Get ready for a night of laughter and jaw-dropping entertainment with the Paul Zerdin.

Featuring the remarkable talents of ventriloquist Paul Zerdin, the show brings to life a delightful cast of characters including Sam, the cocky teenager; Albert, the 96-year-old with a razor sharp wit; and the Baby, who hilariously believes the world revolves around him.

As a former America’s Got Talent winner, Paul promises an evening of top-notch stand-up comedy and ventriloquism, including his famous human dummy routine with an exciting new twist.

Don’t miss this unforgettable show opening the Blackpool Comedy Festival for 2025!

Recommended ages: 14+ years. Some adult themes – PG advised

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The last few years have been extremely busy for the America’s Got Talent 2015 winner, on both sides of the Atlantic. 2016 saw Zerdin head to The Las Vegas Strip for a headline residency at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.2017 and 2018 saw Paul appear on spin-off shows America’s Got Talent – The Champions and Britain’s Got Talent – The Champions. Since then Paul has toured the US and UK with his critically acclaimed ‘All Mouth’ and ‘Puppet Party’ shows.

Zerdin wasn’t available for comment but his character Sam in his absence said: “It’s so exciting to be back on the road in the UK. We’ve played Hollywood, New York, Vegas and now…Bedford! I just hope we can all get through the tour without a big bust up like last time!”Zerdin is arguably the UK’s number one ventriloquist and made his TV debut in 1993 as the host of GMTV’s ‘Rise and Shine’. He then went on to win ITV’s The Big Big Talent Show, hosted by Jonathan Ross.

Since then he has appeared on countless TV shows including;

• The World Stands Up (Comedy Central)
• The Stand Up Show BBC!
• Just for Laughs Montreal Comedy Festival
• Comedy Rocks with Jason Manford (ITV1)
• Tonight at The London Palladium with Bruce Forsyth and Bradley Walsh (ITV1)
• Michael McIntyre’s Big Christmas Show (BBC1)
• The Royal Variety Performance.

Winning Series 10 of America’s Got Talent in September 2015, Zerdin and his sidekicks soon went viral on YouTube, receiving millions of views from around the world.

“Technically immaculate, it’s what he does with his slick talent that really sets him apart. His relationship with the characters has all the dramatic tension of a real life double act”
^{– The Guardian}“

A ventriloquist for South Park generation”
^{– The Stage}“

When you are not laughing you are simply in awe”
^{– Three Weeks in Edinburgh}

Showtown presents a humorous adventure around Blackpool town centre for the whole family!

A couple of precious artefacts disappeared from the museum during a magic trick that went wrong… can you help us find them? Dust off the clues with your tickling sticks, zigzag through Blackpool in a clown car and outwit a puppet to bring them back to Showtown.

Learn about history with a laugh along the way!

Recommended for ages 6+.

Showtown’s Youth Academy have invented a time machine and brought games from the past to the resort. Help us on our mission to complete a variety of fun games from across time.

Think carnival stalls to board games and everything in between. Guest hosts from different time periods will bring the fun to life and cheer you on.

This event is perfect, silly fun for families.

FREE event – Pay what you feel in donations on the day.

Showtown’s Youth Academy have invented a time machine and brought games from the past to the resort. Help us on our mission to complete a variety of fun games from across time.

Think carnival stalls to board games and everything in between. Guest hosts from different time periods will bring the fun to life and cheer you on.

This event is perfect, silly fun for families.

FREE event – Pay what you feel in donations on the day.

Showtown and Queer Amusements present this peek behind the process of realising your very own character comedy creations with comedian and art-school dropout Gareth Joyner.

Spend the day exploring the process of developing comedy characters from the ground up whist discovering how drag and gender-play can enhance an act. Learn the basics of connecting with an audience in live performance and discuss the long history and traditions in which these art forms exist.

Fun for seasoned pros and absolute beginners alike with a lovely lunch included!

Recommend for ages 18+

A little about Gareth…

Gareth Joyner is a writer and character comedian who likes to explore being northern, working class and queer, and how those subjects manifest themselves in the heady world of light entertainment. Incorporating both drag and clowning in their practice, Gareth is perhaps best known for their work with registered empath Myra DuBois and (to a lesser extent) the last straight man in showbiz: Frank Lavender.

