Nigel Planer - Young Once

About the show

Leek Arts Festival 2026 in association with Edge Street Live presents Nigel Planer in Young Once.

Nigel Planer, beloved as Neil the hippy from The Young Ones and a founding figure of the 80s alternative comedy scene, brings his memoir Young Once to life in a warm, sharply funny live show of storytelling.

From the wild early days at The Comedy Store to the chaotic brilliance of The Comic Strip Presents, Filthy Rich & Catflap, and beyond - to West End musicals and hit pop records - Nigel will share a trove of outrageous tales of the backstage chaos that shaped a generation of comedy: from 20-foot-éclair-related injuries to gatecrashing raves with Robin Williams, Top of the Pops and Band Aid, to auditioning for a stony-faced Robert De Niro.

Alongside the laughs, he will reflect on the bittersweet moments behind the scenes - the friendships, fame and rivalries, and the winding path of a creative life.

Woven throughout the show is a moving, often mischievous account of the long, on-off-on-again love story between Nigel and his wife Roberta, and a life lived somewhere between the footlights and the fallout.

Full of dry wit, theatrical flair, and a knack for finding humour in both disaster and triumph, don’t miss the once-young Nigel as he offers a wildly entertaining and gloriously sideways glimpse into his quietly remarkable career, in a show that is part performance, part confession, and all heart.