New look for an early home of alternative comedy

Matt Lucas, David Walliams and Mel Giedroyc are among the household names helping to relaunch a tiny London pub theatre this winter.

The 60-seater Pentameters Theatre had been in operation above The Horseshoe in Hampstead since 1972, making it one of the first modern pub theatres.

Now it is to reopen as The Circle & Star Theatre, with an opening season curated by comedian and actor Steve Furst, known for his long-running cabaret alter ego Lenny Beige.

And he has recruited a starry line-up to help launch the season, with food writer Jay Rayner, Robbie Williams songwriter Guy Chambers and jazz star Liane Carroll all taking part in events – alongside comedians Marcus Brigstocke, Jess Robinson,Clinton Baptiste and Simon Day.

Furst said: ‘The Circle & Star Theatre is about bringing people together in a space that’s full of history, warmth and creativity. Hampstead has always been a home for artists and performers, and this is our way of celebrating that spirit for a new generation.’

The Pentameters Theatre was founded in 1968 by artistic director Leonie Scott-Matthews in a disused skittle alley in the basement of the Freemason's Arms, Hampstead, in August 1968, before finding its current home.

However Scott-Matthews, now in her 80s, was devastated when she lost her tenancy at The Horseshoe this summer, with landlord Urban Pubs citing unpaid rent, poor repair, and dwindling productions.

In August, she told the Ham & High newspaper: ‘I've been running it single handed for all these years with no financial help… I have spent thousands of pounds on the theatre. We built a stage, put in a fire escape, fixed the leaking roof.

‘I just wanted to carry on for as long as possible - my nephew and daughter agreed to take over.’

Ben Elton threw his weight - and £500 – behind a crowdfunded to save it, but in vain. He performed at the Pentameters with Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson in the early days of alternative comedy, as Arnold Brown promoted gigs there. 

The theatre will officially reopen on Monday December 8. Several shows from the opening season will be livestreamed, and proceeds from ticket sales will help fund a dedicated general manager role from February.

» Circle & Star Theatre comedy shows

Published: 30 Oct 2025