I havn’t seen a laser and lights bonfire night show but the idea is intriguing.
There’s one in Bideford next Friday (see below).
It’s safer and ticks the eco-friendly box, but will it create the same atmosphere without gunpowder smells and rocket launches?
If you’ve been to a laser firework display, let me know what it was like in the member poll below.
Yours in Devon,
P.S. I treated myself to a front row seat to see Van Morrison at Plymouth Arena. Damn, that man can blast a saxophone!
Who needs fireworks when you’ve got lasers?
Out with the fireworks, in with the lasers, flame effects and music.
That’s bonfire night with an eco-friendly twist at Kingsley School in Bideford.
All profits go to Tabitha's Smile, the North Devon charity founded in memory of former pupil Tabitha Tulloch-Peet.
Friday 6th November. Tickets: £27.80. No dogs or sparklers.
Gifts from the Devon present makers
Ideal Christmas presents? Admire and buy contemporary craft at the Thelma Hulbert Gallery in Honiton.
Each piece is selected to highlight the quality, variety and dynamism of local designer makers from across the South West.
At Present Makers 2026 explore jewellery, ceramics, textiles, prints, wood and glass plus Christmas cards and decorations. All at a range of price points.
Saturday 7th November 2026 to Christmas Eve.
If you don’t find your thing, or Honiton is too far, MAKE South West in Bovey Tracey is running Find a Maker Christmas Showcase
Saturday 7th November 2026 to Saturday 16th January 2027.
Happy Hunting.
Crazy comedian returns
Has it really been 25 years since master of the surreal Dom Joly hit our screens?
Trigger Happy TV combined the hidden camera format with weird characters and unforgettable pranks.
The revival is a live stage tour that comes to Great Torrington next month.
It’s your chance to relive those moments with The Giant Snail, The Traffic Warden and The Morris Dancer. What?
Saturday 14th November, The Plough Arts Centre, Torrington. Tickets: £32.55
Also appearing at Queens Theatre, Barnstaple, on 21st April 2027 and Exmouth Pavilion on 28th April 2027.
Homeostasis: music and light fusion
Baritone saxophone meets modular synthesiser.
Fusion artists Pierre-Luc Lecours and Ida Toninato mix their music with real-time video projected behind them on a screen.
They are “exploring the intersection of nature and humanity” in “an ongoing process of creating and disrupting balance.”
I don’t know what this means but it looks interesting and I can’t think of a better place to find out in the immersive dome at Market Hall, Devonport.
Homeostasis. 7:30pm, Tuesday 24th November. Tickets: £18.75
Adult pantomimes near you
Traditional pantomime can be “same old, same old”, so try these cheeky, offbeat takes.
Sleeping Beauty - No Kids Allowed, playing at Exeter Northcott Theatre In December and January, contains adult humour, swearing and naughtiness.
Puss & Dick at the Queens Theatre, Barnstaple in January promises slick, farcical fun and bawdy sexual innuendo.
And Tinderella – Two Balls, One Happy Ending, pushes decency to the limit at the Palace Theatre, Paignton in February.
Plus look forward to Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs in Torquay in May 2027 and The Unspoken Adventures of Peter Pan in Barnstaple in June.
Member poll
Last week’s poll
Did anyone in your family serve in the Devonshire Regiment? Where and when did they serve?
Nearly 20% of you have a family connection, according to the poll.
Angela said: “My grandfather - 1st Royal Devon Yeo 1912 - 1917. 2/4 Devons 1917 RASO 1917-1919. He was awarded the 1914-15 Star General Service and Victory Medal”
Anthony said: “My grandfather and great uncles served in the 1/5th Devonshire regiment, Prince of Wales Battalion.”
A talk on the Devonshire Regiment takes place at 7pm, Tuesday 10th November, Roland Levinsky Building, University of Plymouth. Tickets: £6
Devon Curiosities #130: Knightshayes
If you’re into gargoyles, this is the place.
The gothic revival architecture is Marmite but Knightshayes near Tiverton is one of the best examples of the style in the country, up there with the Palace of Westminster.
The creator William Burges was fired by the owners for pushing the limits with interior design ideas.
It’s a good shout for a wet or dry day out.
Miles of dog-friendly parkland and woodland paths
Outstanding botanical planting and working kitchen garden
Quirky interiors and colourful ceilings
Cafe, second hand bookshop and plant centre
🎄 The ground floor is open and decorated for Christmas between 28th November and 3rd January (closed 24th, 25th and 26th December). Admission £18.
Refreshments nearby. Stables Cafe onsite, or try The Lost Kitchen, Chettiscombe, a converted barn open Wednesday to Sunday.
The Canal Tea Rooms, Tiverton are a good choice for a traditional cream tea then a stroll along the Grand Western Canal. Check opening times.
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🔭 This Weekend + North
OCTOBER
Sat 31st
CRAFT WORKSHOP | 🗿 Terracotta Gargoyles for Your Garden or Home | Bridge Hall, Barnstaple | £70
CRAFT WORKSHOP | 🍽️ Dishy Dishes with Simon Bayliss | The Burton at Bideford | £80
CONCERT | 🎻 North Devon Sinfonia Autumn Concert | Landmark Theatre, Ilfracombe | From £14
NOVEMBER
Mon 2nd
OPERA | 🎭 English Touring Opera: Ariadne | Dido & Aeneas | Queen's Theatre, Barnstaple | £29
Tue 3rd
OPERA | 🎭 English Touring Opera: Orpheus & Eurydice | Queen's Theatre, Barnstaple | £29
THEATRE | 🎭 Remembrance Theatre: The Snow Goose | St Mary the Virgin, Bishop's Nympton | £2.50
Planning further ahead? Click here for more North Devon events
🔭 This Weekend + South
OCTOBER
Sat 31st
MARKET | 🎨 Makers Market | GWR Staff Association, The Royal Avenue, Exmouth | Free
CRAFT WORKSHOP | 🖨️ Introduction to Plate Lithography Printmaking | Make South West, Bovey Tracey | £50
CRAFT WORKSHOP | ☀️ Cyanotype Crafting Workshop | Wembury Marine Centre, Wembury | £12.50
NOVEMBER
Sun 1st
LUNCH | Jazz Sunday Lunch | Bedford Hotel, Tavistock | £40
Tue 3rd to Tue 1st Dec
COURSE | 📖 Textile Memory Books 5-week course | Exeter Phoenix, Exeter | £135
Planning further ahead? Click here for more South Devon events
Submit an event for the listings here. It’s free!
🏆 Get lucky! Win Devon leisure prizes
FEATURED: 🌊 A cosy 2-night escape for 2 with breakfast both days and dinner and drinks for 1 night at The Masons Arms, Branscombe (10th Nov)
🍷 A delicious lunch for 2 with drinks at The Kitchen at The Donkey Sanctuary, near Sidmouth (31st Oct)
🦌 A 1-night stay for 2 including a 3-course dinner and full breakfast at the idlyllic Two Bridges Hotel on Dartmoor (31st Oct)
🏇 2 Exeter Racecourse tickets for the Sunday 22nd November meet, including a pie and a drink. Entrants must have TQ or EX postcodes (31st Oct)
🪸 A 3 or 4 night break for 4 people at Seadrift, a beautiful waterside escape in Appledore (31st Oct)
NEW! ♨ A two-night cosy cabin stay in Devon, including a private wood-fired hot tub, BBQ with pizza oven, a fire pit, plus £100 to spend at Tesco Whoosh! (22nd Nov)
🌳 A week at the dog-free Parkland camping site near Kingsbridge for 2 adults and a caravan, motorhome, campervan, or tent, to be taken whenever you like (6th Jan)
More competitions? Click here
Did you win something? Let me know
New member? Catch up here
That’s all for this week. Thanks for being a member.
NEXT ISSUE Muddy Mutts
Andy, Esme and Lara
Cream first. The one and only way to eat scones, whatever they say in Cornwall
