Octopus Soup

Full UK Tour February - April 2019
Book Tickets

About the show

A razor-sharp new comedy with Nick Hancock, star of West End hit An Evening with Gary Lineker and host of iconic TV shows, Room 101 and They Think It’s All Over.

OCTOPUS SOUP!

by Jack Milner and Mark Stevenson 

Co-produced with Belgrade Theatre Coventry

Fawlty Towers meets The Sopranos in this brand-new British farce! Octopus Soup! is the dinner party from hell – and you’ll be crying with laughter!

Simon Fielder and Belgrade Theatre Coventry present the World Premiere of this razor-sharp comedy with Nick Hancock, coming to a theatre near you!

 Meet Seymour, the safest man in Britain. An insurance guy who wears a belt and braces (and another belt, just to be sure!) He’s in last chance saloon with everything riding on this one vital conference call. What could possibly go wrong? Well, literally EVERYTHING! Enter Marvin, a bungling burglar with bad knees…

Meanwhile Seymour’s neurotic wife Gloria awaits news on a star TV role, a psychopathic mob boss is just around the corner and a share of the £30 billion insurance scam is at stake. Will our heroes and their octopus get out alive?!

It’s non-stop laughs with Nick Hancock (iconic TV host for Room 101 and They Think It’s All Over) joined by Paul Bradley (EastEnders, Holby City), Gillian Bevan (Holby City, Teachers), Carolyn Backhouse (Coronation Street, The Bill) and the legendary Eric Richard (The Bill, EastEnders)

Octopus Soup! Is a guaranteed comedy hit. Don’t miss out!

Keep me updated!

