One of the most acclaimed comedians to emerge from the Edinburgh Fringe in recent years, John Tothill brings his critically lauded stand-up show This Must Be Heaven to Brighton’s Komedia on Wednesday 25 February 2026, as part of a major UK tour.
Fresh from a completely sold-out Fringe run and nominations for Best Show at the 2025 Edinburgh Comedy Awards and ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards, Tothill has been hailed as one of the defining voices of British comedy. This Must Be Heaven was named among the Guardian’s Top 10 Comedy Shows of 2025, the Standard’s Best Comedy Shows to See in 2026, and one of the Best-Reviewed Fringe Shows by the British Comedy Guide.
Critics have been unanimous in their praise.
“Has delivered the show of his life,” wrote the Evening Standard (★★★★★), while the Guardian called it “stand-up paradise” (★★★★). The Times added: “You’ve got to be very good to make being funny, charming and revealing look this easy,” and the Telegraph awarded a full five stars, as did The Student and Brig Newspaper.
The show arrives in Brighton with extraordinary momentum. In 2024, Tothill famously performed much of his Fringe run with a ruptured appendix — later described by doctors as “completely obliterated” — narrowly avoiding fatal sepsis before returning to the stage just days later. That near-death experience now forms part of a wildly funny, moving and surreal hour about bodily betrayal, ambition, misadventure and the absurdity of survival.
Tothill’s trademark wit is sharpened by his love-hate relationship with Brighton itself. “Your seagulls run the town like a cartel,” he jokes, adding that if he were a billionaire he would relocate Komedia five miles inland — “brick by brick”.
Directed by Alex Cartlidge and Kathryn Craigmyle, This Must Be Heaven blends dark humour, storytelling and razor-sharp observation into a show that feels both hilarious and strangely life-affirming.
John Tothill has previously supported Alan Davies, Emma Sidi, Mitch Wood, Sheeps and Fiona Allen, and has appeared on Comedy Central Live.
Brighton date
Wednesday 25 February 2026
Komedia, Brighton
