Bag of Beard Theatre returns this December with The Highgate Vampire, a dark comedy inspired by one of London’s most infamous gothic legends.
Running from Tuesday 16th to Tuesday 30th December 2025 at Omnibus Theatre, the production stars co-writers Alexander Knott and James Demaine, who reprise their onstage partnership in a riotous tale set in 1970s Highgate.
Knott and Demaine, known for A Month in the Country, Private Peaceful, and LOOP, take on the roles of a demon-hunting priest and an occult tobacconist, fictionalising the real-life figures who investigated the Highgate Vampire legend.
“This outrageous production is based on the real-life figures who took on the case in the 70s,” the press release states. “Fictionalising the true story for audiences today, the two unruly Londoners recount the tale of the Highgate Vampire with racing wit, humour and enough rivalry to have audiences lean into the dark instead of shy away.”
Alexander Knott and James Demaine comment, “Bag of Beard are thrilled to be bringing London’s strangest, spookiest, unheard (and undead) tale to the Omnibus. As Clapham gets Christmas-y, it’s time to get wrapped up warm and hear a hilarious and horrifying story of a demon-hunting Priest, a shaman who ran a tobacconist’s shop, their long-suffering technician, and a host of other characters. If you like your scary stories with a side of the ridiculous, then ‘The Highgate Vampire’ is one for you!”
Directed by Ryan Hutton (Only Fools and Horses The Musical, Cratchit), with sound design by Samuel Heron (Renaissance Men, Hedgehog), The Highgate Vampire promises a blend of horror and hilarity in Bag of Beard’s signature style.
The production follows a successful workshop at The Glitch earlier in 2025 and is described as The Woman in Black meets The Mighty Boosh.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