Reviews

Critics' reviews for Octopus Soup

Plenty of belly laughs
"Well-paced and sharp comedy. Plenty of belly laughs"
ELEMENTARY WHATS ON
A fun night out
"Octopus Soup! is a fun night out and the show is definitely enjoyable. Backhouse gives a tour-de-force showcase. Richard makes for a compelling crime boss. Octopus Soup! is a fun night out the actors are giving it everything"
THE BOAR
Hancock is impressive
"Carolyn Backhouse is perfect… her over-the-top portrayal… is almost too good. Hancock is impressive"
THE REVIEWS HUB
The acting is simply too good
"The acting is simply too good. By the interval the room is practically buzzing."
MIRO MAGAZINE
Rip-roaringly funny
"Rip-roaringly funny. Plenty of belly laughs. Pops with wit and sparkling humour. A quirky and fun comedy that is utterly unique. Octopus Soup! is exactly what modern audiences are looking for in a comedy; smart wordplay and dry one-liners are thrown together with moments of slapstick and one animatronic octopus"
CULTURE'S COFFEE
With eight legs, Octopus Soup! can run and run
Farcical fast-paced fun. There is a lot to love about Octopus Soup, including Marvin’s witty one-liners and Malapropisms and Gloria’s chaotic character. With eight legs, Octopus Soup! can run and run
NEWSTYLE RADIO
Who knew that insurance could be so fun?
A Saucepan of Laughs, an irreverent comedy for modern times. Octopus Soup! pops with wit and sparkling humour, modern, and extremely entertaining. Utterly unique, the acting is just too stellar. Who knew that insurance could be so fun?
CULTURE'S COFFEE
Cricket’s finest summarisers
“Aggers has established himself as one of cricket’s finest summarisers and he’s taken his tales from the boundaries on to the touring circuit with aplomb."
John Carter, Swindon Advertiser
Agger's warm delivery
“The warmth of Agnew’s delivery came over the most, something which would charm even non-sports fans.”
Pete Woodhouse, Lynn News, Hunstanton
A lot more than just cricket!
"Rather like the Test Match Special programme he has been part of for more than a quarter of a century, it's about a lot more than just cricket. It's about company, indeed, about life itself.”
Allister Webb, Spalding Guardian
Commanding the Spa Centre stage
“Commanding the Spa Centre stage with the much-practised presence of a man of 6ft 4, we were treated to one anecdote after another, delivered with wit, timing, that irrepressible sense of mischief and seemingly effortless style.”
Chris Arnot, Elementary What’s On, Royal Leamington Spa
Schoolboy humour, the pranks and the japes
"It began before Aggers even appeared on stage with one of the funniest Test Match Special moments – the famous 1991 ‘leg over’ sequence in which Brian Johnston collapses into laughter as he’s trying to summarise a day’s play. And that set a high standard as it was the schoolboy humour, the pranks and the japes that proved to be the evening’s highlights.”
Cliff Moore, Bournemouth Echo
Full of energy
"Played with energy and conviction by all concerned, this is a hugely enjoyable piece of work. It is very funny but, as it turns out, this farce is more than frothy entertainment"
BUM ON A SEAT
Cracking one-liners
"Joe Harmston clearly has an eye for comic business. Paul Bradley on excellent form. Carolyn Backhouse is a scream. Very funny…Cracking one-liners."
BUM ON A SEAT
Excellent
"Deliciously funny... Octopus Soup swims [a] mad-cap course... A tight comedy with some excellent moments of farce."
Reviewsgate
Hilarious
"What stands out as faultless in this show is the brilliant comic timing... Paul Bradley… is immaculate, hilarious!"
All The World’s A Stage
Hilarious
What stands out as faultless in this show is the brilliant comic timing
Paul Bradley… is immaculate. Hilarious
All The World’s A Stage
Deliciously funny!
Excellent! Deliciously funny...
Octopus Soup swims [a] mad-cap course
A tight comedy with some excellent moments of farce
Reviewsgate
Delivers on laughs
"Octopus Soup! easily earns its laughs... An entertaining farce with a moral message that delivers on laughs... Plenty of entertaining physical comedy."
The Stage
Wonderfully witty
"There is a lot to enjoy including Marvin’s wonderfully witty Malapropisms [and] the frenetic activity on the stage... Wonderfully witty…A lot to enjoy!"
A View from Behind the Arras
A lot to enjoy
"There is a lot to enjoy including Marvin’s wonderfully witty Malapropisms [and] the frenetic activity on the stage
Wonderfully witty…A lot to enjoy"
A View from Behind the Arras
A breath of fresh air
"Octopus Soup is a breath of fresh air. There’s never a dull moment and lots of laughs. Fine acting, excellent comic timing and a fast-paced plot. A good old Brit comedy"
UK THEATRE NETWORK
Razor-sharp
"A razor-sharp new comedy a clever, witty new show thoroughly brilliant. Octopus Soup! is a clever, witty new show that really did have the audience laughing out loud. A thoroughly brilliant, new show."
DLUXE MAGAZINE
Plenty of belly laughs
