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 Wednesday and is the only guide you need to find out what’s on and what’s happening across the Borough for the next 11 days.
The Bedford Clanger’s What’s On Guide is kindly sponsored by Bedford Esquires.
Thursday, 8 January 2026
Stevington Cinema Club presents: Bridget Jones – Mad About the Boy
Stevington Village Hall, Court Lane, MK43 7QT @ 6.30pm
Tickets: £vary
In its fourth instalment, widowed Bridget Jones juggles work, life and love in this romantic comedy, adapted from Helen Fielding’s novel.
Thursday, 8 January 2026
Live music: Irish Folk Night
The Castle, Newnham Street @ 8.30pm
Free entry
It’s the first Irish Folk Night of 2026, so head to the Castle for some foot-tapping folk with craic guaranteed!
Thursday, 8 January 2026
Live music: King King + Fran Pegg & Pete Bonas
Bedford Esquires @ 7.30pm
Tickets: £25
As part of the 35th Anniversary shows at Bedford Esquires, comes a very special show from rock and blues legends King King.
King King have never been a band content to ride the crest of their self-made wave but instead have continued to work tirelessly to make that wave even bigger, stronger and ultimately better.
‘The best band in the world’ might be a bold statement to back up. But rest assured, Alan and the guys will give it their best shot every single night.
Friday, 9 January – Thursday, 12 February 2026
Exhibition: Made By Humans
Main Foyer Gallery, Bedford School, De Parys Avenue @ Mon -Fri 9.30am-4pm / Sat 9am-12.15pm
Free entry (Private view Friday, 9 January @ 6.30pm
Curated by the Circus of Illustration, check out this new exhibition of work by the human hand, in rejection of the rise of AI in the creative industries.
Friday, 9 & Sunday, 11 January 2026
National Theatre Live: Mrs Warren’s Profession
The Quarry Theatre @ 7pm (Friday) 2pm (Sunday)
Tickets: £15.50
Five-time Olivier Award winner Imelda Staunton joins forces with her real-life daughter Bessie Carter for the very first time, playing mother and daughter in George Bernard Shaw’s incendiary moral classic.
Vivie Warren is a woman ahead of her time. Her mother, however, is a product of that old patriarchal order. Exploiting it has earned Mrs Warren a fortune – but at what cost?
Saturday, 10 & Sunday, 11 January 2026
Book Sale: The Big Bumper Book Sale Weekend
The Place Theatre @ 10am – 3pm
Tickets: Free
The first Book Sale of 2026 takes place at The Place Theatre this month, and this time they are making a weekend of it.
Browse a huge selection of fiction and non-fiction books, have a coffee and some cake and relax in the theatre space. This welcoming venue will be open for you to explore and find out more about all the events The Place has coming up in 2026.
Saturday, 10 January 2026
Classical music: Organ recital
St Paul’s church, St Paul’s Square @ midday
Free with retiring collection
Step into the beautiful surroundings of St Paul’s church to enjoy a free organ recital. This week’s performance is by Elli-Mae Mc Glone, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.
Saturday, 10 January 2026
Walking: North Bedfordshire Ramblers’ weekly walk
Birthday Walk No 1: Turvey MK43 8ER @ 1pm
To celebrate their 50th anniversary, North Beds Ramblers are organisin several birthday walks, of which this is the first.
Find out more about their anniversary year here: North Beds Ramblers celebrate 50 years of walking groups
A circular 6.5-mile walk through the countryside surrounding Turvey.
Saturday, 10 December 2026
Live music: Dressed To Kill – The Kiss tribute band
Bedford Esquires @ 7.30pm
Tickets: £15
Dressed To Kill go to the nth degree in terms of attention to detaill to spend two hours on stage looking, moving and sounding exactly like KISS (including the between-song chatter, in character and with authentic New Yorker accents).
Tuesday, 13 January 2026
Classical music: Lunchtime recital
St Paul’s church, St Paul’s Square @ 1pm
Free with retiring collection
Enjoy a free lunchtime performance in the beautiful surroundings of St Paul’s church.
