Current Shows

Crimes on the Christmas Express

Tickets Here

We are completely re-imagining Crimes on the Christmas Express to create an all-new comedy thriller.

Tommy Albyn, the whisky laird, has died and an eccentric cast of characters who hope to inherit his wealth are summoned for a perilous train journey through the Scottish-highlands in the dead of winter before his will can be read. Will they all survive? Spoiler alert: no. But it’ll be fun to watch the ride.

 

The plot is a blend of Succession, The Traitors and Murder on the Orient Express, but as with all our shows is mainly a vehicle for the fun of watching four talented actors play multiple roles with lightning-fast costume changes, set pieces as clever as they are ridiculous, plenty of visual gags, and some wonderfully witty wordplay.

 

We are utterly thrilled to be back at the Merlin this year. The 2025 show sold incredibly well, and the word is out now, so we expect this to sell out. Booking early is strongly advised.

Tickets Here Sponsored by Brûler.

Pick & Mix: A Variety Night

Pick & Mix will return! A highlight of the last three  Merlin season’s Fearg will back hosting another all new evening of wonderful entertainment featuring the best in local and national comedy & music acts, plus maybe something just a little bit different. Previous nights have featured award winning stand-ups, stunning music, improvisation and sketches, gorgeous dance and even a huge herd of Ukelelists. The nights are a throwback to classic Saturday night variety with each act bringing their own sense of fun and joy to proceedings, held together by Fearg and his long-limbed tomfoolery. Exact line-up to be announced closer, keep an eye on our socials. Pick & Mix nights are joyful, welcoming, playful nonsense with brilliant performances all for the price of a takeaway. Grab a ticket and join the community. Next show September 2026.

Comedy Whodunnits for your ears

Click the image and you can buy us a virtual coffee! The pandemic has been awful in so many ways. For us at New Old Friends, it postponed/cancelled three tours and meant we couldn't present a Christmas show for the first time in years. But at the end of 2020 we were determined to present something to our audiences. The result was an audio version of Crimes Against Christmas released daily from 1st - 24th December 2020 as a comedy advent calendar. It proved to be very popular, charting at 2 in the Apple iTunes Fiction chart, inside the top 200 overall podcast charts, was featured on BBC Radio 4's Front Row, was named as one of the Top 42 Christmas shows by the i Paper, and even won an OnComm Award. But the most rewarding was seeing the number of listeners and lovely comments from the audience. So we decided to make more comedy audio dramas. The podcast is now titled: Comedy Whodunnits - for your ears, and there are five full series available for free. We have seen over 150,000 downloads and the reviews are amazing, thank you. It is available as a podcast and on YouTube with text to allow you to read along. YouTube playlist is here. Please subscribe wherever you get your podcasts from (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google podcasts etc.) We are grateful to have received Arts Council England support for the project, which allows us to keep it free of charge, but if you would like to show your appreciation and ‘Buy us a coffee’ please use the link above. We’d be grateful for your support but there is absolutely no obligation for you to do so.

Recent Shows

Crimes Against Christmas

We are utterly thrilled at the reception our original smash-hit sell-out comedy murder mystery Crimes Against Christmas got at The Merlin Theatre in Frome in 2025.

Loosely inspired by Agatha Christie’s Then There Were None - a group of strangers on a remote island start dying in mysterious (and increasingly ridiculous ways). Can P. Artridge solve the case before a date with a pear tree… and a noose?

The show that started the ‘Crimes…’ brand (and was named one of The Telegraph’s Top 50 shows with sold out runs in Bath & Lichfield first time around) returned and was an absolute blast!

The show was kindly sponsored by Brûler.

Christmas Present & Correct

Originally presented at the lovely Lichfield Garrick for Christmas 2025 a brand-new, hilarious festive farce. Herbert Richards plays all the roles in The Cavalry, the hit radio show that his sister, Dorothy, writes. But when Wyllis Guthrie, the station owner, makes an unprecedented appearance at their little studio during the recording of the Christmas special, Herbert panics because his stable of fake actors is about to be unmasked and will ruin the siblings’ career. Throw in a mysterious aspiring actor and the fact Wyllis is keeping secrets of his own and you have all the ingredients for a classic Christmas caper. Expect all the joyful New Old Friends motifs – witty wordplay, theatrical set-pieces and, of course, small-cast, multiple-role mayhem as Herbert (and everyone else) slowly become more embroiled in the challenge of proving that the entire cast of The Cavalry really are all (Christmas) present & correct. ★★★★★ “There is no better present I can think of receiving for Christmas.” – Fairy Powered Productions