Gareth has performed with Myra DuBois and Frank Lavender on television, in film and on stages both nationally and internationally with sold out tours around the UK, as well as lighting up social media with hilarious viral videos, and packing out London’s notorious Royal Vauxhall Tavern with Myra’s weekly smash hit residency.

Recently, following a performance of both Frank Lavender and Myra DuBois, an academic type described Gareth as an “artist using two wonderfully distorted poles on a binary to thoroughly interrogate current queer discourses using popular forms” and frankly, Gareth Joyner couldn’t think of a better way to describe their work. Which really, is quite a damning indictment of their ability as a writer.

Inspired by the famed Covent Garden, Blackpool’s Festival Square will bring the magic of live street performance to the heart of the resort for the Blackpool Comedy Festival 2025. Over the festival’s closing weekend, 31 May – 1 June, St John’s Square will transform into an open-air arena of laughter, spectacle, and world-class entertainment.

Throughout the day, an incredible line-up of comedy street performers, physical comedians, and interactive entertainers will take to the streets, delivering jaw-dropping stunts, high-energy comedy, and unforgettable audience interactions. From hilarious improv acts to mind-blowing circus skills and slapstick routines, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

With back-to-back performances from 11am to 5pm, the atmosphere will be electric as some of the UK’s top street performers bring their unique brand of humour to Blackpool. Inspired by the vibrant street theatre scene of Covent Garden, Festival Square will celebrate the art of live performance, where comedy meets spectacle in an unforgettable setting.

Ever fancied doing a bit of stand-up? Or are you a comic wanting to know how to go to the next level? Showtown and the Old Electric present a workshop with professional comedian, Ruth E Cockburn. An excellent opportunity to develop your own unique stand-up material and then to perform it in a safe, supportive environment to gain feedback.

Celebrated Blackpool comedian and writer, Ruth E. Cockburn, will be leading this workshop. Ruth is one half of the acclaimed comedy duo, Black Liver.

WORKSHOP IS FREE – Participants will be asked to fill out a pre-workshop questionnaire to confirm their place to attend and expected to undertake some pre-session activity in order to get the best out of the experience.

Workshop is 4-6.30pm and a performance from 6.30-7pm. Participants are welcome to invite up to 3 guests each to this performance free of charge.

Recommended age: 18+ years

In tandem with the publication of his memoirs, SitCom legend Jeffrey Holland, best-loved as holiday camp comic Spike Dixon in Hi-De-Hi!, will be in conversation with Britain’s Comedy Historian Robert Ross.

Jeffrey will be sharing memories of working on such classic shows as Dad’s Army, Russ Abbot’s Madhouse, Are You Being Served?, You Rang, M’Lord? and Oh, Doctor Beeching!; as well as reflecting on his comedy influences and favourites, including Arthur Askey, Peter Sellers, and the bowler-hatted genius who inspired his celebrated, sell-out solo show And This is My Friend Mr. Laurel.

It’s laughter guaranteed!

The performance will be followed by a book signing of The First Rule of Comedy..!, published by The History Press.

Inspired by the famed Covent Garden, Blackpool’s Festival Square will bring the magic of live street performance to the heart of the resort for the Blackpool Comedy Festival 2025. Over the festival’s closing weekend, 31 May – 1 June, St John’s Square will transform into an open-air arena of laughter, spectacle, and world-class entertainment.

Throughout the day, an incredible line-up of comedy street performers, physical comedians, and interactive entertainers will take to the streets, delivering jaw-dropping stunts, high-energy comedy, and unforgettable audience interactions. From hilarious improv acts to mind-blowing circus skills and slapstick routines, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

With back-to-back performances from 11am to 5pm, the atmosphere will be electric as some of the UK’s top street performers bring their unique brand of humour to Blackpool. Inspired by the vibrant street theatre scene of Covent Garden, Festival Square will celebrate the art of live performance, where comedy meets spectacle in an unforgettable setting.