Your weekly what’s on guide for Bedford and the surrounding area from The Bedford Clanger.
Never miss a thing in Bedford ever again. From theatre to film, live music to art exhibitions, The Bedford Clanger what’s on guide lands every Thursday and is the only guide you need to know what’s on and what’s happening across the Borough for the next 10 days.
Thursday 16 February 2023
Heritage: Spring re-opening
Panacea Museum @ 10am – 4pm every Monday – Saturday
Free entry
Discover the incredible story of the Panacea Society at this fascinating museum, just off Bedford’s beautiful Embankment.
The museum looks behind the scenes at this remarkable religious community formed in the early twentieth century.
For 90 years, members of the society quietly lived, worked and worshipped God in their community.
Although they took care to reveal little about themselves to outsiders, the society’s name became familiar to many people beyond Bedford through their national advertising campaign to open ‘Joanna Southcott’s Box’ a curious cultural icon of inter-war Britain.
The museum re-opens for 2023 featuring a mix of events and temporary exhibitions as well as permanent displays on the history of the Panacea Society, the ‘Garden of Eden’ and a cosy tea shop.
Thursday 16 – Saturday 18 February 2023
Family fun: Half-term trails
The Panacea Museum @ 10am – 4pm
Free entry
Fun trails for all the family, spot objects around the Panacea Museum and gardens.
Thursday 16 February 2023
Thursday 16 February 2023
Bunyan Meeting, Mill Street @ 7.45pm
Tickets: Adult £18, Student (full time, 18-25) £5, Young person (under 18) £3
As part of the Bedford Sings festival, the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge and conductor Graham Ross return to Bunyan Meeting with a spectacular choral programme, ‘Attired with Stars’. William Byrd’s masterful Mass for four voices is interwoven amongst works from Monteverdi and Rachmaninov to Pärt and Freya Waley-Cohen, including Howells’ St Paul’s Service and James MacMillan’s masterpiece, Miserere.
Thursday 16 February 2023
Theatre: Learning to Fly
The Place Theatre @ 7.30pm
Tickets: from £10
A new show from James Rowland featuring his captivating mix of theatre, comedy and music.
LEARNING TO FLY sees James tell the story of a remarkable friendship he made when he was a lonely, unhappy teenager with the scary old lady who lived in the spooky house on his street.
It’s about connection, no matter what the obstacles; about love’s eternal struggle with time; about music and its ability to heal. It’s also about her last wish: to get high once before she dies.
Uplifting, big-hearted and hilarious, this brand-new show is touring following a sell-out run at the Edinburgh festival.
Friday 17 February 2023
Family fun: Bedford Sings presents – Mini Mozart
Putnoe Heights Church @9.30am
Mini Mozart offers fun and interactive live music classes for toddlers and babies, getting children actually listening, not just hearing.
They interact with Mini Mozart’s live musicians in a way that is impossible with recorded music! Mini Mozart is led by Bedford-based musician Lottie Greenhow, (one of the founders of Bedford Sings) who brings classes to life with her violin and harp and local pianist, Andrew Longland-Meech.
Friday 17 February 2023
Music: Bedford Sings presents Music for Memory (M4M) and Promethidion
St Paul’s church @ 2 – 4pm
M4M(Music for Memory) is Tibbs Dementia Foundation’s community music therapy service for people living with
dementia/memory loss and their families/friends. As part of the Bedford Sings festival, Promethidion, a group of young Polish singers will be joining M4M in their national costume – a beautiful sight and sound!
Friday 17 February 2023
Film: The Greatest Showman
The Place Theatre @ 6pm
Tickets: Pay what you can (from £2)
This hybrid screening of the mega-hit musical will include performances before, during and after from children who have taken part in the Place Theatre’s half-term Greatest Showman workshop.
The film is the story of American showman P.T. Barnum, founder of the circus that became the famous traveling Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
It celebrates the birth of show business and tells of a visionary who rose from nothing to create a spectacle that became a worldwide sensation and embraces diversity in all its forms.
