Churchill Theatre

This review of Ghost Stories is from the Lyric Hammersmith in 2019. It transfers to the Peacock Theatre in September 2025. Having seen Ghost Stories during its West End run, I happily agreed to watch it again as it returns to its original home of Hammersmith. If you’ve got a friend whose head you’d really like to fuck with, and you know what’s coming, it’s worth the journey for that reward. The format is brilliant. Our host is Professor Goodman – originally played by the show’s co-creator Andy Nyman, now by Simon Lipkin – who regales us with a series of spooky tales he deems both terrifying and unexplainable. The unexplainable bit is questionable, but still – it’s a real recipe for jokes, and jumps, as things appear unexpectedly in the dark, and it all wraps around to a smart surprise finale. (It’s better to not spoiler any of it). As with the first time I watched all this unfold, the tension emanating from my companion was palpable. She gripped my arm each time something looked to be untangling and shrieked with a mixture of fear and joy at the end of each account. She also howled with laughter when the biggest man in the room let out a ladylike scream. So there we go, mission accomplished. Jeremy Dyson and Nyman’s spectre baby may have grown up but it hasn’t grown tired. It’s still your go-to if you want to well-and-truly wig someone out. 

Stage and screen veterans Samantha Womack and Su Pollard star as the Enchantress and Mrs Potty respectively in this commercial panto take on the story of Beauty and the Beast, which also features Britain’s Got Talent star Jamie Leahey as Silly Billy, Ben Stock as The Dame, and Sheri Lineham as Belle.