"Well-paced and sharp comedy. Plenty of belly laughs"
ELEMENTARY WHATS ON
A fun night out
"Octopus Soup! is a fun night out and the show is definitely enjoyable. Backhouse gives a tour-de-force showcase. Richard makes for a compelling crime boss. Octopus Soup! is a fun night out the actors are giving it everything"
THE BOAR
Hancock is impressive
"Carolyn Backhouse is perfect… her over-the-top portrayal… is almost too good. Hancock is impressive"
THE REVIEWS HUB
The acting is simply too good
"The acting is simply too good. By the interval the room is practically buzzing."
MIRO MAGAZINE
Rip-roaringly funny
"Rip-roaringly funny. Plenty of belly laughs. Pops with wit and sparkling humour. A quirky and fun comedy that is utterly unique. Octopus Soup! is exactly what modern audiences are looking for in a comedy; smart wordplay and dry one-liners are thrown together with moments of slapstick and one animatronic octopus"
CULTURE'S COFFEE
With eight legs, Octopus Soup! can run and run
Farcical fast-paced fun. There is a lot to love about Octopus Soup, including Marvin’s witty one-liners and Malapropisms and Gloria’s chaotic character. With eight legs, Octopus Soup! can run and run
NEWSTYLE RADIO
Who knew that insurance could be so fun?
A Saucepan of Laughs, an irreverent comedy for modern times. Octopus Soup! pops with wit and sparkling humour, modern, and extremely entertaining. Utterly unique, the acting is just too stellar. Who knew that insurance could be so fun?
CULTURE'S COFFEE
Cricket’s finest summarisers
“Aggers has established himself as one of cricket’s finest summarisers and he’s taken his tales from the boundaries on to the touring circuit with aplomb."
John Carter, Swindon Advertiser
Agger's warm delivery
“The warmth of Agnew’s delivery came over the most, something which would charm even non-sports fans.”
Pete Woodhouse, Lynn News, Hunstanton
A lot more than just cricket!
"Rather like the Test Match Special programme he has been part of for more than a quarter of a century, it's about a lot more than just cricket. It's about company, indeed, about life itself.”
Allister Webb, Spalding Guardian
Commanding the Spa Centre stage
“Commanding the Spa Centre stage with the much-practised presence of a man of 6ft 4, we were treated to one anecdote after another, delivered with wit, timing, that irrepressible sense of mischief and seemingly effortless style.”
Chris Arnot, Elementary What’s On, Royal Leamington Spa
Schoolboy humour, the pranks and the japes
"It began before Aggers even appeared on stage with one of the funniest Test Match Special moments – the famous 1991 ‘leg over’ sequence in which Brian Johnston collapses into laughter as he’s trying to summarise a day’s play. And that set a high standard as it was the schoolboy humour, the pranks and the japes that proved to be the evening’s highlights.”
Cliff Moore, Bournemouth Echo
Full of energy
"Played with energy and conviction by all concerned, this is a hugely enjoyable piece of work. It is very funny but, as it turns out, this farce is more than frothy entertainment"
BUM ON A SEAT
Cracking one-liners
"Joe Harmston clearly has an eye for comic business. Paul Bradley on excellent form. Carolyn Backhouse is a scream. Very funny…Cracking one-liners."
BUM ON A SEAT
Excellent
"Deliciously funny... Octopus Soup swims [a] mad-cap course... A tight comedy with some excellent moments of farce."
Reviewsgate
Hilarious
"What stands out as faultless in this show is the brilliant comic timing... Paul Bradley… is immaculate, hilarious!"
All The World’s A Stage
Hilarious
What stands out as faultless in this show is the brilliant comic timing
Paul Bradley… is immaculate. Hilarious
All The World’s A Stage
Deliciously funny!
Excellent! Deliciously funny...
Octopus Soup swims [a] mad-cap course
A tight comedy with some excellent moments of farce
Reviewsgate
Delivers on laughs
"Octopus Soup! easily earns its laughs... An entertaining farce with a moral message that delivers on laughs... Plenty of entertaining physical comedy."
The Stage
Wonderfully witty
"There is a lot to enjoy including Marvin’s wonderfully witty Malapropisms [and] the frenetic activity on the stage... Wonderfully witty…A lot to enjoy!"
A View from Behind the Arras
A lot to enjoy
"There is a lot to enjoy including Marvin’s wonderfully witty Malapropisms [and] the frenetic activity on the stage
Wonderfully witty…A lot to enjoy"
A View from Behind the Arras
A breath of fresh air
"Octopus Soup is a breath of fresh air. There’s never a dull moment and lots of laughs. Fine acting, excellent comic timing and a fast-paced plot. A good old Brit comedy"
UK THEATRE NETWORK
Razor-sharp
"A razor-sharp new comedy a clever, witty new show thoroughly brilliant. Octopus Soup! is a clever, witty new show that really did have the audience laughing out loud. A thoroughly brilliant, new show."
DLUXE MAGAZINE
Plenty of belly laughs
"Well-paced and sharp comedy. Plenty of belly laughs"
ELEMENTARY WHATS ON