Friday 17 February 2023
Live Music: Shakila K
The Cellar Bar @ 8.30pm
Free Entry
We’re so happy to welcome Shakila K. to The Cellar Bar, bringing a mix of original and cover songs. She has previously released a charity single for Help for Heroes, raised money for victims of the Grenfell Tower disaster and has performed at a range of venues including Club Wembley and the Royal Albert Hall, as well as a number of festivals.
Saturday 18 – Sunday 19 February 2023
Theatre workshops: Fairytales & Myths workshop for Y2 & 3 and Y 4 – 6
The Place Theatre @ 9.30am and 1.30pm
Tickets: £7.50
Join Standing In The Wings and rediscover some classic fairytales – with a modern twist!
Using century-old stories, you will explore where the stories came from, how they developed into the stories we all love and how we can perform them today.
Open to school years 2 and 3 in the morning and years 4-6 in the afternoon, tutors will develop storytelling skills as well as creativity, communication and teamwork skills.
Saturday 18 February 2023
Folk Music: The Joshua Burnell Band
The Place Theatre @ 8pm
Tickets: £14
Having cut his teeth playing folk festivals throughout the UK and releasing his critically acclaimed arrangements of traditional songs, Joshua now returns to his original songwriting roots in his brilliant acoustic trio.
With music ranging from stomping, acoustic sing-alongs, Bowie-esque music hall epics, and alt-pop singles – whilst keeping a sharp focus on the traditional themes – Joshua is fast carving out his own unique corner of the genre.
Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 February 2023
Children’s Theatre: Pinocchio
The Quarry Theatre @ various times (including BSL signing @ 11am on Sunday 19 February)
Tickets: from £12
Acclaimed puppet director Steve Tiplady as Geppetto, uses the objects of a carpenter’s workshop to tell the tale of the puppet that wants to be a real boy, and the puppet-maker who wants to be a real father.
Pinocchio is carved on stage, brushes become a fox and the shadow of two saws transforms into a giant shark. An element of improvisation makes each performance unique to its audience.
Puppetry, shadows, illusion and especially composed music combine to create a show with something for all ages; it’s inventive, visually and verbally witty with a big heart.
The performance at 11am on Sunday will have BSL interpretation. Do contact the venue to get a good view of the interpreter!
Age guidance: from 4 years
Saturday 18th February 2023
Live Music: Lord Baker Soul & Ska Show
The Cellar Bar @ 8.30pm
Free Entry
A Soul and Ska show that will get you dancing from the first song.
Saturday 18 February 2023
Live music: Dr Feelgood + guests
Bedford Esquires @ 8pm
Tickets: £20
Saturday 18 February 2023
Live music: The Magic of the Beatles
Bedford Corn Exchange @ 7.30pm
Tickets: £27
Come together right now and join us for a night like no other to celebrate the music of one of the greatest bands of our lives!
It’s been a cold and lonely winter but it’s time to shake it up baby, now twist and shout with us, for one very special evening and celebrate The Magic Of The Beatles.
This magical ‘musical’ mystery tour will transport you back to the golden era of pop with hit after hit!
Bringing you all the hits you know and love including She Loves You, A hard day’s night, Help, I Feel Fine, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Hey Jude, Here comes the sun, get back and so many more.
The Magic of the Beatles will show you Love is all you need. So let it be and get your tickets now!
This is a tribute show and is no way affiliated with any original artists/estates/management companies or similar shows.
Sunday 19 February 2023
Live Music: Open Mic Night
The Cellar Bar @ 7.30pm
Free Entry
Every Sunday night is Open Mic night at The Cellar Bar – hosted by the one and only Mat Roberts.
So whether you think you are the next Tom Grennan or just want a good night of entertainment, head to the High Street’s newest bar.
Monday 20 February 2023
Film: Bedford Film Society presents – Escape from Mogadishu
Main Theatre, University of Bedfordshire, Polhilll Avenue @ 7.30pm
Tickets: Special offer half-season membership £35/day membership £5/free parking
Escape from Mogadishu is based on a true story, set in Somalia in 1990. Rival diplomats from North Korea and South Korea become trapped as civil war rages in Mogadishu. With no aid from either government, their only shot at survival requires uniting with bitter adversaries to escape.
