Lenny Henry has spent more than half a century making Britain laugh. Along the way, he has become an acclaimed dramatic actor, a tireless charity campaigner and one of the most recognisable figures in British entertainment. With Still at Large, he returns to stand-up, looking back on an extraordinary career while demonstrating that he still has plenty to say about the country that helped make him famous.
Combining stand-up, personal storytelling and candid reflections on his life and career, the show has a surprisingly emotional weight beneath the laughter. Now 67, Henry begins by bringing the audience up to date with what has happened since he last toured, including winning a BAFTA and being knighted by the late Queen, or the ‘Queen of England’, as he proudly describes her.
He looks back on a remarkable career that began as a teenager on the television talent show New Faces. From there came The Lenny Henry Show, his celebrated move into serious theatre with productions such as Othello, and more recently his appearance in the big-budget television series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Few British entertainers have enjoyed such a varied and enduring career. Yet Still at Large is much more than a nostalgic trip through his most popular work. Henry seems increasingly comfortable tackling subjects that might once have sat uneasily alongside his comedy, particularly the resurgence of racism in Britain. A joke about slavery gives way to a more unsettling account of discovering three golliwog figures on display in an antique shop in the village where he lives. He said he was resigned to it but so proud of his partner for writing a strong letter of complaint to the shop owner. In fact, he read the letter out and the audience applauded loudly at its conclusion. It’s a reminder that, for all the progress made during his lifetime, some attitudes remain stubbornly entrenched.
Henry manages to make his point without losing the warmth or humour that characterises the evening. His ability to hold the room before delivering the punch line has been honed over time and ensures that the laughs came thick and fast. The second half takes a more informal turn, with Henry answering questions from the audience in an open Q& session. The atmosphere is relaxed and conversational, helped along by a selection of video clips from his extensive television and film career.
He reveals that the programme he is still asked about most frequently is Tiswas, the anarchic Saturday morning children’s television show that helped establish him as a household name. A clip of his gloriously irreverent impersonation of newsreader Trevor McDonald as Trevor McDoughnut provides a reminder of the exuberant, anything-goes comedy that made the programme such a phenomenon.
A question about Comic Relief gives Henry the opportunity to recall its beginnings and reflect on what the charity has achieved over the subsequent four decades. It’s another reminder that his contribution to British public life extends well beyond entertainment.
Ultimately, Still at Large is as much an opportunity for an audience that has grown up with Lenny Henry to demonstrate its affection for him as it is for the man himself to look back on a stellar, groundbreaking career. There is nostalgia here certainly, but Henry was very funny throughout, despite struggling with his voice at times, and gave off a sense that he still has plenty to say.
Lenny Henry’s tour continues and information can be found by following the link, https://www.fane.co.uk/lenny-henry
Reviewer: Adrian Cork
On: 10/10/2026
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