Citizens of Hope and Glory! Our new tomorrow beckons. A new tomorrow that smells reassuringly of yesterday, but with wifi. One last heave and we will be there. And when the going gets tough the tough get going. Although the going won’t get tough and anyone who tells you it is going to be tough is lying.

Come join me to marvel at the majesty of our green and pleasant land. A land globally renowned for our culture, history and places, like the world-famous Salisbury Cathedral. Join me to step backwards into the future.

Please note this event is part of Platform Festival and takes place at The Old Station, Pocklington and NOT the Arts Centre.

The year is 1613, Shakespeare is acknowledged as the greatest writer of the age. But disaster strikes when his renowned Globe Theatre burns to the ground, and a devastated Shakespeare returns to Stratford, where he must face a troubled past and a neglected family. Haunted by the death of his only son Hamnet, he struggles to mend the broken relationships with his wife and daughters. In so doing, he is ruthlessly forced to examine his own failings as husband and father. His very personal search for the truth uncovers secrets and lies within a family at war.

Having toured together since 1986 to packed concert halls all over the world, together they are simply the best traditional musicians you are ever likely to hear.

Bohemian Rhapsody is a foot-stomping celebration of Queen, their music and their extraordinary lead singer Freddie Mercury, who defied stereotypes and shattered convention to become one of the most beloved entertainers on the planet. The film traces the meteoric rise of the band through their iconic songs and revolutionary sound, their near-implosion as Mercury’s lifestyle spirals out of control, and their triumphant reunion on the eve of Live Aid, where Mercury, facing a life-threatening illness, leads the band in one of the greatest performances in the history of rock music. In the process, cementing the legacy of a band that were always more like a family, and who continue to inspire outsiders, dreamers and music lovers to this day.

A welcome return for the ultimate bluesman Chris Smither as he showcases his new album Call Me Lucky. Offering commentary on the human condition with a wink of an eye he pulls from deep in the soul and a couple of surprise covers along with digging deep into his back catalogue. He remains a significant songwriter and an electrifying guitarist — an American original — who draws deeply from folk and blues, modern poets and philosophers.

Joining Chris will be The Suitcase Junket, a young American songwriter and musician, who will play a short opener set of his music that is rooted in the salvaged sounds of mountain ballads, blues manifestos, American juke joints and back porches.

Unconventional country girl Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette has married a charismatic egomaniacal man of letters, 14 years her senior, known by the single name, Willy. Through his auspices, Colette is introduced into the fecund world of the artistic demimonde in Paris where her creative appetite is sparked. Ever quick to capitalise on talent, Willy permits Colette to write her novels only if she does so in his name. The phenomenal success of her Claudine series makes Willy a famous writer and Colette and Willy the first modern celebrity couple. Although they are the toast of the town, lack of recognition for her work begins to gnaw on Colette. Their marriage starts to internally combust - but emotionally and artistically, she cannot break free of him. On a downward slide, Willy resorts to increasingly desperate measures to pay his debts and sabotage his wife but Colette is developing resources of her own. Set at the dawn of the modern age, COLETTE is the story of a woman who has been denied her voice by an overbearing man, and who goes to extraordinary lengths to find it; a battle of the sexes at the very beginning of the modern age, when seismic shifts were taking place in the roles of men and women. More than a century after the publication of her first novel, Colette is still one of the best-selling, and beloved, French authors.

Founding member of The Zombies and successful singer/songwriter in his own right. "Probably the most quintessentially English pop voice of its generation" - The Times.

Pipeline Theatre, known for indelible characters and breathtaking production values, takes you on a break-neck, darkly comic and taboo-busting journey with NHS staff at an overstretched hospital.

"Watching a Pipeline Theatre play is like watching one of the classics, trusting all the while that it is carefully building to something sublime"

Eddi's taste in co-writers, writers, songs and players is impeccable and anything with her name on it is guaranteed musical treasure. Whilst the perfection of her technique is widely acknowledged, what sets Reader apart is the depth and quality of the emotional performance; her ability not only to move the listener but to connect her experience to that of her audience.

Her passion and instinct move people in a way reminiscent of those who have influenced her work. Her rare blend of meltingly true vocals and towering romanticism combine with an astute and pragmatic nature to make her a unique and powerful figure in contemporary British music. She has effortlessly developed into one of popular music's most thrilling and affecting performers.

