Author and comedian Marc Burrows has been enthralling audiences across the UK with a journey through the life and work of Sir Terry Pratchett in his stage show, The Magic of Terry Pratchett, based on his Locus Award-winning biography and officially endorsed by the author’s estate.

Following a run at Edinburgh Fringe, there are still several dates to go this year, with more to be announced for 2025, for The Magic of Terry Pratchett, which is suitable for ages eight and up.

Over sixty minutes, Marc explores Pratchett’s life, influences, impact, wit and wisdom, from his days as a school librarian to his time as a trainee journalist to his untimely death from Alzheimers in 2015.

Celebrate the 40th anniversary of Discworld and discover the joy, anger, and delicious cock‘n’ bull stories of one of the greatest storytellers of all time.

Warning: includes bad puns and unnecessary footnotes.

Talking to Edinburgh Reviews earlier this year, Marc was keen to say you don’t need to know the story of Discworld to enjoy his show.

“It’s something I’ve been really keen on from the word go – it had to be accessible to non-fans,” he said. “If you’re a huge fan then there’s some stuff you’ll get more from, but I think it really works even if you’ve never heard of Terry Pratchett. It’s the story of an interesting life. My hope it that you’ll be inspired to pick up a book, though!”

Marc Burrows is an author, critic, comic and musician based in London, UK. His biography of Sir Terry Pratchett was published in 2020 to considerable acclaim, winning the Locus Award for best non fiction in 2021. 

He writes, mostly about music and film, for The Guardian, The Observer, The Quietus, the i Paper, Music OMH, the New Statesmen and Hey U Guys, among many others.

He has a background in stand up comedy and has performed several runs of his one-man shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, as well as around the country. He also plays bass in the cult Victoriana punk band, The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing. The band has performed at festivals such as Download, Glastonbury, Bestival, and Latitude, and they have toured the UK and US.

Before his death in 2015 Sir Terry Pratchett sold more than 85 million copies of his books worldwide. Best known for the Discworld series, his work has been translated into 37 languages, and performed as plays on every continent in the world, including Antarctica.

In his biography, The Magic of Terry Pratchett, Marc delves into the back story of one of UK’s most enduring and beloved authors, from his childhood in the Chiltern Hills, to his time as a journalist, and the journey that would take him – via more than sixty best-selling books – to an OBE, a knighthood and national treasure status. The book is the result of painstaking archival research alongside interviews with friends and contemporaries who knew the real man under the famous black hat, helping to piece together the full story of one of British literature’s most remarkable and beloved figures for the very first time.

• Signed copies of the paperback edition of The Magic of Terry Pratchett are available here

• Marc Burrows is online at marcburrows.co.uk | Instagram | X

REMAINING 2024 DATES

5th September – Brewery Arts, Kendal – TICKETS
7th September – City Varieties, Leeds – TICKETS
8th September – Leadmill, Sheffield – TICKETS 
12th September – Queens Hall, Narberth, Wales – TICKETS
13th September – The Grand, Swansea, Wales – TICKETS 
18th September – The Savoy, Monmouth, Wales – TICKETS 
19th September – Redgrave Theatre, Bristol – TICKETS
20th September – The Maltings, Farnham – TICKETS
22nd September – Chequermead Theatre, East Grinstead – TICKETS 
25th September – Town Hall, Cheltenham – TICKETS 
28th September – Arts Centre, Warwick – TICKETS

3rd October – The Witham, Barnard Castle – TICKETS
4th October – Waterside Arts, Sale – TICKETS 
17th October – Arts Centre, Pocklington – TICKETS
20th October – Chelmsford Theatre, Chelmsford- TICKETS 

12th December – Arts Centre, Salisbury – TICKETS

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.

Categories: downthetubes News

Tags: Discworld, downthetubes News, Events, Marc Burrows, Sir Terry Pratchett