Critically acclaimed football drama scores West End finale

Photo credit: Rah Petherbridge

Exploring the beautiful game's ugly side, award-winning hit show Why I Stuck a Flare Up my Ar*e for England will play its last UK show at the Garrick Theatre on 21 June.

Inspired by the England fan who went viral for putting a lit flare in his buttocks before the European Football Championships Final in 2021, the show tells the story of die-hard football fanatic Billy who eats, sleeps, and breathes the sport alongside his best mate Adam. But what begins as a shared passion quickly spirals into something more dangerous when they fall in with a new crowd. Looking at the darker underbelly of football culture, what follows is a funny, raw and honest look at tribalism, toxic masculinity, and the desperate search for a place to belong, timely ahead of the Men’s Football World Cup and the fifth anniversary of the European Football Championships.

Why I Stuck A Flare Up My Ar*e for England premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2023 and returned in 2024 and 2025 for successive sell-out runs. The show has since toured across the UK including London runs at Southwark Playhouse, Wiltons Music Hall and Underbelly as well as internationally in Australia, winning the Holden Street Theatres Award, the Best Theatre & Physical Theatre Award at Adelaide Fringe, Best Theatre & Performance at Perth Fringe World, and an Offie Award. Football icon Chris Kamara and TV presenter Ben Shephard have lent their voices to the show as radio presenters. The play was published by Methuen Drama in 2025. Following the final date at the Garrick, the show will travel over to New York as part of Soho Playhouse's Fringe Encore Series from 8-18 July.

Writer, actor and producer Alex Hill and director Sean Turner said: “We're beyond thrilled to announce that our little one-man football show, which previewed at the Old Red Lion pub theatre before playing a 50-seater hotel conference room at the Edinburgh Fringe back in 2023, has made it to the West End. It genuinely feels like a dream come true. We’re so thankful to everyone who has supported, worked on and been part of the show over the last few years. Finishing the show in the West End and then Off-Broadway alongside the World Cup was never part of the plan, and we’re incredibly grateful for this opportunity. We can’t wait to set off one final flare.”

For more info on Why I Stuck A Flare Up My Ar*e for England, please click here.