TRIAL BY LAUGHTER
By Ian Hislop and Nick Newman
Devonshire Park Theatre
Tuesday 5 – Saturday 9 March 2019
Following smash-hit success for The Wipers Times which played to packed houses last week in Eastbourne’s Devonshire Park Theatre, Ian Hislop and Nick Newman’s Trial by Laughter is confirmed to play at the same theatre, 5 – 9 March 2019, and tickets go on sale 10am today (Monday 8 October).
Having received critical acclaim for The Wipers Times, the extraordinary story of the satirical newspaper created in the mud and mayhem of the Somme, Hislop and Newman have once again taken inspiration from real life events for their new courtroom drama Trial by Laughter.
William Hone, the forgotten hero of free speech, was a bookseller, publisher and satirist. In 1817, he stood trial for ‘impious blasphemy and seditious libel’. The only crime he had committed was to be funny. Worse than that, he was funny by parodying religious texts. And worst of all, he was funny about the dictatorial government and the lustful monarchy.
Along with his great ally, political cartoonist George Cruikshank, Hone sought vindication for his laughable offences and fought for freedom in one of the most remarkable legal cases of its time.
Ian Hislop is a journalist, satirist, writer, broadcaster and perhaps best known as the editor of Private Eye magazine and team captain on BBC quiz Have I Got News for You. Nick Newman is a comedy writer and also a satirical British cartoonist.
Having met as youths working on revues at Ardingly College in East Sussex Ian and Nick continued their partnership at Oxford and have been regular writing partners since.
Previous writing credits include A Bunch of Amateurs a comedy about a village drama group was originally conceived as a film starring the late great Burt Reynolds, Derek Jacobi and Imelda Staunton before being adapted to stage. The writing partners have written scripts for 1980s political satire series Spitting Image, two series of My Dad’s the Prime Minister, writing for Maureen Lipman and contributing to Murder Most Horrid for Dawn French. And for radio their credits include BBC Radio 4 series Gush and The News at Bedtime.
Tickets priced £21 – £28.50 are available from 10am today (8 October) online at www.eastbournetheatres.co.uk or call Box Office on 01323 412000. Don’t miss this latest runaway success from writing pair Nick Newman and Ian Hislop and book now for Trial by Laughter to get the best seats in the Devonshire Park Theatre courtroom!
