'It's the perfect room'

Sir Lenny Henry and Nish Kumar have become patrons of Hackney Empire art the East London landmark celebrates its125th anniversary

Sir Lenny recorded his 1989 stand-up special Live And Unleashed at the venue and returns to its stage tonight with his new show Still At Large.

He said: ‘This lovely theatre became a launch pad for the next stage of my career leading to movies, hit TV series and further appearances that were always exhilarating and culturally uplifting. The theatre acts as community glue and a place to go if you want to be seen and supported. Long may it continue.’

Meanwhile, Kumar said: ‘Hackney Empire is a perfect room, both for performers and audiences. It's got an incredible history and is so important to the local community. It's also the place where I saw comedy for the first time and decided to embark on it as a career, but please don't hold that against it.’

Comic and Hackney Empire panto star Kat B and actor Tameka Empson – who was part of hidden-camera sketch show 3 Non-Blondes – also become patrons, alongside composer Renell Shaw, actor Corinna Brown, and illusion designer Paul Kieve.

Originally designed by Frank Matcham, the Hackney Empire was built in 1901 as a music hall. Charlie Chaplin, Gracie Fields, Stanley Holloway, Stan Laurel, Marie Lloyd and Julie Andrews all performed there. 

And in the mid-1980s it was home to Cartoon Archetypical Slogan Theatre (CAST), a satirical touring theatre group, headed by Claire and Roland Muldoon, which gave a platform to early alternative comedy acts such as Ben Elton, Dawn French, and Jennifer Saunders. The Muldoons successfully campaigned to save the venue from demolition. 

Published: 3 Nov 2026