25.03.26.
Neil Brand Centenary show
Twenty-two Chumps had a brilliant night when the Neil Brand Centenary Laurel and Hardy show visited Sunderland. Not only that, after the performance, we met up at the Dun Cow pub, where Stan and Babe are known to have had a teensie weensie or two when they played full weeks at the adjacent Sunderland Empire in March 1952 and February 1954. We would have been there all night too had we not been kicked out at 11:45 pm!
I can’t recommend the show highly enough and here’s a link to Neil’s remaining dates:
https://www.laurelandhardypresentedbyneilbrand.co.uk/tou.../
Don’t miss this. It’s wonderful.
Also see Celebrating 100 Years of Laurel and Hardy with Neil Brand – The Beau Chumps tent of Sunderland UK.
Mike Jones
On the radio
Neil Brand’s radio play Stan was repeated on R4 Extra on March 22nd. It is available for 30 days, following the broadcast. Go to:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0076mjl
The Perry Winkle 111
The Perry Winkle magazine has arrived. Great stuff and amazing as always. Contact editor Roger Robinson.
The Birmingham Bark
With Mandy Finney at the helm, the latest edition of The Birmingham Bark tells us, as usual, of multiple activities of the wonderful Laughing Gravy Tent.
Great Guns
The Cinema Museum, 2 Dugard Way, (off Renfrew Road), London, SE11 4TH.
You are invited to another fine session of fun and frolics when The Live Ghost Tent meets once again to celebrate the world of Laurel & Hardy on Saturday June 6th 2026 at The Cinema Museum.
You may care to have a look at The Cinema Museums website to view the proposed film programme. Directions how to get there are also included:
https://cinemamuseum.org.uk/.../the-live-ghost-tent...
The films we intend to show are: Great Guns (1941), directed by Monty Banks; With Love and Hisses (1927), silent short directed by Fred Guiol; Unaccustomed As We Are (1929), short directed by Lewis R. Foster and Hal Roach; Perfect Day (1929), short directed by James Parrott; and Beau Hunks (1931), short directed by James W. Horne.
You can also take a look at our tent's own Facebook page at:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1101999479833042
The film programme starts at 3 pm, but the the organizers should be there before (from about 2.30 pm) for meeting, greeting and socialising etc.
Blockheads Tent of Edinburgh
Forthcoming meeting dates of the Blockheads are as follows:
Sunday 12th April
Sunday 10th May
Sunday 14th June
At the Scots Guards Club in Edinburgh.
Contact Grand Sheik Charlie Lewis.
The Chase
A contestant thought it was Laurel and Hardy. Even Bradley looks disgusted...
Yep... Bill Laurel and Lou Hardy, great comedy team...
Liam Muldowney on Facebook
Did you know?
In Saps at Sea escaped convict Nick bullies Stan and Ollie at gunpoint. However, he pays a coin for his newspaper, so he’s not all bad!
From The Laurel & Hardy Digest, available now
...and finally