Tuesday 21 February 2023
Live music: Tuesday lunchtime concerts
St Paul’s church, St Paul’s Square @ 1pm
Free entry with retiring collection (suggested donation £5)
After first collaborating at the Royal College of Music, Beth Stone and Daniel Murphy founded the Flutes and Frets Duo in March 2021. They are an upcoming, unique ensemble passionate about showing the versatility of the flute and plucked instruments combination.
Tuesday 21 – Saturday 25 February 2023
Community Theatre: Hobson‘s Choice
The Place Theatre @ 7.30pm
Tickets: from £10
Henry Hobson, a self-made man, shopkeeper, boozer, and ruinously obstinate, is a tyrant to his daughters and a law unto himself.
He believes that Maggie, his irrepressible eldest daughter, is too old to marry – which suits him fine, but when she defies Hobson’s wishes by marrying the meek Will Mossop, his own bootmaker, a battle of wills begins in which he stands to lose his business, his girls and his pride – but ultimately it is Hobson’s choice.
Set in late nineteenth century, Salford and first performed in the UK in 1916, Hobson’s Choice has been an enduring, comedy classic ever since. With its themes of class struggle, responsibility and family loyalty, it was groundbreaking at the time and still has relevance today. Age Guidance 12+
Wednesday 22 February 2023
Film: Cinema @ 3 St Peter’s presents – Apocalypse Now
3 St Peter’s Street @ 7pm
Tickets: £12/£10.50/£9/£6
Based on Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, Apocalypse Now is set in 1970 during the Vietnam War. Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) takes a perilous and increasingly hallucinatory journey upriver to find and terminate Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando), a once-promising officer who has reportedly gone completely mad.
In the company of a Navy patrol boat filled with street-smart kids, a surfing-obsessed Air Cavalry officer (Robert Duvall), and a crazed freelance photographer (Dennis Hopper), Willard travels further and further into the heart of darkness…
Wednesday 22 February 2023
National Theatre Live: Othello
The Quarry Theatre @ 7pm
Tickets: from £12
An extraordinary new production of Shakespeare’s most enduring tragedy, directed by Clint Dyer with a cast that includes Giles Terera (Hamilton), Rosy McEwean (The Alienist) and Paul Hilton (The Inheritance).
She’s a bright, headstrong daughter of a senator; elevated by her status but stifled by its expectations. He’s a refugee of slavery; having risen to the top of a white world, he finds love across racial lines has a cost.
Wed in secret, Desdemona and Othello crave a new life together. But as unseen forces conspire against them, they find their future is not theirs to decide. Othello is filmed live on the Lyttleton stage of the National Theatre.
Wednesday 22 February 2023
Live music: Hutch + guests
Bedford Esquires @ 7.30pm
Tickets: £8
Hutch are Brighton-based soft-psychers who have been creating excitement around the south coast with their energetic live shows for the last 6 months. After storming onto the live scene in August 2021 Hutch have bagged some impressive support slots in a very short space of time playing with bands like The Goa Express, Blood Wizard, Yin Yin, Do Nothing, Folly Group and Oracle Sisters.
Explaining their tongue-in-cheek genre description, Dan emphasises that ‘twang is, in essence, the very fabric of the band’. He cheekily adds that ‘after that it’s just words. We live in a post yacht rock world so obviously that’s important to mention. Then soft-psyche element reflects our instrumental jams guitar/harp noodles and long free-flowing structures. But mainly it’s just a fun thing to say.’ Fresh from supporting Elijah Miller at Esquires in December, the band return as part of their first 2023 tour.
Thursday 24 February 2023
Music: Jacquie Dankworth & Charlie Wood – Just You, Just Me
The Quarry Theatre @ 7.30pm
Tickets: £18
Multi-award-winning vocalist, Jacqui Dankworth, is joined by acclaimed American pianist-vocalist, Charlie Wood for a unique concert of duets celebrating a century of song.
Inspired by some of the great musical partnerships, such as Ray Charles; Betty Carter, Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington & Billy Strayhorn, George & Ira Gershwin and Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway – the concert will feature numbers including Alone Together, Autumn In New York, It Don’t Mean a Thing, A Foggy Day, The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face and You’ve Got a Friend.
