Five-man sketch group land four night run at Live Theatre bringing their highly anticipated show to hometown and beyond
Metroland Live, a silly, smart, anarchic five piece from the North East, who were recently nominated for Best Sketch Show and Best Newcomer at the 2025 Chortle Awards, are taking over Live Theatre for four nights, Wednesday 15 to Saturday 18 October 2025, in a show that proves sketch comedy is alive, thriving, and funnier than ever!
Their surreal and unpredictable sketches - that seamlessly blend from one to the next - feel like a nod to the golden era of Vic Reeves Big Night Out and The League Of Gentlemen.
Rolling Stone coined Metroland Live, “The missing link between Vic and Bob, Rik and Ade, and Ren and Stimpy.”
What makes Metroland exciting is how they bridge the gap between old and new. The group’s silly, high energy sketches are rooted in the north eastern humour of everyday life, the kind of material that makes locals laugh at themselves and visitors feel instantly part of the culture.
With viral sketches such as The Geordie Hunter, a parody of Steve Irwin’s Crocodile Hunter striking a chord with local audiences, Metroland’s members bring more than just live chops: they’ve earned BAFTA nominations, created award-winning short films and risen from child star status. Where it Ends is written and performed by member Jack Robertson; Hull? is written, starred and directed by members Jack Fairley, Caden Elliott & Jack Robertson; Dumping Ground alumni and Metroland member Connor Lawson, Teesside born, rose from child star fame and created & starred in his own work with Pit Yackers and Metroland Comedy.
Landing four nights at Live Theatre is a milestone for the group, a venue where a framed flyer from its very first production, Geordie Sketches about Geordie life, still hangs in the Live Theatre bar. After selling out nights at Soho Theatre and Live Theatre’s Unearthed Festival, Metroland are plopping their way along from small clubs to the big stage. Quickly becoming a must-watch name on the UK comedy scene.
“It feels like a good time to be making people laugh and doing it with some of your best mates is a top shelf biscuit" says Jack Robertson of Metroland Live. Jack also plays Sewell in Gerry & Sewell at Newcastle Theatre Royal in 2026.
IS SKETCH COMEDY BACK?
After years of TikTok clips dominating screens, sketch comedy is finding its way back into the spotlight. With Mitchell and Webb Are Not Helping released this year, SKY comedy gearing up for a UK version of Saturday Night Live, and new pilots popping up across channels, the question is buzzing: is sketch comedy finally making a comeback?
For Metroland, sketch comedy has never gone away, unlike the iconic theme park they’re named after. But Metroland Comedy are not alone in the scene. The North East is bubbling with sketch and character comedy talent from Scott Turnbull’s inventive solo work, to Your Aunt Fanny’s ferocious all female ensemble, to Nicola Mantalios’s brilliantly silly Zoe. Nationally and internationally, groups like Tarot and Simple Town are also reminding audiences how popular live sketch comedy can be. Together, they’re proving that it isn’t a dead parrot. It isn't a parrot at all. It's alive, current and radically original.