Cornwall's tightest band of brothers and its best-known musical export, brew up a heady mix of hearty song, salty banter and tall tales from the high seas. Fisherman's Friends, the original sole men, will showcase a fresh haul of old favourites as well as new songs from their latest album 'Sole Mates' - their seventh since they were 'discovered' singing on the Platt on the harbour at Port Isaac.

After signing with Island Records their album 'Port Isaac's Fisherman's Friends' went Gold, they've been the subject of an ITV documentary, released hit albums and played to tens of thousands of fans at home and abroad, as well as the famous Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury.

Described as gypsy folk & roll, Holy Moly and the Crackers are one of hardest working bands on the circuit with a growing and loyal fan base. Over the past two years they have toured the UK extensively with festival appearances including Glastonbury, Cornbury, Larmer Tree, Underneath The Stars and Towersey.

Holy Moly and the Crackers’ song Cold Comfort Lane has been used as one of the main featured songs in the new Hollywood blockbuster Ocean’s 8.

Jason is delighted to announce that he is extending his Amazing Midlife Crisis Tour into 2019 with a final series of dates. This is a tour with a twist!! These intimate evenings will be a unique opportunity to see him like you’ve never seen him before!

Celebrating his 50th birthday and with a wealth of tantalising tales under his belt, this autobiographical show will zigzag back and forth through his life, with stories about Neighbours, Ten Good Reasons, Kylie, Joseph, I'm A Celebrity, Strictly and much, much more. Hear some new stories (and possibly one or two you’ve heard before!) plus some of the songs you know and love for a night like no other!

Storyteller, poet and Radio 4 regular John Osborne goes back on tour with his 2011 sellout Edinburgh show John Peel’s Shed. The acclaimed production went on to enjoy a sixty date UK tour, including appearances at Soho Theatre and the Glastonbury festival. It was adapted for Radio 4 and is now back on tour.

The film is set in 1930s depression-era London (the time period of the original novels) and is drawn from the wealth of material in PL Travers’ additional seven books. In the story, Michael (Whishaw) and Jane (Mortimer) are now grown up, with Michael, his three children and their housekeeper, Ellen (Walters), living on Cherry Tree Lane. After Michael suffers a personal loss, the enigmatic nanny Mary Poppins (Blunt) re-enters the lives of the Banks family, and, along with the optimistic street lamplighter Jack (Miranda), uses her unique magical skills to help the family rediscover the joy and wonder missing in their lives. Mary Poppins also introduces the children to a new assortment of colorful and whimsical characters, including her eccentric cousin, Topsy (Streep).

Mary, Queen of Scots explores the turbulent life of the charismatic Mary Stuart. Queen of France at 16 and widowed at 18, Mary defies pressure to remarry. Instead, she returns to her native Scotland to reclaim her rightful throne. But Scotland and England fall under the rule of the compelling Elizabeth I. Each young Queen beholds her “sister” in fear and fascination. Rivals in power and in love, and female regents in a masculine world, the two must decide how to play the game of marriage versus independence. Determined to rule as much more than a figurehead, Mary asserts her claim to the English throne, threatening Elizabeth’s sovereignty. Betrayal, rebellion, and conspiracies within each court imperil both thrones – and change the course of history.

’m Not Running is an explosive new play by David Hare, premiering at the National Theatre and broadcast live to cinemas. Pauline Gibson has spent her life as a doctor, the inspiring leader of a local health campaign. When she crosses paths with her old boyfriend, a stalwart loyalist in Labour Party politics, she’s faced with an agonising decision. What’s involved in sacrificing your private life and your piece of mind for something more than a single issue? Does she dare? Hare was recently described by The Washington Post as ‘the premiere political dramatist writing in English’. His other work includes Pravda and Skylight, broadcast by National Theatre Live in 2014.

Paula Ware is returning to the PAC to talk about spectacular recent archaeological finds in Pocklington. Paula has already given three sell out lectures about the Burnby Lane excavations, but in 2018 her company started a new dig on The Mile. It produced more amazing archaeology, including a unique Iron Age chariot and the site of a mid-Saxon village, and Paula will describe making The Mile discoveries and their importance.

Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee and the self-dubbed “Lie-In King”, Seann Walsh is “unquestionably the best observational comic of his generation (The Guardian).  

Returning from his run in America, where he made his USA television debut appearance on Conan, Seann Walsh is back on tour in the UK.

