18 Feb – 31 May, Wed – Sun, 10am – 5pm. (Open daily in holidays).

I photograph comedians! is a major photographic exhibition of some of the UK’s comedy legends past and present by British photographer Andy Hollingworth.

The exhibition features nearly 80 images, including studio portraits, rare contemplative moments off-stage and live stage performances. It also features comedy memorabilia including a signed pair of Rik Mayall’s underpants and photographs of iconic objects such as Billy Connolly’s banana boots.   

The show celebrates comedy legends including Ken Dodd, Sean Lock, Rik Mayall and Victoria Wood. As well as portraits of current, established and rising stars, such as Maisie Adam, Rhod Gilbert, Rosie Jones, Sarah Millican and Paul Smith. 

There is a strong local connection with comedians from Birmingham and the West Midlands such as Jasper Carrott and Stewart Lee featured, as well as brand new, never-seen-before portraits of Lenny Henry, Joe Lycett, Jo Enright and Shazia Mirza taken by Hollingworth especially for this show.

The exhibition also showcases iconic comedy memorabilia and objects, among items on display will be a tour jacket worn by Lenny Henry on his 1984 tour, a costume from Victoria Wood’s Dinnerladies and Joe Lycett’s teddy suit worn in the advertisement for series two of Late Night Lycett.   

A free audio guide is available to accompany this exhibition, with 10 new audios recorded with Andy Hollingworth exclusively for this show. 

A programme of events exploring comedy and creativity will run alongside the exhibition, including artists’ workshops, film screenings and talks.