ANNOUNCING OUR AUTUMN 2025 PROGRAMME
Billy Bragg, Marcus Brigstocke, Ria Lina, Nerina Pallot
Highlights include:
- MENtalk festival exploring issues affecting men and boys, featuring Marcus Brigstocke and Billy Bragg
- The Exchange to host PUNCHED: An Evening of Survivors’ Stories.
- ‘Spooky Season’ of gothic, ghost, and horror stories: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, The Void, Shock Horror, Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
- Announcing family Panto: Beauty and the Beast.
We’re delighted to launch our autumn 2025 programme, which opens on 11 September, featuring a season packed with theatre, talks, comedy, film, and family events,
New this season is the launch of the first-ever MENtalk (24-25 October) a festival of talks, debates, and performance exploring issues men and boys are grappling with in today’s world. Confirmed guests include songwriter, author and campaigner, Billy Bragg, Chris Difford (Squeeze), comedian and writer, Jimmy Mulville, actor and lecturer, David Westhead, actor David Morrisey, counsellor, Kent Bray, and actor and author Paterson Joseph. Award-winning comedian, Marcus Brigstocke will close the festival with his Vitruvian Mango show.
To celebrate the UN’s annual International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and following on from its successful opening at The Criterion London, PUNCHED will be hosted at The Exchange (22 November). Developed in 2021 by Donna Air and Lorien Haynes in response to the rise in sexual violence figures during the pandemic, PUNCHED is in support of the UN 16-day initiative to end gender-based violence. Participants included Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Annie Lennox, Leslie Sharpe, Saffron Burrows and Ferdinand Kingsley. Guests to be announced.
Also new to autumn is ‘Spooky Season’ with a range of gothic, horror, and sci-fi genres including Thunder Road Theatre’s horror set in space, The Void (11 and 12 September) and for Halloween Shock Horror: A Ghost Story (29 and 30 October). Plus, theatre adaptations of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (26 September), and Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol (10 and 11 December).
For fans of comedy, there will be plenty of laughs on offer: Ria Lina returns with her brand-new Riabellion tour (13 September). Grace Petrie, British Folk scene’s funniest comedian plays her This Is No Time To Panic! tour (12 October). Mum’s night out favourites, Scummy Mummies, are back with brand new comedy (18-20 November). The Exchange Comedy Club will be dishing up a Ruck it Up Rugby Special (14 November).
Music highlights include artists from folk, jazz, pop and rock. BBC London’s Gary Crowley will be hosting An Evening With 80s hit band, The Bluebells (21 September) and The Wonder Stuff’s Miles Hunt (30 November). BRIT and Ivor Novello nominee, Nerina Pallot will be playing on 19 September. Squeeze legend, Chris Difford returns with his new tour on 21 November and Horse McDonald will be marking the release of The Same Skyalbum (28 November). For folk fans, Fairport Convention play on 21 October and Hejira celebrate Joni Mitchell (3 October). Steve Knightley & The Winter Yards Band play on 5 December. Jazz acts include Antonio Forcione & Giorgio Serci (27 September), Jazz at the Movies (4 December) and Ian Shaw’s Shimmers into Xmas (14 December).
Film screenings include the National Theatre Live’s latest releases, with the highly acclaimed Inter Alia starring Rosamund Pike (18 and 20 September), Mrs. Warren’s Profession, with Imelda Staunton (23 October) and The Fifth Step (27 November) starring Martin Freeman. British comedy icon John Cleese’s documentary, John Cleese Packs It In will show on 29 November.
Families can enjoy seasonal regulars; Bring Your Own Baby Comedy (17 September), Comedy Club 4 Kids (12 October) and Baby Cinema with Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy (22 October). In the theatre the popular Bubble Show is on 11 October. Half term fun includes a Jumanji 1 & 2 Double Bill (28 October).
The season will round off with The Exchange traditional panto, which for 2025 has been announced as Beauty and the Beast. A ‘beauty’ of a panto for all ages, presented by Loz Keal and The Exchange Players.
Becky Shaw, The Exchange Programme & Partnerships Manager said: “We have a packed and diverse season ahead. We’re delighted to be hosting two important events addressing equally urgent subjects; the MENtalk festival and PUNCHED An Evening of Survivors’ Stories, both supported by some high-profile figures to help shine a light on these issues. We have some great names from across music, theatre and comedy and of course we look forward to our season finale with The Exchange ever popular Panto.”
For more information on the full programme and to book tickets go to: https://exchangetwickenham.co.uk The full season brochure can be viewed at https://www.exchangetwickenham.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Autumn_Brochure_Web.pdf