Houdini's Greatest Escape

 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO

  Harry Houdini is the world’s greatest entertainer. Just as his death-defying escapology stunts have him, and his wife Bess, on the cusp of a career-defining performance for King Edward, he finds himself framed for murder by a gang of criminals in cahoots with the chief of police. Can Harry & Bess escape the plot and clear their names? And how is their rival, The Superstar Spiritualist medium, Agatha, involved? All will be revealed in this hilarious 39 Steps-esque thriller, played out in our inimitable, award-winning style of physical comedy, sparkling wit and just a touch of chaos. Featuring a hard-working cast of four playing multiple roles on an almost harder-working set, this show will have you laughing and gasping throughout at the magic of theatre and the ‘real’ magic of illusions designed by TV’s Pete Firman (Netflix’s Good Omens, BBC One’s The Magicians).

A Christmas Getaway

Originally premiered at Theatre Royal Bath's Ustinov in 2021 then remounted at Lichfield Garrick in 2023. It’s been a long hard year and the Jameson family are looking forward to a pre-Christmas break at their country getaway. The catch is, they all planned it to be a secret; the daughter’s with her lover, the mother’s with the daughter’s fiancé, the father is with the neighbour, and the butler is plotting with Len to 'liberate' some items from the loft. A brand-new story inspired by P.G. Wodehouse, Noel Coward and classic British comedy presented with New Old Friends’ trademark flair. Just four actors play multiple roles with lightning quick changes in this fast talking, fast-paced farce. TICKETS HERE

★★★★ “An absorbing tale that has elements of everything from Agatha Christie whodunnits to the legendary Whitehall farces of yesteryear, and even has echoes of those word-play specialists the Two Ronnies.”  The Stage on Crimes Against Christmas.

Crimes on Centre Court

"FIVE STARS" The Bath Chronicle “a delight from start to finish! Fast and smart …a great night out!” -Emma Rice “hilarious” –The Stage “has the crowd in stitches”-Reviews Hub “A thigh-slapping, belly-aching romp of a whodunit comedy”–British Theatre Guide

An ace of a show you’re sure to (fifteen) love. Expect mirth, murder and mayhem (with a side of tennis) in this deucey treat. Lord Knows, the chair of The Whombledun International Invitational Tennis Tournament, has died and his son, Hugh, is suspicious. The police won’t take the case, so Hugh calls in private investigators Perry & Penny Pink, to get to the bottom of things. What follows has all the hallmarks of our particular brand of hilarity, as a cast of four performers play countless characters with quick-fire changes and quicker wits, in a story that will rally your spirits and leave you wanting a second serve-ing of the volley of gags and visual delights. Crimes on Centre Court is based on a story our award-winning podcast (#2 in iTunes fiction chart) and toured to great acclaim in 2022. You won’t see it game set and matched anywhere else.

2023 Tour Dates here

Crimes, Camera, Action

The show we were due to be performing when the pandemic closed the theatres finally hit the road! Another instalment in our hugely popular ‘Crimes…’ series of comedy thrillers. Crimes, Camera, Action whisked the audience to golden-era Hollywood and introduced a new lead detective, a world-weary, hard-boiled private-eye in the mould of Humphrey Bogart: meet Stan Shakespeare.

The case? A suspicious screen starlet is stabbed on set setting in motion a typically fast-paced and hilarious chain of events that sees a cast of four exceptional comic actors take on multiple roles, sometimes within the same scene.

Full tour dates here

A Christmas Getaway

  Continuing our long-association with Theatre Royal Bath, we were thrilled to present a festive treat for adults at The Ustinov Studio for Christmas 2021. It’s been a long hard year and the Jameson family are looking forward to a pre-Christmas break at their country getaway. The catch is, they all planned it to be a secret; the daughter’s with her lover, the mother’s with the daughter’s fiancé, the father is with the neighbour, and the butler is away with the fairies. All in all Les & Ben, the two burglars who’ve been casing the joint for weeks, couldn’t have picked a worse time for their robbery. A brand-new story inspired by P.G. Wodehouse, Noel Coward and classic British comedy presented with New Old Friends’ trademark flair. Just four actors play multiple roles with lightning quick changes in this fast talking, fast-paced farce.

★★★★ “An absorbing tale that has elements of everything from Agatha Christie whodunnits to the legendary Whitehall farces of yesteryear, and even has echoes of those word-play specialists the Two Ronnies.”  The Stage on Crimes Against Christmas.

Swiss Family Robinson

For Christmas 2020, we were over-the-moon to be working with The Core at Corby Cube in association with Imagine Theatre to present a brand new adaptation of the classic family story: The Swiss Family Robinson.

