The Oxford Revue


The Oxford Revue is a comedy group primarily featuring students from Oxford University and Oxford Brookes University, England. Beginning in 1953, The Oxford Revue has produced many prominent comedians, actors and satirists—as is the case with their Cambridge University counterparts, the Footlights. The Revue writes, produces and performs several shows each term in the pubs and theatres around Oxford, as well as touring to cities in the United Kingdom and performing a month-long run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival every year.

History

The Oxford Revue was originally just a revue show, not a troupe—one of many yearly productions at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe organised by the Oxford Theatre Group, or O.T.G.. The earliest Revue was called 1953's 'Cakes and Ale', starring Maggie Smith. Other Fringe Revues of historical note include -
  • 1958's 'All For Money'
  • 1964's self-titled 'Oxford Revue'
  • 1965's 'The Oxford Line'
  • 1977's 'Beyond A Joke'
  • 1978's 'One's Company'
  • 1979's 'You'll Have Had Your Tea'
  • 1987's 'Don't shoot me, I'm only the horses, don't they?'
  • 1988's 'Waving At The Pigeons'
  • 1989's self-titled 'Oxford Revue'.
The term 'Oxford Revue' was initially a generic phrase, used by many Oxford student theatre companies. The Oxford Experimental Theatre Club formed 'The Etceteras' in the early 1960s—this troupe would perform revues around Oxford, while the 'Oxford Revue' would be the main Oxford comedy output at the Fringe. Many students were involved with both endeavours until the late 1970s, when the two troupes began to socially divide—the 1979 Etceteras even brought their own 'Oxford Revue' to the Fringe to directly compete with the O.T.G. offering.
By the early 1980s, the Etceteras had disappeared and the 'Oxford Revue' became a troupe which operated in both Oxford and Edinburgh. The 'Oxford Revue Workshop' was an important aspect of Oxford's comedy culture from its 1986 founding to the 1990s—a fortnightly comedy night based in the cellars beneath the Oxford Union building. Stewart Lee, Richard Herring, Emma Kennedy, David Schneider, Al Murray and Armando Iannucci all relied the 'Workshop' as a performance space during the late 1980s. The Wheatsheaf pub in Oxford became a reliable venue for the Revue during the 2000s, with the Jericho Tavern taking such a role during the 2020s.
Oxford Revue alumni include:

Recent activities

The Revue completed its 72nd Edinburgh Fringe in August 2025, with two shows—the sketch show For Revue Dollars More and the late-night stand-up show Stand-Upping Citizens.

Mascot and logo

The mascot of the Oxford Revue was, for a long time, a pig in a sailor's hat named Admiral Philip, drawn by Revue member Nick Davies in 2013.. In 2021, Philip the Pig's design was updated to include a top hat and bow tie, as well as a New Zealand accent.
The Revue now uses a 'Simpsons font' variant, including a 'OR' abbreviation inspired by the Adult Swim logo.