Southport Comedy Festival paid partnership
BAFTA-winning comedian and author Adam Kay is looking forward to sharing his uniquely hilarious diaries as a junior doctor at Southport Comedy Festival in association with Halliwell Jones Kia Southport this October – and it could be your only chance to see a doctor before Christmas!
Visitors can enjoy an ‘electrifying’ (Guardian) evening of stand-up in the luxury marquee at Victoria Park in Southport on Sunday 11th October 2026 with ‘This Is Going To Hurt Live: Secret Diaries Of A Junior Doctor’.
Doors open at 6pm with the show starting at 7pm.
Tickets are available here.
Over 350,000 tickets have been sold for Adam’s shows so far, which are based on his multi-million selling book and multi-award-winning TV series.
Read More: One month until Southport Comedy Festival opens with SIX shows sold out already
Adam’s books will be on sale before his show as well as after the gig, where he will be doing a book signing.
“Intersperses horror stories from the NHS frontline with a catalogue of sublimely silly spoof songs, and some blissfully brilliant wordplay” ★★★★★ – Mail on Sunday
“Hilarious and heartbreaking” – Charlie Brooker
We booked an appointment with the doctor and asked his diagnosis on his forthcoming show at the festival:
Comedy fans in Southport are looking forward to your show ‘This Is Going To Hurt’. What can people expect from this show?
“Well, I will be performing my biggest hits, including ‘Think Twice’ and ‘My Heart Will Go On’… oh, sorry these are Celine Dion’s comeback tour notes.
“My show takes you through my diaries as a junior doctor, with plenty of silliness and horror, and some genuinely heartwarming moments, all of which should make you laugh. And failing that, it’s potentially your best chance of seeing a doctor this side of Christmas.”
You’ve gone from the operating theatre to the performance theatre, where have you got your biggest adrenaline rush?
“I’m not quite sure how enjoyable the rushes always were, but there was certainly a lot more adrenaline sloshing around on labour wards. Happily, my shows are unlikely to be a life-or-death situation, unless there’s a nuclear launch during them. I suppose the odds of that go up daily.”
You, Paul Sinha and Mike Wozniak – who are also appearing at the Southport Comedy Festival – were doctors before heading into the world of comedy. Do all doctors have a funny bone? How does your medical experience help inform your comedy?
“I think a lot of doctors use humour as a coping mechanism, looking for the light among the dark of the tougher days. Maybe that’s why there’s such a crisis in the NHS, with half the doctors becoming stand-up comedians. You should definitely go to see Paul and Mike – they’re both brilliant comedians at the top of their game.”
Which funny medical story – or horror story – can we share with Southport Comedy Festival fans?
“I wonder if there’s that many you’d actually be allowed to print. How about the lady who presented to A&E with vaginal burns, having decided to insert a string of Christmas lights internally? Which brings new meaning to the phrase ‘I put the Christmas lights up myself’.”
You must hear some good stories from people you meet at gigs? What are the best stories you’ve heard?
“At book signings after my shows, I get to meet some members of the audience, which is always nice.
“The best comment I’ve ever had at one of those was ‘You delivered me when I was a baby!’
“I hope they weren’t offended that I didn’t recognise them. I guess it’s quite a good business model, delivering your own audience…”
The 17-day Southport Comedy Festival, presented in association with Halliwell Jones Kia Southport, celebrates its 15th anniversary in 2026.
This year’s festival line-up features some of the biggest names in comedy, including Jason Manford, Jason Byrne, Paul Sinha, Jimeoin, Clinton Baptiste, Henning Wehn, Gary Delaney, Paul Merton & Suki Webster, Adam Kay, Mike Wozniak, Seann Walsh, Laura Smyth, Scott Bennett and the return of comedy legend Mick Miller.
Courtesy of Elite Events, the festival will once again take place under canvas in a giant luxury heated and seated marquee in Victoria Park, Southport, home of the world-famous Southport Flower Show.
Guests can enjoy food from award-winning Mexican street food specialists Tik Taco.
The 15th annual Southport Comedy Festival runs from Friday 2nd to Sunday 18th October 2026.
Tickets for all festival shows are available from southportcomedyfestival.com
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