AS THE region gears up for nine days of entertainment, the Rik Mayall Comedy Festival has established its headquarters in Droitwich town centre.
The vacant former M&Co unit in the St Andrews Shopping Centre has been transformed into a festival hub which will offer ticket support, official Rik Mayall Comedy Festival merchandise, fan art and Trevor Rogers’ photographic prints plus information including schedules, venues and details of appearances.
The ticket support will see festival volunteers on hand to help visitors book online, check availability and find last-minute shows.
The headquarters will also feature pop-up stalls and community activity, adding to the festival atmosphere in the town centre.
The festival hub will be open when the event begins, on May 29.
The building, which will also be a drop-in site for audiences, performers and volunteers, has a striking window exhibition to give residents and visitors an early glimpse of what is to come, and marking the start of the festival’s presence in Droitwich.
Filling the shop window is a large-scale photographic exhibition by the late Trevor Rogers, whose work documented the rise of the alternative comedy scene during the late 1970s and 1980s.
The Comic Strip photos feature Rik Mayall with fellow legends Adrian Edmondson, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Nigel Planer, Peter Richardson and Arnold Brown.
All the black-and-white studio portraits are playful, irreverent and full of character, showing the group at the point they were reshaping British comedy.
Alicia Rogers, daughter of photographer Trevor and curator of the exhibition, said: “My dad was photographing people he genuinely admired, who were doing something new and fearless.
“These images are full of the energy that was in the room at the time. He said it was a fun shoot with lots of laughs.
“I think he’d have loved the idea of them being seen like this, right in the middle of a town and the heart of the festival.”
The festival headquarters has been made possible thanks to support from Wychavon District Council and Droitwich Sign and Print.
Legends
Wychavon District Council leader, councillor Richard Morris, said: “We’re proud to support this project, which is not only a fantastic tribute to Rik but also other legends of British comedy.
“Transforming an empty retail unit into a vibrant festival hub and exhibition space is a fantastic example of how arts and culture can help animate our high streets, attract visitors and create opportunities for the community to come together.”
Coun Morris added, when he first approached Rik’s family with the idea, he never dreamed the festival would take off the way it had in such a short space of time.
Festival director Stuart Panrucker said: “Having a base right in the centre of Droitwich puts the festival where it belongs.
“Starting with the Trevor Rogers exhibition felt right, as it speaks directly to what made that period of comedy so exciting.
“We’re grateful to Alicia for sharing the images and to Wychavon and Droitwich Sign and Print for supporting the project.”
The Rik Mayall Comedy Festival 2026 will run until June 6 with the Norbury Theatre – where Rik first trod the boards – at its heart. Events are also taking place across pubs, community venues and pop-up spaces around Droitwich.
The festival includes appearances from the original Comic Strip gang Planer and Alexei Sayle as well as festival patron Richardson, along with a wide range of contemporary comedians, new acts and one-off events.
Visit rikmayallcomedyfestival.com for more details.
