My Bristol Favourites: Antonia Forster

Antonia Forster is a science presenter, comedian and public speaker. She has performed at Kew Gardens, the Wilderness Festival and BBC Radio Bristol, and became a TEDx speaker in November 2017 when she addressed 2,000 people in the Colston Hall to speak about polyamory and LGBT in the animal kingdom.

Here are Antonia’s top-five Bristol favourites:

Hydra Books

“Hydra is one of Bristol’s hidden gems. As well as possibly the cheapest coffee in the city – £1 for an Americano – they have a huge amount of radical literature including books from independent publishers and authors. Maybe that’s why it’s always full of interesting people! It’s my favourite place to hide away from the world, and get lost in new ideas.”

The Invisible Circus

The Invisible Circus’ legendary Carny Ville show at The Island

“The Invisible Circus is one of my favourite performance groups in Bristol. They know how to party! I’ve been to a couple of their shows and I’m always blown away by the quality and originality of their performers. Their real skill is not just in physical performance, but in storytelling. Everything from their costumes to dialogue to the venue’s decor is always tailored to build another world and immerse yourself in the story. Even the audience members look incredible, with fancy dress themes like ‘Artificial Unintelligence’ or ‘Medieval Madness meets Chaos Clowns’. If you love dressing up and raucous performance, I can’t recommend it enough.”

Flour & Ash

“I’m a huge fan of any Italian food and after spending a month travelling through Italy I discovered the taste of real pizza and gelato. Domino’s is ruined for me! Luckily, Flour & Ash on Cheltenham Road has me covered. The pizza here is DIVINE. If you’re not a vegetarian, I’d recommend the ox cheek and red wine ragu, followed by a pistachio gelato. The only risk is that this will raise your pizza-quality expectations, and you won’t be able to accept sub-par takeaway in future. You’ve been warned.”

Bristol Improv Theatre

https://twitter.com/BITheatre/status/942104498406920193

“Bristol Improv Theatre just off Whiteladies Road is another hidden gem. It’s the first dedicated improv theatre in the entire UK, and home to Bristol’s funniest performers. And no, I’m not involved, so this isn’t self-promotion! Every show is different so you can even see the same show multiple times and it will always be a completely unique performance. Their shows are based around different themes like a political battle, a Dungeons & Dragons adventure or a whodunnit where the audience choose the murderer. They also run workshops, improv jams (basically play, for adults) and La La Bar – a singalong night with musical theatre (and sometimes Disney) tunes.”

Planetarium Nights

“Planetarium Nights is a 3D astronomy experience for adults at We The Curious. You can drink, laugh, learn and be humbled by the unimaginably vast expanse of the universe. The venue is the only 3D planetarium in the UK, which means you really feel like you’re flying in space. Especially after a glass of wine. It’s also in 360-degrees, with 4K UltraHD visuals and 5.1 Dolby surround sound. Basically, it’s really really good. I might be biased because I present some of the shows, but this is one of the best date nights in Bristol! There’s nothing more romantic than intergalactic travel.”

Read more: We The Curious launches manifesto