Beeston Tales - Last Orders

Beeston Tales is a monthly storytelling night meeting just outside Nottingham. We host our events at Our Lady of the Assumption church hall, Foster Avenue, Beeston, Nottingham, NG9 1AE Parking at the venue. Short walk from a tram stop. Cake and drinks will be available, feel free to bring your own booze! But you can also watch from the comfort of your own home by joining our (unfortunately still a bit temperamental) livestream via Zoom. You'll have to bring your own booze to that as well though.

There is a hypnotic feel to the tales: you’re back round that prehistoric campfire again, rapt. – Matt Turpin, LeftLion. (Read full review.)

Let yourself be transported to worlds that are otherwise unreachable. – Bryony Ashmore, Nottingham City of Literature. (Read full review.)

Last Orders

Three strangers gather in the corner of an inn, leaving the darkness of the road. As the windows rattle and the optics glow, their memories grow hazy but they cling to the stories that have nourished them on their journeys. But why are they there? And who is calling for them from the upstairs bar, ever more insistently? Inspired by The Canterbury Tales, the Cohen Brothers and quite a few lost nights in the pub, Beeston Tales’ own Mike Payton reflects on the stories that make us and keep us tethered to the world. One more for the road…

Lancastrian born but now based in Beeston, Mike takes his tales from Britain’s rich heritage and also from the four corners of the earth. His delivery is warm and engaging, and he has a penchant for the strange and unexplainable.

For the past 9 years, Mike has co-run our own Beeston Tales with storytelling wizard Tim Ralphs He has worked in over 200 schools alongside museums, galleries, festivals, pubs, clubs and cafes throughout the land. In 2010 he was the winner of The Black Country Story Slam, and early in 2011 he was invited by The Society for Storytelling to perform at their annual gathering. In November 2011 he performed at The Wellcome Trust’s Day of the Dead celebrations on a day when the gallery had its busiest ever day​ and he was invited to perform at The British Museum as part of their own Day of the Dead celebrations in 2015

“Mike’s storytelling sessions for the Day of the Dead family event at the Wellcome Collection were the perfect way to celebrate Mexico's most beloved tradition. His passion, enthusiasm and incredible talent kept hundreds mesmerised while making it an unforgettable experience for everybody.”

 - Jimena Gorraez-Belmar, Events curator, The Wellcome Trust

A world premier this side of the veil, this is Mike's first new full length show since 2019 with it's first performance on the home turf of Beeston Tales. Don't miss it... you only live once.