Wednesday, 14 January 2026
Stevington Film Club presents: RBO presents La Traviata
Stevington Village Hall, Court Lane, MK43 7QT @ 6.30pm
Tickets: £vary
Heart-rending arias meet harsh realities in this captivating story. Experience the devastating beauty of Verdi’s music in some of opera’s most famous tunes.
Thursday, 15 January 2026
Bedford Skeptics: Rachel Matthews from the Deanshanger Hedgehog Rescue
The North End Club, Roff Avenue @ 7.30pm
Donations welcome
Rachel and Dominic started Deanshanger Hedgehog Rescue in the summer of 2021 after years of observing hedgehogs in their village and garden, and the realisation that there was no rescue facility in the local area.
Rachel will talk about the importance of hedgehogs to the natural environment, the challenges of setting up a Rescue Centre and how we can help to ensure hedgehog health.
Thursday, 15 January 2026
Live music: THE MOLOTOVS + The Contenders
Bedford Esquires @ 7.30pm
Tickets: £14
After a sell-out show in Room 2 at Esquires in March, THE MOLOTOVS return for their debut on the venue’s Main Stage.
The Molotovs have become one of the UK’s hottest young bands. Sharp, punchy anthems delivered with highly charged stagecraft that leaves absolutely nothing in the dressing room and resonates with an eclectic audience of those in the know.
Comprising of siblings Mathew (Vocals/guitar) and Issey Carts (bass/vocals) and joined by explosive drummer Noah, The Molotovs effortlessly mix their setlists up from their own self-penned material with a few well-chosen covers, and play with a passion and drive that more than backs up their claim that “nothing gets left in the dressing room”.
Still in their teens, they’ve been handpicked by the likes of The Sex Pistols, Blondie, The Libertines and Adam Ant to share the stage, and have been championed by Green Day both on stage and in the press.
Friday, 16 January 2026
Live music: Wrong Jovi
Bedford Esquires @ 7.30pm
Tickets: £14
Wrong Jovi features some of the UK’s finest professional musicians, and with a set list crammed full of sing-along anthems, live favourites and rarities, audiences are guaranteed the ultimate Bon Jovi tribute show.
Featuring Ally Ward as Jon Bon Jovi (X Factor, The Singer Takes It All and Britains Got Talent) aka Jon Wrong Jovi on vocals, Wrong Jovi have one of the UKs most talented front men leading the band through some of rock n roll’s most legendary songs.
Founding member Mark Harding provides Richie Sambora’s fiery guitar lines, backing vocals and even lead vocals on occasion. Simon James (David Bryan) on keyboards and backing vocals, Jim Houghton (Hugh McDonald) on bass and backing vocals and Jon ‘Alex’ Sturgeon (Tico Torres) on drums complete the lineup.
Wrong Jovi were described as “better than the real thing” by venues up and down the UK. This is the best chance to experience the music of Jovi up close and personal.
Saturday, 17 January 2026
Walking: North Bedfordshire Ramblers’ weekly walk
Putnoe, Ashmead Rd, MK41 7GA @ 1pm
7.5mile walk to Ravensden through woodland.
Please bring a drink, snack or lunch as the group always stops for a break. Check out the North Bedfordshire Ramblers’ excellent website for further information.
Saturday, 17 January 2026
Dance: Colours of a Woman’s Love
The Place Theatre @ 7.30pm
Tickets: from £16
Colours of a Woman’s Love reimagines the ancient archetypes of the Ashta Nayikas – eight heroines of classical Indian dance – through a contemporary lens.
Led by Debbie Ganguli-Patel, with additional mentorship on choreography by Divya Kasturi and original music created in collaboration with Prathap Ramachandra and Vijay Venkat, the work explores the emotional landscapes of modern women navigating love, identity, and societal change.
Saturday, 17 & Sunday, 18 January 2026
National Theatre Live: The Fifth Step
The Quarry Theatre @ 7pm (Saturday) 2pm (Sunday)
Tickets: from £10
Olivier Award-winner Jack Lowden (Slow Horses, Dunkirk) is joined by Emmy and BAFTA-winner Martin Freeman (The Hobbit, The Responder) in the critically acclaimed and subversively funny new play by David Ireland.
