Happy New Year!

Welcome to our new website and the New Year 2026!

It’s only the beginning of January and already we have had quite a year. The Jessies invited

everyone round for an afternoon New Year bash which finished so early everyone was back

in their Jammies by 7pm!

Since then, we have had our first Comedy Club of the year with a stella collection of local

comedy talent, including the return of Ed Whitley, James the Hobbit and regular MC, John

(Taps Aff) Carruthers, with the wonderful Gita Blaze headlining.

Judith Bowers also started the year with a fantastic review in The Westender about her work

in Britannia Panopticon and her new books “The Magic Lantern Trilogy” of which parts one

and two are available to buy from the auditorium gift shop or online from https://jasami-

publishing-production-cic.square.site/ To read the article about the books and their

connection to the music hall, go to https://westendermagazine.com/online-only/britannia-

panopticon-glasgow/

Next, we are looking forward to our Burns Night Show on Saturday 24 th January. Tickets are

only available online in advance from www.ticketsource.co.uk/panopticon We have so many

great acts to share with you, it promises to be the most Scottish of Scottish variety shows,

but remember, Britannia Panopticon Music Hall is an ongoing conservation project and it is

not heated – so make sure you’re wearing your thickest thermals and plenty of layers. There

will also be plenty of whisky to warm your cockles and toast the bard.

Now, last summer (which seems a long time ago now) we had a special BBC TV crew in

filming, but we were sworn to secrecy. Now, however, we have been given permission share

the news and the transmission date. The program in question is The Repair Shop on the

Road, and presenter, Dominic Chinea, came to help Jamie Mclaren of Mclaren’s Pianos,

repair our old Pianola, Henrietta. Henrietta was built in 1904 and guaranteed for 10 years.

Thanks to Jamie and Dominic the pianola should last a few more. The episode featuring the

Britannia Panopticon Music Hall and Henrietta will be aired on BBC Scotland at 8pm on

Monday the 19 th January. It will also be available on iPlayer afterwards and it will be featured

later in the year on the extended series which will be networked across the UK. We hope

that the publicity will bring us more awareness and visitors. Keep an eye out on our events

pages for updates on special open days and we hope to see you soon. Until we do…

Slàinte Mhath!