“Laugh a minute”
★★★★
“Quite magnificent”
★★★★★
“Wonderfully theatrical”
★★★★★
“Even in war, blessed are the piss-takers”
DIRECTOR
Caroline Leslie
WRITTEN BY
Ian Hislop
Nick Newman
PRODUCERS
David Parfitt
Bob Benton
CAST
Amar Aggoun
Kevin Brewer
Clio Davies
Sam Ducane
James Dutton
George Kemp
Chris Levens
Dan Mersh
Joseph Reed
Emilia Williams
DESIGNER
Dora Schweitzer
COMPOSER
Nick Green
LIGHTING DESIGNER
James Smith
SOUND DESIGNER
Steve Mayo
MUSICAL DIRECTOR
Paul Herbert
Ian Hislop and Nick Newman's The Wipers Times tells the true and extraordinary story of a satirical newspaper created in the mud and mayhem of the Somme.
The Wipers Times is coming to a theatre near you direct from a record breaking West End season.
In a bombed out building during the First World War in the Belgian town of Ypres (mis-pronounced Wipers by British soldiers), two officers discover a printing press and create a newspaper for the troops. Far from being a sombre journal about life in the trenches, they produced a resolutely cheerful, subversive and very funny newspaper designed to lift the spirits of the men on the front line.
Defying enemy bombardment, gas attacks and the disapproval of many of the top Brass, The Wipers Times rolled off the press for two years and was an extraordinary tribute to the resilience of the human spirit in the face of overwhelming adversity.
"It's all quiet on the West End Front but The Wipers Times is on manoeuvres once again. Following a successful London run and participation in the BBC’s Passchendaele Centenary commemorations in Ypres, The Wipers Times is embarking on a nationwide tour. A hundred years after World War I, audiences nationwide will have a chance to see this forgotten true story about a satirical trench newspaper and discover that the black humour of The Wipers Times is still remarkably fresh, funny and poignant."
–Ian Hislop & Nick Newman