“What a triumph!”
“I have not laughed so much for a long while!”
Recent audience reviews
Where and when are the performances of 'At the Drop of a Hat' at the Edinburgh Fringe 2026?
Towns & Chatters are performing 'At the Drop of a Hat' 12.30pm to 1.30pm on:
Tuesday 11th August
Wednesday 12th August
Thursday 13th August
Friday 14th August
Saturday 15th August
at Venue 125 artSpace@StMarks - Church
which is St Mark's Unitarian Church, 7 Castle Terrace, Edinburgh EH1 2DP
Will you enjoy
Towns & Chatters' show 'At the Drop of a Hat' at the Edinburgh Fringe?
38 sell out shows in the last decade or so must mean we are doing something right! From Exmoor to Essex, from Hampshire to Cheshire, including a packed night at the Cavalry & Guards Club, London in 2023 (where you had to pay £85 to see us), Towns & Chatters have been delighting audiences across the UK.
If you like Flanders and Swann, Stilgoe and Skellern, Instant Sunshine and Tom Lehrer, you'll love Towns & Chatters performing their most memorable numbers! And if you don't know their repertoire, you are in for a treat. No prior knowledge required!
Towns & Chatters' show at the Edinburgh Fringe, 'At the Drop of a Hat' is a homage to these outstanding musical comedy stars of the last 60 years. The songs are as relevant, clever and funny today as when they were written.
Audience Feedback:
'Wonderful evening, everyone laughing!'
'I haven't laughed so much in ages!'
'So polished and professional.'
'A roaring success!'
Multi-generational musical fun! In a world where you dare not watch the news, leave your troubles at the door. Towns & Chatters will put a smile on your face and joy in your heart.
The sort of thing you can expect:
The Gas Man Cometh (performed by Michael Flanders & Donald Swann)
Send the Marines (Performed by Tom Lehrer)
The Towns & Chatters story
A singing & comedy double act, John Chatfeild-Roberts & Paul Towns have been singing in Village Halls and Churches in Leicestershire since 1997, and up and down the UK with a growing reputation for their two-hour show since 2012. John & Paul mainly perform Flanders & Swann songs, but also those of Tom Lehrer, Paddy Roberts, Stilgoe & Skellern and Instant Sunshine amongst others.
Both John & Paul had musical upbringings; Paul was a chorister in Colchester from the age of eight and played the trombone (grade 8). John was also a schoolboy chorister, though not in Colchester, and played the trumpet (only managing grade 5!). He is now practising the French Horn in a vain attempt to reach grade 8!
By day, Paul is the non-stipendiary C of E Vicar of the Conventional District (please ask!) of St Mary’s, Harby. In his spare time, he is a sheep farmer and rentier. John (ex Regular Army & TA) is said to be a ‘veteran’ of financial markets – he feels they give him grey hair (what’s left of it).
John & Paul are accompanied at the Fringe by the outstanding jazz pianist, composer and band leader, Tom Millar. After reading Music at King’s College, Cambridge, Tom studied Jazz Piano and Composition for a Masters at the Royal Academy of Music, London, and later with Django Bates in Berne, Switzerland. If you read his biography at https://www.tommillar.com/#biography you will discover that he is the professional in the show!
Edinburgh Fringe tickets: Adults £14.50, Concessions £12.50, Family group of four £44 (2 adults, 2 children),
To book, please go to https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/at-the-drop-of-a-hat
Contact us
If you wish to send us a message, please write to us using the following message boxes. We will endeavour to get back to you in a timely manner, but please be aware that both of us have full time occupations that take priority.