“Zaltzman is a master of lacerating satire mixed with extreme silliness, topped off with a dash of the surreal… a peerless set from comedy’s finest cricket-loving, satirical Taskmaster champion.”
Mark Wareham, The Mail on Sunday ★★★★
“Topical laughs with a surreal ripple. This is irreverent humour with a mocking edge so sharp you could cut a diamond with it… reduced most of the people around me to tears of laughter.”
Bruce Dessau, Evening Standard ★★★★
“Who else offers so many sideswipes at the status quo? The political comedian is constantly amusing and stimulatin … properly funny… a true original and a true delight.”
Dominic Maxwell, The Times ★★★★
22nd September – Andy Zaltzman, host of The News Quiz and The Bugle podcast, statistician on Test Match Special, Taskmaster series 18 champion – returns with his stand-up review of the global year, for the first time this decade. Following his sell-out The Zaltgeist tour show, Andy will assess the state of our world-renowned planet at the conclusion of another furiously odd year, in his unique comedic style.
Kicking off with a 15-night run at London’s Soho Theatre, Dean Street, from 14th December 2026 to 9th January 2027, Andy will then take 2026: The Certifiable History on tour across the country, with stops including Bristol, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Salford, and Nottingham.
Even the biggest 2026 fans would concede that it has been far from flawless as a year, even in the context of this incurable buffoon of a decade. Humanity has stared into the ravening maw of Artificial Intelligence, and is pondering whether or not it has already eaten us. Across the world, existential crises have become the must-have accessories for nations, art forms, sports and species. In 2026: The Certifiable History, Andy will attempt to harness the powers of modern and ancient technologies to find shards of genuine hope amongst the cavalcade of cantankerousness, before 2026 is certifiably consigned to the history books, where it emphatically belongs.
Tour tickets go on general sale at 10am on the 2nd of October, with an exclusive fan pre-sale on October 1st for Andy’s mailing list subscribers. Full dates and tickets at www.andyzaltzman.co.uk
A regular presence on BBC Radio 4 over the last two decades, Andy became host of The News Quiz in 2020. He has brought his inventive brand of satirical comedy to Radio 4’s long-running flagship topical comedy show, earning the show multiple awards, critical acclaim and a growing listenership.
Andy is unquestionably amongst the very best of the one-person list of Satirical Stand-Up Comedians Who Are Also Professional Cricket Statisticians. Since 2016, he has been a key member of the Test Match Special team bringing his distinctive mix of expertise, humour and passion for numbers to the BBC’s legendary cricket broadcast.
Andy has hosted The Bugle, one of the world’s longest-running comedy podcasts, since 2007. Renowned for its distinctive blend of up-to-the-minute global satire and premium-grade hogwash, The Bugle has published almost 700 episodes to a large worldwide audience, earning praise from publications such as Rolling Stone, The New York Times and The Independent. Andy co-hosted the podcast with John Oliver for eight years, and, since 2016, with a selection of guest co-hosts from around the world – including Nish Kumar, Alice Fraser, Hari Kondabolu, David O’Doherty, Josh Gondelman and Mark Steel. The Bugle Live show has toured internationally in the USA, UK and Australia.
Andy was crowned champion in the 2025 BAFTA-nominated Taskmaster series 18 (Channel 4) and has an extensive list of TV, radio and podcast appearances including Unspun with Matt Forde (Dave), Pointless Celebrities (BBC), Russell Howard’s Good News (BBC), Politics Live (BBC), WTF with Marc Maron, John Oliver’s New York Stand-Up Show (Comedy Central), The Alternative Comedy Experience (Comedy Central), The Weekly with Charlie Pickering (ABC), 7 Day Sunday (BBC Radio 5 Live), and The Now Show (BBC Radio 4).
Andy’s live stand-up has critical acclaim around the globe with previous tours in the UK and Ireland, as well as in North America, India, New Zealand and Australia, where he has appeared at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, and is one of the few British comedians to have performed in Bangladesh. Since his nomination for Perrier Best Newcomer in 2001, Andy has also been a regular at the Edinburgh Fringe, building his reputation as one of the most inventive satirists in the world.
In 2008 Andy wrote Does Anything Eat Bankers?, a book about the Credit Crunch that published by Old Street Publishing. He has also written extensively for Cricinfo, The Observer, The Times, The i, and The Guardian.
What The Press Said:
“Andy Zaltzman has revitalised the News Quiz… fizzes with a vitality and sense of fun that’s rare in such topical comedy warhorses”
Steve Bennett, Chortle
“The Bugle: Silliness and laughter… Zaltzman is a sharp writer and an excellent satirist who combines political observation with daft whimsy”
Fiona Sturges, Financial Times
“Setting the world to rights, one joke at a time… a laugh-packed hour”
Veronica Lee, The Arts Desk
“Much more than clever, dextrous wordplay… An evening of wit and wisdom, profanity and profundity”
Bruce Blacklaw, The Scotsman
“Probably the best satirical comic we’ve produced in the last two decades. Intelligent, biting and silly”
Ben Williams, Time Out London
“Political comedy at its best”
Stephen Armstrong, Sunday Times
“Fiendishly sharp satirist”
Bruce Dessau, Evening Standard
For more information, images, press tickets, or if you have interview requests, please contact:
Olivia Beatty at obeatty@avalonuk.com / 07586535061
