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Taskmaster favourite Mike Wozniak announced for 2026 Southport Comedy Festival

LEGENDARY fan favourite contestant on BAFTA and Rose D'Or winning Taskmaster, star of RTS Award winning Junior Taskmaster, and host of hit cult 3 Bean Salad Podcast, Mike Wozniak has been announced as the latest act to join the line-up for the Southport Comedy Festival 2026, in association with Halliwell Jones Kia Southport.

Wozniak will bring his brand new stand up show The Bench to the festival on:- Tuesday, 13 October 2026, with tickets going on sale at:- 10am on:- Friday, 6 March 2026.

This tour marks Wozniak's biggest to date and is already selling out venues nationwide, with additional dates added due to demand.

The Bench features brand-new material from the:- "deliciously distinctive" (Bruce Dessau, The Evening Standard) comedian, in which, as the title suggests, a story about a bench will play a prominent role. Previous experience of, or strong opinions about, benches are not required. Let Mike worry about that.

Wozniak is widely recognised for playing Brian in the Channel 4 sitcom Man Down and for creating some of the most memorable moments in Series 11 of Taskmaster. He has also appeared on the BBC 1 panel show Would I Lie to You?, as well as numerous television and radio productions including:- We Are Not Alone, Horrible Histories, and It's Kevin. His film credits include:- Prevenge, directed by Alice Lowe.

Wozniak currently stars in the BBC's new adaptation of the children's novel Dexter Procter:- The 10 Year Old Doctor, written and created by Adam Kay, alongside:- Jameela Jamil, Konnie Huq, Harry Enfield, and Sue Johnston.

A prolific writer, Wozniak's credits include series:- 3 and 4 of Man Down, all 4 series of Small Scenes (BBC Radio 4), and the Sky Arts physical comedy Ruby Robinson, starring Kim Cattrall. He also wrote and directed the short film Sump, starring Gemma Whelan, Daniel Rigby, and Jeany Spark, which screened at festivals worldwide including:- the Palm Springs International Film Festival and won the Special Jury Prize at the Amsterdam Film Festival.

As a stand up, Wozniak has been a regular at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and has written numerous solo shows. His debut show was nominated for Best Newcomer in 2008, while his 2013 show Take The Hit received a Best Show nomination. Most recently, his 1 man show Zusa toured the UK and Ireland to sold-out audiences.

Mike Wozniak is the 7th show to be revealed for the 2026 programme, joining an already stellar line up including:- festival favourite Jason Byrne, German comedy ambassador Henning Wehn, king of the 1 liners Gary Delaney, legendary improv duo Paul Merton and Suki Webster, multi award winning comedian Scott Bennett, and rapidly rising comedy and TV star Laura Smyth. More shows will be announced in the coming weeks.

The 15 annual Southport Comedy Festival runs from:- 2 October to 18 October 2026, returning for the sixth consecutive year to its luxury, fully seated and heated Elite Events marquee in the beautiful surroundings of Victoria Park, home of the world famous Southport Flower Show.