New Royal Albert Hall gig set to be an annual showcase

The Royal Albert Hall is to host what’s being billed as ‘a landmark event in the British comedy calendar’ to showcase female comedians.

The first Hysterical Women performance will take place on March 7 next year – the eve of International Women’s Day.

It and mixes established comics with newer acts with a bill that comprises: Catherine Bohart, Ciara O’Connor, Fern Brady, Harriet Dyer, Janine Harouni, Josie Long, Lou Sanders (pictured), Marty Gleeson, Michelle de Swarte and Sindhu Vee.

The event was created by Bridget Mulroy, a promoter at Live Nation, who said she chose the London landmark because of its links with one particular female comedian. 

‘The Royal Albert Hall is an iconic venue with a rich history of comedy legends, but it’s Victoria Wood who holds the record for the most shows in a run by any comedian,’ she said. ‘[It’s]  a feat she achieved twice with 15 sell-out shows. 

‘She proved what a woman with a microphone can do in that venue, and Hysterical Women is a way of carrying that forward.’

Wood’s two separate 15-night runs took place in 1993 and 1996 and performed a total of 47 times there across her careers. Her specials Victoria Wood: Live, Victoria At The Albert were both recorded there.

Mulroy – who intends to make Hysterical Women an annual event – added of gig’s title: ‘We’re reclaiming a word that has been used to dismiss women for a very long time and putting it in lights, while celebrating the incredible talent in the comedy scene right now.’

Matthew Todd, the Royal Albert Hall’s director of programming, praised the ‘brilliant array of comedians’ on the  Hysterical Women bill and said it will ‘collectively celebrate women through the undeniable power of comedy’.

Tickets go on sale at 10am on Friday.

Published: 20 Oct 2026