This disheveled, fiery, animated, fiercely idle, millennial man child is one of best live comedians to have come out of the UK.

Seann made his acting debut starring in Comedy Central’s sitcom Big Bad World, this was quickly followed up by the lead role in Monks (BBC One), he utilized his physical comedic abilities in Sky’s silent comedy, Three Kinds of Stupid, which led to him producing, writing and starring in his own silent comedy web-series The Drunk. He also wrote and starred in his own Sky short for Sky Arts and is now co-starring in Jack Dee’s brand-new sitcom Bad Move (ITV one). He recently made his feature film debut as the children’s nemesis in family film, 2:hrs. Seann is quickly on his way to becoming one of the UK’s best comedy character actors.

Team captain on Virtually Famous (Channel 4) and a regular on Play To The Whistle (ITV), other TV appearances include: One For The Road (BBC 3), Live At The Apollo (BBC 2), The Jonathan Ross Show (ITV), Tonight at The London Palladium (ITV), Celebrity Juice (ITV2), 8 Out Of 10 Cats (Channel 4), 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown (Channel 4), Alan Carr’s Chatty Man (Channel 4) and Russell Howards Stand Up Central (Comedy Central) 

Seann can currently be heard hosting his weekly radio show News-Ish on Fubar Radio.

This interactive performance will feature new orchestral music written and presented by composer Jack Ross and performed by the award-winning Sinfonia Viva.

After the concert, you’ll have the chance to take part in musical and artistic activities with Viva musicians, and every child will also receive a book of the story and a CD of the new music recorded by Viva musicians, allowing you to relive this performance again and again.

Laurel & Hardy, the world's favourite comedy double act, set out on a variety hall tour of Britain in 1953. Diminished by age and with their golden era as the kings of Hollywood comedy now behind them, they face an uncertain future. As they set out, crisscrossing the country, attendances are disappointingly low. But they've always been able to make each other laugh and as the charm and beauty of their performances shines through their audiences laugh too, and they re-connect with legions of adoring fans, old and new. The tour becomes a hit, but Laurel & Hardy can't quite shake the spectre of Stan and Ollies past; and long buried ghosts, coupled with Oliver's failing health, start to threaten their precious partnership. A portrait of the most tender and poignant of creative marriages begins to unfold as the duo, aware that they may be approaching their swan song, try to rediscover just how much they mean to each other.

Steve Harley, the original Cockney Rebel, and his Acoustic Trio, will play an intimate, unique and atmospheric show. He will be accompanied by his Cockney Rebel band-mates of long-standing, Barry Wickens [violin & guitar] and James Lascelles [piano and percussion]. The set will be built around tracks from any or all 13 of Steve’s original albums and will include all-time favourites like Mr Soft, Judy Teen, Mr Raffles, Sebastian, and of course the world-wide classic hit, Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me).

Challenging a youth to turn down his music, Irene Sparrow, inventor of the left-handed crochet hook (patent pending, as seen on Dragon's Den) finds herself under suspicion of murder after the train emerges from a tunnel with the young man dead. But this is no ordinary train, each passenger is reading a book, each book is a portal into a parallel universe of train related crime fiction.

With clever use of projection and multiple train sets, LipService give you a whistle stop tour that will leave you breathless and racing for the refreshment coach. So don't blow your stack, this show is just the ticket to help you let off steam and overuse many more railway metaphors. A show that appeals to crime aficionados and narrow gauge railway enthusiasts alike.

"LipService - The Laurel and Hardy of literary deconstruction" The Independent

Early 18th century. England is at war with the French. Nevertheless, duck racing and pineapple eating are thriving. A frail Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) occupies the throne and her close friend Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz) governs the country in her stead while tending to Anne’s ill health and mercurial temper. When a new servant Abigail (Emma Stone) arrives, her charm endears her to Sarah. Sarah takes Abigail under her wing and Abigail sees a chance at a return to her aristocratic roots. As the politics of war become quite time consuming for Sarah, Abigail steps into the breach to fill in as the Queen’s companion. Their burgeoning friendship gives her a chance to fulfil her ambitions and she will not let woman, man, politics or rabbit stand in her way.

The Fureys have been entertaining audiences worldwide for 41 years, audiences that have included former Australian Prime Minister John Howard, Former Irish President Mary McAleese and the late Pope John Paul while Tony Blair has publicly stated his favourite peace song of all time is the Fureys “Green Fields of France” and President Michael D Higgins attended their last concert in National Concert Hall.

