Simon Evans is Staring at the Sun

Thursday 29 January 2026, 7.30pm

The Haymarket, Basingstoke

 

Simon Evans brings his new show Staring at the Sun to The Haymarket on Thursday 29 January.

 

With growing evidence that we are living in a computer simulation – and a pretty glitchy, off-brand simulation at that – and the approaching watershed of the AI singularity looming like a weirdly pixelated cumulo-nimbus on the horizon, BBC Radio 4 stalwart and veteran of a quarter century of stand-up comedy, Simon Evans is squinting at an uncertain future, revisiting the blue remembered hills of his youth, and trying to stay human as the world around him gets smarter.

 

With ‘reality’ feeling increasingly unstable, Evans looks ahead to the coming shockwaves of technology, and back to the analogue pleasures of hitch-hiking, pub bets, and getting properly lost. Turning his famously dry, surgically precise style on the big modern questions: Are we living in a computer simulation? What happens when your body starts issuing software updates you didn’t request? And is staring straight at a solar eclipse, against expert advice, actually an act of courageous self-sacrifice on the road to true enlightenment?

 

Staring at the Sun is an hilarious analysis of reality and trust  from a man trying to keep his balance while the floor keeps moving. The tone is unmistakably Evans: provocative, literate, and playfully combative, but also soaked in self-awareness.

 

Evans’ TV credits include appearances on BBC One’s Live at the Apollo, Michael McIntyre’s Roadshow, and a season of Channel 4’s Stand Up for the Week. On BBC Radio 4, he can be heard on Simon Evans Goes to Market and The News Quiz.

 

Tickets are priced at £22 (includes £4 booking fee). Contact the Anvil Arts box office on 01256 844244 or visit anvilarts.org.uk.  The show is suitable for ages 14 and over.