Not Himself lands at Whitehall Theatre
If you’ve ever watched Father Ted and thought “how is this man delivering nonsense with the calm authority of a newsreader?”, you’ll be delighted to know Ardal O’Hanlon is bringing a brand-new live show to Dundee.
Ardal O’Hanlon: Not Himself comes to Whitehall Theatre on Sunday 13 September 2026 part of a new tour that finds Ardal doing what he does best: gently interrogating modern life until it admits it’s ridiculous.
And if you’ve seen him more recently in Death in Paradise or popping up in Derry Girls, you’ll know he’s still got that unique knack for sounding both baffled and completely in control at the same time.
What’s Not Himself about?
It all kicks off with an “alarming” supermarket moment the kind that makes you stop mid-aisle and think: Who am I? What am I doing? Why is cauliflower suddenly being presented as a main course?
From there, Ardal goes on a wonderfully sideways journey through identity, getting older, and the day-to-day idiocies we’ve all quietly agreed to accept.
Expect him to take aim at:
- A.I.
- chair yoga
- towel animals (aye, the wee hotel ones)
- and the general weirdness of modern living
Ardal’s style is never shouty or spiky for the sake of it it’s more like a brilliantly funny mate who’s noticed something daft, then worries it to death until it becomes a proper joke. Not Himself is billed as a celebration of humour as a kind of healing and honestly, we’ll take whatever medicine comes with laughs.
A comedy legend, hiding in plain sight
Ardal O’Hanlon is genuinely one of the most beloved comics around a founding force in Dublin’s modern comedy scene, and someone who’s been touring his punchy, absurdist stand-up worldwide for years.
He won Hackney Empire New Act of the Year back in 1994 and quickly became a sitcom icon (thanks, Father Ted). But stand-up has always been the through-line: beautifully crafted routines, brilliant turns of phrase, and that signature “cheerful fatalism” that makes even the bleak bits feel oddly uplifting.
He’s also done the big comedy TV hits from Live at the Apollo and Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow to a more recent pop-up on Would I Lie to You? and Taskmaster (yes, even Ardal eventually got dragged into the panel show universe).
What the reviews say
If you like your comedy praised by people who get paid to be hard to impress:
- “Furiously funny stuff…” Metro
- “Charm, intelligence and fabulous phrase-making” The Guardian
- “Highly entertaining and frequently brilliant” Irish Independent
- “Watch him turn innocence into a deadly comic weapon” The Sunday Times
- “…offbeat observation, lateral thought and cheerful fatalism…” The Telegraph
Dundee date + tickets
Ardal O’Hanlon: Not Himself
📍 Whitehall Theatre, Dundee
📅 Sunday 13 September 2026
🔞 Age guidance: 16+
🎟️ Tickets: www.mintofmontrose.com and venue box office (online / in person)
Also in Scotland
Aberdeen — Tivoli Theatre — Tuesday 8 September 2026