The Watermill Theatre has announced the return of The Wipers Times as the first production in its 60th anniversary celebrations, bringing Ian Hislop and Nick Newman’s acclaimed comedy back to the venue where it premiered in 2016.
The production will run from 29 January to 6 March 2027, marking ten years since its world premiere at the Newbury theatre. Since then, The Wipers Times has enjoyed three national tours, two West End runs and become an A Level set text.
Directed by Caroline Leslie, the play tells the extraordinary true story of a satirical newspaper produced by British soldiers on the Western Front during the First World War.
Set amid the devastation of Ypres, known to British troops as “Wipers”, the story follows two officers who discover a printing press in a bombed-out building and use it to create a newspaper packed with jokes, spoofs and sketches for fellow soldiers enduring life in the trenches.
Combining humour with a remarkable true story, the production celebrates the resilience, camaraderie and determination of soldiers who found laughter even in the darkest circumstances.
Ian Hislop and Nick Newman said: “We are thrilled to be returning to the Watermill to launch its 60th anniversary season. The Wipers Times began its theatrical journey at the Watermill in 2016, and went on to tour extensively before reaching London, where it was NOT all quiet on the West End front. Now an A Level set text, The Wipers Times has come full circle back to the Watermill, celebrating the triumph of the human spirit over adversity. We hope it isn’t journey’s end.”
The revival forms part of a wider anniversary programme celebrating six decades of productions, creative partnerships and theatre-making at the Watermill.
The production also continues the theatre’s longstanding relationship with Hislop and Newman, whose previous Watermill productions include Spike, Trial by Laughter, A Bunch of Amateurs and The Autobiography of a Cad.
The creative team includes set and costume design by Dora Schweitzer, lighting design by James Smith, sound design by Steve Mayo, composition by Nick Green, musical direction by Paul Herbert and movement direction by Emily Holt.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