The Fureys are responsible for some of the most stirring music ever to capture the public imagination. Their folk based music has received standing ovations in some of the biggest concert halls of the world and they credit their musical ability to their parents, Ted and Nora, who were well-known musicians themselves. They encouraged their sons to play music from a very early age and there was live traditional music in their house almost nightly.

Their emotive songs stir many emotions….tears and laughter, sadness and joy.

What a to do! One hot summer day, when 4 million wasps invade the village of Itching Down, everything changes. The picnickers panic and the farmer stops haymaking. The wasps are noisy, nasty and worst of all, they don’t mind who they sting! Luckily Bap the baker has an ingenious idea and the industrious citizens of Itching Down knead and bake the biggest wasp trap ever!

A family favourite for 45 years, New Perspectives will enthrall a new generation with one of the most loved picture books.

The Searchers remarkable career continues. With such classic hits as, Sweets For My Sweet; Needles and Pins; Don’t Throw Your Love Away; Sugar and Spice and When You Walk In The Room, they have contributed enormously in establishing the UK as the world’s leading nation in the music industry. There is no doubt that the decade that gave us The Beatles as well as The Searchers and many others was very special and will go down in history as being the most imaginative period of music creativity and expression.

With total record sales in excess of 50 million, The Searchers still have great appeal to audiences of all ages. They tour the globe as much today as they have done throughout a fantastic career spanning 5 decades.

Their special ‘solo’ concert is a highly entertaining show and has been enthusiastically and warmly received throughout the world. Combined with anecdotes and reminiscences, this fully self-contained concert includes all their famous hits, plus many album recordings, B-sides and a selection of other collector and well known favourites.

Don’t miss The Searchers live in concert!

Inspired by the touching children's story by Oscar Wilde, Bristol's two leading family theatre experts are combining forces to explore an unusual friendship, and how even the grumpiest giant's heart can melt when Spring finally comes. Powerful storytelling, captivating puppetry, beautiful design, enchanting music and a sprinkling of magic sums up this very special show. Brought to you by Soap Soup Theatre and Tessa Bide Production.

Where does a band go, after a symphonic journey that peaks with orchestral performances at the Royal Festival Hall and Royal Albert Hall? Back to the beginning of course. Before fronting one of the most artistically brave and revered bands working today, Tyneside sisters Rachel and Becky Unthank grew up singing songs without accompaniment, in weaving, unschooled vocal harmony. As if to prove that creativity should never be about ambition or aspiration, The Unthanks move on from their recent orchestral explorations by going back to what they know and do best - singing in unaccompanied harmony - joined on this tour by Unthanks member Niopha Keegan to make a vocal trio. The three have already established a band within a band in The Unthanks, with the success of haunting harmony signature pieces like Magpie, recently brought to wider attention by Mackenzie Crook’s beautifully poignant series, Detectorists.

On this tour, they fully explore their rich and unique vocal combinations, with brand new material and arrangements, alongside more familiar Unthanks material. Believing unaccompanied song to be a performance art of storytelling and communication, instead of recording a studio album, each show will be recorded and there will be chance at shows to pre-order a forthcoming album compiled from live performances on this tour.

Special guests are: Aidan O’Rourke and Kit Downes. Lau’s Aidan O’Rourke (fiddle) and ECM artist Kit Downes (piano, harmonium) are perhaps the two most compelling and inventive players of their instruments we have in the British Isles today.

2019 sees the 50th anniversary of the release of one of the greatest albums of all time – Led Zeppelin II.

Containing such classics as ‘Ramble On’, ‘Thank You’ and of course the orgasmic ‘Whole Lotta Love’, this LP was the one which catapulted Led Zeppelin from being just another sixties blues group to one of the most influential and successful bands of all time.

It was the first of their albums to reach number one, toppling the Beatles’ ‘Abbey Road’ in the process, and staying on the LP chart for a total of 138 weeks.

During 2019 Whole Lotta Led will be performing a series of Led Zeppelin II shows to celebrate this incredible album. The first half of these special shows will consist of a selection of songs from Led Zeppelin's vast back catalogue. The second half will feature the whole of Led Zeppelin II played in the same sequence as the original LP.

Don’t miss this special celebration of this timeless album.