Halloween may be behind us, but the nights are only getting darker. After sell-out runs across the UK and in London, ThickSkin’s chilling ghost story It Walks Around The House At Night is back on tour, and it arrives at Watford Palace Theatre on Friday 13th November, the final stop of its autumn tour. A ghost story on Friday the 13th could hardly be better timed.
A Role of a Lifetime, and More Than He Bargained For
The play follows Joe, a struggling out-of-work actor who takes an unusual job at an old countryside manor: pretending to be its ghost. It sounds like easy money, until he realises he may not be the only presence wandering the house after dark.
George Naylor, whose credits include The Mousetrap in the West End and on tour, returns as Joe, with Oliver Baines as The Dancer, the unsettling figure whose arrival signals that Joe’s nights on the estate are spiralling out of control.
A Creative Team Built to Unnerve
The play is written by Bruntwood Prize-winning playwright Tim Foley, whose work includes Jurassic at Soho Theatre, Electric Rosary at the Royal Exchange and the touring production Driftwood. It’s directed by ThickSkin’s Artistic Director, Neil Bettles.
Much of the fear comes from what you see and hear. Olivier Award-winner Joshua Pharo, whose credits include KENREX, Wolf Witch Giant Fairy at the Royal Opera House and Noughts and Crosses at Regent’s Park, designs the lighting and video, while Tony Award-winner Pete Malkin creates the sound. Expect a production that uses darkness, projection and sound to keep the audience on edge.
Why It’s Worth Booking
Stage ghost stories live or die on atmosphere, and this one has built its reputation on it, selling out on its previous runs. With only one night in Watford, and the tour ending there, it’s a rare chance to catch it close to home. Bring someone you don’t mind gripping.
Show Details
Show: It Walks Around The House At Night by Tim Foley
Company: ThickSkin
Date: Friday 13th November 2026
Venue: Watford Palace Theatre, Watford, Hertfordshire
Tickets: watfordpalacetheatre.co.uk
Production photography: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan
