ON OUR RADAR

Spork! Christmas special

Spork! presents poetry, comedy and live music from Joelle Taylor, Luke Wright, BopaRhys and friends, with carols from the Exeter Railway Band.

Leigh Curtis

Spork! presents a Christmas special at Exeter Phoenix on 14 December featuring poetry, comedy and live music from Joelle Taylor, Luke Wright, BopaRhys and friends, with carols from the Exeter Railway Band.

Joelle Taylor Joelle Taylor

Joelle Taylor is an award winning poet, playwright and author.

A former UK slam champion, she founded the national youth slam championships SLAMbassadors in 2001 for the Poetry Society and was its Artistic Director and National Coach until 2018.

She is the author of four collections of poetry and is currently completing her debut collection of inter-connecting short stories The Night Alphabet.

She won the 2021 T.S.Eliot Prize for her poetry collection C+NTO & Othered Poems, published by Westbourne Press.

Luke Wright Luke Wright

Luke Wright is a founder member of poetry collective Aisle16.

He has written four poetry collections and several verse plays. His latest pamphlet won the Saboteur Award in 2019.

He has been a regular support act for John Cooper Clarke and in 2007 hosted a two day poetry event at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Exeter Railway Band Exeter Railway Band

There will also be Christmas carols led by the Exeter Railway Band, a traditional brass band originally founded in 1944, and drag artist BopaRhys will be joined by singer Mrs Clause and comedienne Valley Gal for festive songs, jokes and stories.

Subscribe to The Exeter Digest - Exeter Observer's essential free email newsletter

Your personal information will be processed and stored in accordance with our Privacy Policy

Spork! Christmas special is at 7.30pm on Wednesday 14 December 2022 at Exeter Phoenix.

Tickets cost £8, or £5 for students or under-25s, and are available from the Exeter Phoenix website.


Democracy doesn't work when people don't know who is deciding what on whose behalf and what the costs and consequences of those decisions will be.

Exeter Observer is proving that reader-funded media can deliver the independent public interest journalism our local democracy needs.

Upgrade to a paid Exeter Observer subscription to support our work and get access to exclusive premium content and more.

More stories
Exeter Energy heat plant indicative render north elevation

Exeter City Council disregards national planning policy and Environment Agency criticism to approve Riverside Valley Park flood zone heat plant plans

Five gas boilers to provide 80% of “low-to-zero carbon” Grace Road Fields plant generation capacity for distribution to institutional consumers through privately-run 13-mile underground network expected to take ten years to complete.

University of Exeter West Park redevelopment demolition block plan

West Park redevelopment demolitions to proceed to enable intrusive unexploded ordnance surveys before works can begin

Five year-old University of Exeter plans to provide 2,000 new student bedspaces in blocks up to nine storeys tall by demolishing up to 30 buildings on fifteen acre Streatham campus site about to take seismic step towards delivery.

His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary Fire and Rescue Services logo

HMICFRS identifies sufficient Devon & Cornwall Police improvements to return force to routine monitoring

Inspectorate decision follows nearly three years of enhanced monitoring after force found inadequate in three of nine areas and requiring improvement in two more, but says “still work to do” in crime recording standards and investigations management.

Devon & Cornwall Police deputy chief constable Jim Colwell, previous chief constable Will Kerr and interim chief constable James Vaughan

Devon & Cornwall Police deputy chief constable Jim Colwell receives 18-month misconduct warning

Outcome of Independent Office for Police Conduct investigation delivered day before retirement of suspended chief constable Will Kerr announced, with Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez unwilling to say whether “golden handshake” agreed.

Newtown active travel scheme map

Newtown active travel scheme approved after four years of public consultations

Joint Devon County Council and Exeter City Council project includes road closure, car parking changes and contraflow Clifton Hill cycle lane.