring and Summer for my UK stand-up tour, thank you. You really are the heft to my bat, helping me reclaim the public square.
Our tiny tour team travelled the length and breadth of the country from Aberdeen to the Isle of Wight; and amazingly, we had fair winds and the sun on our faces all the way, even in Blackpool! You guys shone brightest of all, turning up ready for a great night out and a good laugh.
Our warm-up shows at the Seven Dials Club in Covent Garden went down a storm (Praise the Lord!). It was quite the surprise to have former Prime Minister Liz Truss in the crowd one night. But as all the ladies present will testify, our attention was rather focused on our dashing doorman Andre. Good news, girlies! He’ll be joining us at the Shaw Theatre in December.
I am so happy Cal agreed to be our opening act again this year – and it made perfect sense to launch the official tour in Newcastle, Cal’s home turf. Cal Halbert is something of a legend in those parts and his crowd never disappoint.
We headed south for a run of shows in Devon. Babbacombe Theatre is one of our tour-family favourites. Regulars will know the little tuck shop in the corner where the ladies sell cute drinks and snacks. We made a deal with the boss, Colin, that if we broke the all-time tuck-shop record we could have posters up for the show in 2027. For three consecutive nights you smashed it! Great work, team.
Shows in Dudley, Cardiff and Rotherham went off – you guys were wild. The Dudley venue is next door to the police station and just as the show closed a siren fired up. A quick-thinking heckler shouted: “Taxi for Katie!” Prison time feels inevitable at this point.
May took us back to the Felixstowe Spa, the former darts hub Circus Tavern, and the lovely Empire Theatre in Blackburn. We also introduced two new islands to the tour: Guernsey and the Isle of Wight – island mentality always feels like the perfect fit for our supporters.
Life on the road is a real privilege: we get to visit parts of the country we would not otherwise see; we bring together like-minded people to laugh at the madness we are surrounded by; and we meet regular folk out and about who just want their children to grow up with the same freedoms we all enjoyed.
Lovely Mark could write a travel book based on our experiences on the road: which services to avoid [Frankley on the M5], great cafés [Cibo’s, Isle of Wight], fabulous steak [Cut and Craft, Manchester], best breakfast [Trump Turnberry]. You can usually find us at a Premier Inn – (I won’t bore you with the used boxer shorts found in the bathroom of our Skeggy room) – but sometimes we find little gems like Everything Retreat in Blackburn; a little bit of luxury at Trump International, Aberdeen; or the brilliant Crown in Stamford. Finding food at 11 pm after the show isn’t always easy, so our trusty tour manager keeps a supply of Pot Noodles in the car.
June was a bumper month in more ways than one. The brilliant Rupert Lowe joined us in Gt Yarmouth and it was lovely to hear our 1,400-strong crowd chant “Rupert, Rupert, Rupert” unprompted. What a great thing to have an MP who actually works for his constituents. It was an eventful month: 16 sold-out shows, the kick-off for the World Cup, getting manhandled out of a pub in Bethnal Green, and temperatures soaring – none more so than on a very sticky night in Leicester.
It really felt like we were everywhere in July. By chance our Belfast show coincided with The Eleventh Night; you may have seen my special report from one bonfire in particular! We enjoyed a brilliant night at the Villa Gaiety on the Isle of Man before the long haul to Aberdeen for an amazing show in a cow shed… I am basically the Virgin Mary. I even got to welcome Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to Trump International Scotland en route. And, of course, no tour is complete without a trip down the pier in Blackpool.
Sixty shows and four months later we brought the curtain down on Free Range with three shows in Manchester at the end of July.
It is very important to me that we recognise the real stars of this show. Firstly, the theatre volunteers – always there early, enjoying the show, helping clean up and keeping these places going. I love you lot.
Secondly, our brilliant, talented and loyal team: Nicky Nick, our tech guru, is the first to arrive and last to leave. He is king of sound and lights and by far the most important member of the whole team. We really could not do it without him. Schmoo is the glue who keeps the team functioning at their best and is a much-admired stage manager. Most of you will have met Welsh Wayne – he checks you in, always has a smile, and helps Lovely Mark on the ground. Finally, Cal – what can I say? Not only is he a very funny man but he goes well above and beyond to make the show the best it can be: arriving early, dressing smartly, encouraging the team and helping Mark with all the show prep.
And finally, you, our loyal audience. I will never be able to thank you enough for giving me back my voice in the UK.
For those of you who want to relive the magic of the Tour, I will be performing a Comedy Christmas Special in three BRAND NEW venues: ICC Wales, Shaw Theatre London, and VIVA Blackpool. Why not come and celebrate surviving another year in Batsh*t Bonkers Britain with your family on the road? Bring your dad, your grown kids, your girlfriends, or join us as a Single Pringle Mingle. You will remember what it feels like to belong.
The truth keeps marching on, my friends.
All my love,