Friday 24 February 2023
Live music: You Win Again – celebrating the music of the Bee Gees
Bedford Corn Exchange @ 7.30pm
Tickets: £27
Direct from London’s West End, prepare to experience the distinct sound of one the greatest bands to have ever graced the stage in this unforgettable concert spectacular. Immerse yourself in the Bee Gees’ music through the sixties, seventies and eighties.
This concert spectacular takes you on a musical journey through all your favourite songs, including: Night Fever, Stayin’ Alive, How Deep is Your Love?, Jive Talkin’, Tragedy, Islands in the Stream, Grease, If I Can’t Have You and many more.
This fabulously authentic production ensures the Gibb brothers’ incredible legacy of classic hit songs is well and truly stayin’ alive.
Friday 24 February 2023
Live music: The Zipheads + Meansteed + The Broadway Twisters
Bedford Esquires @ 7.30pm
Tickets: £10
Friday 24 February 2023
Drag Showcase: Miss Parlma Violet and Miss Lushes Lips
The Cellar Bar @ 8.00pm
£10.00 includes a drink on arrival
Come and join the laughter, fun and entertainment with two fabulous local drag queens – Miss Palma Violet and Miss Lushes Lips.
Featuring live cabaret, lip-syncing, adult fun and games, insult comedy, a raffle, disco and much more. This show contains adult humour and swearing (all the good stuff!) and is strictly an over-18s event.
Saturday 25 February – Saturday 4 March 2023
Exhibition: Narratives art show
The Eagle Gallery, St Peter’s Street @ 10.30am – 5.00pm Tue – Sat, 11.00am – 3.00pm Sun
Free entry
Alexandra Andreica presents her first solo show at Bedford’s Eagle Gallery.
Saturday 25 February 2023
Classical music: B.S.O – Michael Rose 50th anniversary concert
Bedford Corn Exchange @ 7.30pm
Tickets: £6 – £17
Rossini: Overture to Semiramide
Schumann: Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54
Brahms: Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98
The Bedfordshire Symphony Orchestra are delighted to present their first concert of 2023, celebrating a remarkable milestone – 50 years with Michael Rose on the podium.
In 1972 Michael moved to Bedfordshire as County Music Inspector and, ever since, has conducted the Symphony Orchestra, performing a diverse repertoire over the years and welcoming such high-profile soloists as Tasmin Little and John Lill. In 1990 Michael was awarded the OBE for his services to music.
Saturday 25 February 2023
Comedy: Simon Brodkin – Screwed Up
The Quarry Theatre @ 5pm & 8pm
Tickets: £22.50
Fresh from his sold-out, critically-acclaimed Edinburgh Fringe run and becoming the most viewed British comedian of all time on TikTok, world-famous prankster and Lee Nelson creator Simon Brodkin is back with an outrageous new stand-up show.
In ‘Screwed Up’ Simon rips into celebrity culture, social media, the police, Putin, Prince Andrew and Jesus. Nothing is off limits in this hilarious show, including his own mental health, his family, his five arrests and how he once found himself at an underground sex party.
Saturday 25 February 2023
Live Music: Matt Bedford
The Cellar Bar @ 8.30pm
Free Entry
Local musician Matt Bedford will be returning to The Cellar Bar for another great night of 80’s and current music covers. The Cellar Bar is all about live music, especially supporting local artists. This promises to be another memorable night of Cellar Bar performances!
Until 25 March 2023
History and heritage: John Bunyan Exhibition
Panacea Museum @ 10am – 4pm Thursday – Saturday
Free entry www.panaceamuseum.org/events
Temporary exhibition at the Panacea Museum including pieces from the John Bunyan Museum collection.
Until April 2023
Art and culture: Changing Times: A century of modern British art
The Higgins Bedford
Free entry
Some of the most well-loved British artists of the 20th and 21st centuries feature in a new exhibition at the Higgins Bedford on Castle Lane this autumn.
From Eric Ravilious, Edward Bawden and Paul Nash to Elisabeth Frink, David Hockney and Lucian Freud, the exhibition brings together some of the biggest names in British art, and explores its history since the 20th century.
Changing Times: A Century of Modern British Art is the first large-scale exhibition since the post-pandemic reopening of The Higgins Bedford.
Read more: David Hockney and Lucian Freud shine in new Higgins autumn exhibition
Theatre highlights by Paula Walker
