Mark Thomas brings 40th anniversary stand-up tour to Sussex

Comedian and campaigner Mark Thomas is bringing his new 40th-anniversary stand-up show to Sussex this autumn, with three performances in Brighton, Hove and Chichester.

Mark Thomas: 40 in Stand-Up Years comes to Komedia in Brighton on Tuesday 29 September, followed by The Old Market in Hove on Saturday 7 November and the Minerva Theatre at Chichester Festival Theatre on Tuesday 24 November.

The show marks four decades since Thomas began performing stand-up, but it is not simply a retrospective. The anniversary provides the framework for a new evening of political comedy, personal stories and topical material designed to change as events change around it.

What is Mark Thomas: 40 in Stand-Up Years about?

The title suggests a look backwards, but Thomas is using the anniversary as a starting point rather than presenting a conventional greatest-hits show.

Venue publicity describes the production as a mixture of government and personal mayhem, jokes, rants and a personal state-of-the-nation address, with Thomas attempting to turn the question of what is happening in Britain and beyond into a coherent evening of stand-up.

That means the show has two timelines running through it. One looks back at a career spanning alternative comedy, television, radio, theatre and political campaigning. The other is rooted firmly in the present, with current affairs providing material that can change as the tour progresses.

The three Sussex performances stretch from late September until late November. For a comedian whose work has long responded directly to politics and public life, that leaves plenty of opportunity for the material heard in Chichester to differ from the version Brighton audiences see almost two months earlier.

Who is Mark Thomas?

Thomas emerged from Britain’s alternative comedy scene in the 1980s and has spent much of the past 40 years combining stand-up with journalism, campaigning and political performance.

For many viewers, he became best known through Channel 4’s The Mark Thomas Comedy Product, which ran for six series and used comedy as a route into investigations of politics, corporations and public institutions.

He later made three editions of Dispatches for Channel 4 and five series of The Manifesto for BBC Radio 4. His current production biography also records six books, five play scripts and two art exhibitions created with artist Tracey Moberly.

Political activity has never been separate from his stage career. Thomas has taken the police to court three times and won on each occasion, held 20 protests in 24 hours for a former Guinness World Record and walked 724km along the West Bank barrier.

His production biography also credits him with campaigning on trade union recognition, tax avoidance and corporate practices.

That combination of comedian, investigator and campaigner is central to understanding the new tour. Thomas has rarely treated politics as a subject to be observed from a distance. Much of his material comes from getting involved, challenging institutions and then turning the consequences into stories for the stage.

Mark Thomas in numbers

Figures are drawn from the current production biography.

Three chances to see Mark Thomas in Sussex

The first Sussex performance takes place in Komedia’s Basement on Gardner Street in Brighton’s North Laine.

Komedia currently lists the show for Tuesday 29 September, with doors opening at 7pm and the performance beginning at 8pm. The venue specifies unreserved cabaret seating and an age restriction of 16+.

Thomas then returns to the city at The Old Market in Hove on Saturday 7 November. Doors open at 7.15pm, with the performance scheduled from 8pm until 9.30pm. Unlike Komedia, seating at The Old Market is reserved.

The final Sussex date is at the Minerva Theatre at Chichester Festival Theatre on Tuesday 24 November. The performance begins at 8pm and is listed for ages 16 and over.

Chichester’s inclusion gives audiences across both East and West Sussex a choice of three local dates before the tour continues into December.

What audiences can expect

Thomas’s political comedy is not built around detached observations or a string of topical one-liners. His shows often move between jokes, arguments, reporting, personal experience and accounts of campaigns he has become involved in.

The anniversary show continues that approach. The publicity describes a fast-moving mixture of political and personal disorder rather than a chronological account of every project from the past four decades.

Anyone expecting an evening of familiar routines from The Mark Thomas Comedy Product is likely to get something more current. The anniversary supplies the perspective, while contemporary politics supplies much of the raw material.

There is also room for the more personal side of Thomas’s work, with the public and political material sitting alongside stories drawn from his own life.

Strong language should be expected. All three Sussex venues list the show for audiences aged 16 and over.

Planning the Komedia Brighton performance

Komedia is in Gardner Street in North Laine, within walking distance of Brighton Station and the city-centre bus network.

The Gardner Street entrance is at ground level and the Basement can be reached by lift. Komedia also provides an accessible toilet and hearing support in the downstairs performance space.

Customers who need a wheelchair space, early entry or a companion ticket should contact the venue in advance.

Planning the Hove performance

The Old Market is just off Western Road between central Brighton and Hove.

The venue provides step-free access from the street and through the Box Office, bar and Main House. A platform lift gives access to the lower level and accessible toilet. Customers who need specific arrangements should contact the venue before attending.

The Old Market currently lists the performance as a reserved-seating event running from 8pm to 9.30pm.

Planning the Chichester performance

The Chichester performance brings the tour to West Sussex later in November, with Thomas appearing in the more intimate Minerva Theatre at Chichester Festival Theatre.

Chichester Festival Theatre’s winter programme describes the show as a celebration of Thomas’s 40 years at the microphone, combining mayhem, jokes and rants with the campaigning stories that have run alongside his comedy career.

Mark Thomas: 40 in Stand-Up Years – full UK tour dates

Thomas is taking 40 in Stand-Up Years around the UK from September to December 2026, with dates across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The current schedule includes three Sussex performances: Brighton on 29 September, Hove on 7 November and Chichester on 24 November.

September 2026

October 2026

November 2026

December 2026

Frequently asked questions

When is Mark Thomas performing in Brighton and Hove?

Mark Thomas: 40 in Stand-Up Years is at Komedia Brighton on Tuesday 29 September 2026 and The Old Market in Hove on Saturday 7 November 2026.

What is Mark Thomas: 40 in Stand-Up Years about?

The show marks Thomas’s 40 years in stand-up but combines that anniversary with new political comedy, personal stories, jokes and topical material rather than simply revisiting old routines.

Who is Mark Thomas?

Mark Thomas is a comedian, writer, performer and political campaigner. His television and radio work includes The Mark Thomas Comedy Product, Channel 4’s Dispatches and BBC Radio 4’s The Manifesto.

Is the Komedia date still 2 November?

Komedia’s current official event page lists the Brighton performance for Tuesday 29 September 2026. Anyone holding an existing ticket should follow the date shown on the latest booking confirmation.

What time do the Brighton and Hove shows start?

Both performances begin at 8pm. Doors open at 7pm at Komedia and 7.15pm at The Old Market.

Is the show suitable for children?

Both venues list the performance as 16+.

Is seating allocated?

Komedia has unreserved cabaret seating for the Brighton performance. The Old Market show in Hove uses reserved seating.

Are the venues accessible?

Yes. Komedia has lift access to the Basement and an accessible toilet, while The Old Market provides step-free access through its principal public spaces and a platform lift to the lower level. Customers requiring specific arrangements should contact the relevant venue in advance.

Where can tickets be booked?

Use Komedia’s official event page for the Brighton performance and The Old Market’s official page for the Hove date.

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