Join award-winning author and comedian Marc Burrows for a celebration of a uniquely British tradition: The Christmas number one. Where did it come from? Why are we the only country in the whole world that actually cares about it? And can it survive in 2025?
Burrows, fresh from a critically lauded run at the Edinburgh Fringe with his show ‘The Britpop Hour’, celebrates the publication of his new book, The Story of The Christmas No.1: Mistletoe & Vinyl, though McNidder & Grace,with a specially-written stand-up talk, complete with songs, covering everything from Bing to Blobby, from Slade to Sausage Rolls, from feeding the world to Killing In The Name. It’sChriiiiiiiiiiiiiiistmaaaaaaaaaaaas!
Marc Burrows is an author, culture journalist and comedian based in Bristol. His biography of Sir Terry Pratchett won the 2021 Locus Award in the non-fiction category, and he has since written acclaimed books on Manic Street Preachers, David Bowie & Marc Bolan’s sixties friendship and Nirvana, as well as turning his Terry Pratchett biography into a critically acclaimed stand up show, which has toured globally, selling 15,000 tickets and counting. He writes regularly for the Independent, Big Issue, New Statesman and The Guardian, among many others, and as a musician played bass in the cult punk band The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing, touring the world and playing at Glastonbury, Download, Latitude and Bestival. His latest stand-up show, The Britpop Hour, played to multiple rave reviews and sell-out audiences at the 2025 Edinburgh Fringe, and he will be touring it in 2026. He has been obsessed with Christmas music since he was a small boy. www.marcburrows.co.uk
