Chris Day

Jack Whitehall will perform new material at the Watford Colosseum on September 15 as part of preparations for his 2027 tour, with tickets going on sale July 17 and a pre-sale available the day before. The show follows a series of prominent comedy bookings at the relaunched venue, and highlights Whitehall’s ongoing work across stand-up, television and streaming projects.

Fifteen towns across the UK have been shortlisted for the inaugural UK Town of Culture award, with all eleven Hertfordshire entries failing to make the list. The selected towns, divided into small, medium and large categories, will each receive £60,000 to prepare full bids ahead of a final decision in 2027. The overall winner will receive £3 million to deliver a cultural programme, while the remaining finalists will each receive £250,000. Culture secretary Lisa Nandy highlighted the strong national interest in the competition and praised towns for their efforts in promoting local pride and community identity.