26,000 tickets sold as Goalhanger wraps inaugural The Rest Is Fest at Southbank Centre
Goalhanger has wrapped the inaugural The Rest Is Fest, following three days of live podcasting at London’s Southbank Centre which saw 26,000 tickets sold across 22 shows.
Taking over the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room from 4-6 September, the festival brought much of the Goalhanger network together in one place for the first time, with live shows, special collaborations and one-off formats spanning politics, history, football, entertainment, science, money, literature, espionage and drama.
Headline moments included Gary Lineker in conversation with Stanley Tucci; the first live editions of The Rest Is Football, The Rest Is Money, The Book Club and The Rest Is Science; two performances from The Rest Is History; live editions of The Rest Is Politics and The Rest Is Politics US; and The Rest Is Quiz, a one-night-only battle of the brains featuring some of Goalhanger’s brightest minds, hosted by Richard Osman and Marina Hyde.
The programme also featured The Rest Is Entertainment, Empire, The Book Club, Sherlock & Co., We Have Ways of Making You Talk and Football Clichés, alongside festival exclusives including Scaramucci vs The Rest Is Classified: Team America, Tom Holland and Marina Hyde’s The Real Housewives of Regency England, and The Special Relationship, a special collaboration bringing together The Rest Is Politics and The Rest Is Politics US.
Guests appearing across the weekend included Stanley Tucci, Mary Beard, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Joe Marler, Josephine Quinn, Ali Ansari Aziz Abu Sarah and Maoz Inon, among others.
Tony Pastor, Co-Founder at Goalhanger, said:
“It’s been an incredible weekend: 22 shows and 26,000 tickets sold. More importantly, the response from audiences has been extraordinary. Around 85% of people came specifically to see one particular show, which says so much about the passion people have for these shows and the communities that have grown around them. Bringing all of those different audiences together under one roof - from The Rest Is Politics and Empire to We Have Ways, The Rest Is Entertainment and so many more - has been really special. We’re incredibly proud of what the whole Goalhanger team, our talent and everyone at the Southbank Centre created this weekend.”
The festival formed part of the Southbank Centre’s 75th anniversary programme, drawing inspiration from the spirit of the 1951 Festival of Britain and bringing three days of ideas, curiosity, conversation and storytelling back to the South Bank.
Anthony Scaramucci vs The Rest is Classified
Rory Stewart and Alastair Campell, with Katty Kay and Anthony Scaramucci
Richard Osman and Marina Hyde from The Rest is Entertainment
The Goalhanger Quiz
Sherlock and Co perform live
The Book Club
The Rest is History plays out to a packed theatre
Empire, live
The Rest is Politics US: Katty Kay and Anthony Scaramucci
The Rest is Classified
The Rest is Football
Pictures: Goalhanger / Victor Frankowski / James Robinson
About Goalhanger
Goalhanger is the UK’s largest independent podcast producer and the biggest outside the US. We make chart-topping, story-first shows across history, politics, sport, business, entertainment, current affairs, and audio drama, reaching tens of millions around the world each month. Our podcasts include The Rest Is History, The Rest Is Politics, Empire, The Rest Is Entertainment, The Rest Is Politics: US, Leading, The Rest Is Money, Journey Through Time, The Rest Is Football, Sherlock & Co., The Rest Is Classified, The Rest Is Football: Daly Brightness, and We Have Ways of Making You Talk. In 2024 alone, our programmes were downloaded over 400 million times. But Goalhanger is more than just a podcast network. We’re a new-generation cultural media brand producing across YouTube, live events, and long-form audio. From in-depth interviews and cultural commentary to immersive storytelling, everything we create is rooted in trust, talent, and curiosity. Goalhanger is shaping the future of media, one great conversation at a time. Read more here: https://www.goalhangerpodcasts.com/
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