After years in the 12-step programme of Alcoholics Anonymous, James becomes a sponsor to newcomer Luka. The pair bond over black coffee, trade stories and build a fragile friendship out of their shared experiences.
But as Luka approaches step five – the moment of confession – dangerous truths emerge, threatening the trust on which both of their recoveries depend.
Saturday, 17 January 2026
Live music: TTSSFU
Bedford Esquires @ 7.30pm
Tickets: £14
Currently on heavy rotation on BBC 6Music, TTSSFU – aka Manchester’s Tasmin Nicole Stephens – conjures enormous atmospheric worlds using just GarageBand in their bedroom.
The DIY shoegazer deftly combines the eeriness of The Cure with the fast BPM of The Strokes and The Drums: most recently on new EP ‘Me, Jed and Andy’, which TTSSFU produced, mixed, and mastered themselves, and which features the first single on Partisan Records ‘Studio 54’.
A whirlpool of chaotic energy.
At the Higgins Bedford
Exhibition: Noel Carrington: Nothing Need Be Ugly
The Higgins Bedford
Free entry
Curated by writer and publisher Joe Pearson, this exhibition tells the story of publishing’s unsung hero Noel Carrington (1895–1989). Schooled in Bedford with his sister Dora, Noel Carrington became one of the most influential figures in 20 th century design. Through the Puffin Picture Books and Country Life he commissioned, edited and published some of Britian’s most loved children’s picture books.
Read: Celebrating Bedford’s unsung publishing hero: Noel Carrington and Puffin Picture Books
He saw the genius in artists such as Kathleen Hale, publishing books about Orlando the Marmalade Cat and championed emerging artists such as Hilary Stebbing. With Eric Ravilious, Edward Bawden and Mervyn Peake he commissioned books such as ‘High Street’, ‘Life in an English Village’ and ‘Captain Slaughterboard’.
Through beloved children’s books, forgotten gems and original artwork this exhibition will take Noel Carrington out of the footnotes and into the spotlight.
Exhibition: Edward Bawden – Printmaker
The Higgins Bedford until 26 April
Free entry
Take a trip to the Higgins Bedford to explore the Edward Bawden Printmaker exhibition, which celebrates Bawden’s remarkable legacy as ‘The Master of the Linocut’ and offers visitors a chance to delve into his innovative techniques and artistic achievements.
At the Panacea Museum
Permanent exhibition: Discover the amazing story of a unique religious community
Panacea Museum, 11 Newnham Rd, Bedford MK40 3NX
11am – 5pm (last entry 4.30) Thursday – Sunday
Free entry
This fascinating hidden gem of a museum tells the story of the Panacea Society – a Christian group formed in the early twentieth century who created their own ‘Garden of Eden’ in the centre of Bedford.
The Panacea Museum is located across several Victorian buildings that formed the community’s headquarters. It tells the story of the Panacea Society and other similar religious groups.
Exhibition: The Panacea Society and the Second World War
The Panacea Museum, 11 Newnham Rd, Bedford MK40 3NX @ Thursday to Sunday, 11am – 5pm
Free entry
A new social history exhibition has opened at the Panacea Museum this month, exploring the unseen story of this remarkable society and World War II.
Read: New exhibition: The Panacea Society and the Second World War
The beautiful gardens surrounding the Museum are currently filled with blossoming trees, birds, butterflies and bees, and a stroll through the grounds is a highly recommended in addition to a visit to the museum.
Every Tuesday
Community: Tuesday Chess Café
The Pavilion in the Park @ 2pm – 4pm
Free
If you’re a keen chess player or have always wanted to learn, then the weekly chess cafe at the Pavilion in the Park is for you.
Players meet every week and there’s no membership, no fee – just turn up. All you need to do is buy a coffee to support the venue. Any standard, from complete novice to Grand Master, welcome.