When a family find themselves shipwrecked on a deserted island, they have to use all of their wits, strengths and skills to build a new home. As well as finding shelter and safety on the island, they (and their dog) must also make friends with the local inhabitants who are all manner of creatures, some friendly and some not.

We are very proud of this production which is overflowing with creativity and got glowing reviews and audience feedback. Delivered by a cast of just four talented performers, the show features stunning ship-wrecks, wonderful wild animals, glorious gags, marvellous machines, stupendous songs and witty wordplay.

We will be announcing its new home soon, 2020 plans were derailed slightly. But hopefully you can join us for a festive family island escape next December!

Crimes On The Coast

A secluded island hotel just off the English coast becomes a crime scene, as a scandal-inducing femme-fatale is felled. All the guests on the island are suspects, but are they alone and is all quite what it seems?

The show has toured the country twice with a spectacular sell-out success on its 2018 national tour, (under previous title Crimes Under the Sun), repeated in autumn 2019. Crimes On the Coast is a comedy thriller directed by James Farrell (Associate Director - The 39 Steps, West End). The show features four actors playing multiple outrageous characters, and a plot that romps along in the our now trademark inventive style.

Inspired by Agatha Christie, Noel Coward and PG Wodehouse, you are invited on an hilarious but murderous trip to a classic English Riviera retreat.

We are currently considering bookings for a 2021 autumn tour.

"Murder most fun." - British Theatre Guide

"A whodunnit romp." - The Stage

"A comedy thriller of the highest order." - Weekend Notes

The Falcon's Malteser

The Falcon's Malteser by Anthony Horowitz, adapted for the stage by Feargus Woods Dunlop, presented by New Old Friends & James Seabright, originally co-produced with Theatre Royal Bath's egg & Newbury Corn Exchange.

After touring the country in 2014 & 2015 plus a remarkable run at Pleasance Forth as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival where it enjoyed multiple sell-out performances, we were thrilled to bring our acclaimed stage version of Anthony Horowitz’s hilarious novel introducing the Diamond Brothers Detective Agency to The Vaults, London where it enjoyed great success. Tim is the world’s worst private investigator, so can the help of his clever younger brother Nick be enough to crack their toughest case yet?

A solitary box of Maltesers is delivered by a miniature Mexican, but what’s so special about these chocolates that half of London's criminal underworld are willing to kill for them? New Old Friends’ acclaimed adaptation features four actors playing dozens of characters, comedy songs, and a fully realised car chase on stage!

CRITIC'S CHOICE - Best Family Shows - The Guardian

★★★★★ ‘Wonderful fun for both young and old’ The Spy in the Stalls

★★★★ ‘Highly entertaining… compelling and funny’ LondonTheatre1

★★★★ ‘Excellent… bundles of fun and excitement’ Love London Love Culture

★★★★ ‘A must-see for anyone in London’ My Theatre Mates

Crimes In Egypt

Tour Dates Here.

Following a sell-out world premiere run at the Ustinov Studio in the New Year, a critically acclaimed national tour (under previous title Crimes on the Nile), and a "triumphant return" to Theatre Royal Bath's Main Stage in 2019, we are delighted to finally announce the much delayed second tour of our 'hilariously inventive' comedy thriller.

Belgian detective extraordinaire, Artemis Arinae, is set to enjoy a holiday cruise along the river Nile when tragedy strikes. All the passengers and staff aboard are suspects, and the murder count is growing, will Arinae’s little grey cells identify the murderer in time?

A versatile cast of just four, brings to life lascivious lawyers, crocked captains, fastidious physicians, ardently amorous authors, feuding femme fatales, plodding paramours, friendly first mates and attractive Americans, in this romp inspired by Christie, Coward and Wodehouse, directed by James Farrell (Associate Director – The 39 Steps, West End).

Tour Dates Here.

“Celebrations of theatricality…low budget aplomb worthy of The 39 Steps” The Times

“It’s a proper Good Night Out, cannily conceived and impeccably made” Exeunt Magazine

“A fast-paced, beguiling romp through the thriller genre; a combination of slick storytelling and new and old tricks… for sheer madcap fun you would find it criminally hard to beat” British Theatre Guide

Other Christmas Shows

Over the last few years we have had a string of successful Christmas shows, some for adults and some for young children. If you would like to know more about them, please visit their respective pages.

Home for Christmas - a story with puppets and songs for early years audiences

The 'Crimes...' series at Christmas - three Christmas comedy thrillers for adults from our hugely popular 'Crimes...' series.