James Demaine and Alexander Knott discuss The Highgate Vampire's transfer to The Cockpit

Long before urban legends became viral clickbait, North London was transfixed by the strange and sensational tale of the Highgate Vampire, a story that blurred the lines between folklore, media frenzy and mass hysteria. Now revived for the stage, The Highgate Vampire transforms this infamous chapter of 1970s London history into a riotous dark comedy, blending absurd humour with eerie storytelling. 

After successful runs at The Glitch and Omnibus Theatre, the show is transferring to The Cockpit. We caught up with James Demaine and Alexander Knott from the Bag of Beard team to talk inspiration, adaptation and bringing a legendary vampire back to life.

What drew you to the story of the Highgate Vampire, and how did you decide on the tone while balancing horror, history and humour?

James: I first heard of the tale from a London-based storyteller as a short interlude about some of the more esoteric and bizarre episodes in the city’s history, and I was immediately hooked. After a plethora of internet rabbit holes, I became obsessed. When Alex and I started riffing on it, the two protagonists felt like ideal vehicles for a Monty Python / Mighty Boosh–style surrealist buddy comedy. There is such a wealth of moments that defy belief that the tone almost presents itself: genuinely spooky, very funny, and rooted in something that is, uncomfortably, more true than you might like.

Alex: This whole thing started with James Demaine. He’s into his occult, his gothic horror, his folk tales, so I shouldn’t have been surprised. He loves the weird and wonderful. He brought this story to me while we were rehearsing another play entirely, and we were improvising within 5 minutes. We sometimes say “Oh it wrote itself”, and of course it didn’t but it was a world and a pair of characters that were very easy to slip into and let run away with themselves. Our work always has a strain of dark humour running through it, but this is one of the most bizarre ones!

How much of the original legend did you keep, and where did you allow yourselves creative freedom for dramatic or comedic effect?

James: We researched thoroughly all the accounts of what happened in North London in the late 1960s and early 1970s, to the point where we had a real grip on the narrative. I spent a lot of time looking at the origins of vampires across cultures as well. Then we put all that to one side and wrote a two-hander about two men with unmet ambition, making one final attempt to be taken seriously in their chosen field. At a certain point you have to trust that the research has been done; it isn’t an essay, so you can take some artistic license. Ultimately it’s a very human play, despite being very, very silly at times.

Alex: Our slogan is accurate. ‘More of this is true than we would like.’ It is true, we are assured, that Highgate Cemetery was broken into by a horde of people who had read in the papers that there was a Vampire loose … There were two men - this is true - and one was (or claimed to be) a Priest and the other ran a tobacconist’s shop and had an interest in the occult. We’ve dialled up the truth, stretched it and made it surreal but ultimately there is a grain of truth at the centre.

Taking inspiration from the likes of The Mighty Boosh and Monty Python, is there a part of the show you most enjoy performing or even a favourite line?

James: What I enjoy most is the sense that it becomes an all-out play almost against the characters’ will. It starts as a lecture to an occult members’ club and then unravels, with wacky characters and darkening shadows creeping in. The pleasure is in that collision of seriousness and absurdity — watching two men desperately try to maintain authority while everything slips into Monty Python-esque nonsense around them.

Alex: In the beginning, as soon as we started improvising and scripting that improv, one of us raised an eyebrow. Possibly a moustache was wiggled. ‘Sheffield.’ Said one, in greeting. Already pissed off. ‘Farringdon.’ Said the other. They couldn’t stand each other. And that was enough to be going on with. We let our favourite esoteric and downright odd comedians seep in - there’s more than a touch of Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding to these two characters. At one point I call Farringdon “A f*cking druid” which always raises a laugh and I enjoy withering James with.

The piece was first performed at The Glitch and Omnibus Theatre before transferring to The Cockpit. How has the show changed or developed with each new space and audience?

James: Neither of us are particularly precious about the words we’ve written; we just want the show to be as entertaining as possible. During rehearsal and performance, large changes were made to what was originally written. Having a director like Ryan Hutton, who came in with a fresh set of eyes and ears, was crucial. Each space and audience sharpened the comedy, the pacing and the character beats, and the show really benefited from being tested in front of people before evolving further.

Alex: The way it tends to work with us is, Ryan and myself are the joint directors of the company as a whole and Ryan is brilliant at directing the plays with a really dynamic, actor-focused energy. James acts, writes, plays music, designs sound and so does Samuel Heron (who is the composer of this play). Over the years we’ve all been in them, we’ve all written them, and that energy infuses us as a collective. I love to find the “dance” of a play, where you know exactly where to be in the space and how to find the music and the patter of the dialogue, you can get a lot of freedom from that structure. Simultaneously, we’re always tinkering, changing and playing around, so the show at The Cockpit will be different again to the previous versions.

Are there any other myths or urban legends you’d love to explore theatrically in the future?

James: I’m endlessly fascinated by local folklore. I was raised on banshees, ghosts and fairies, and I’ve always loved stories like Black Shuck, the Green Man, the Pendle Witches and King Arthur. Recently I’ve been very taken with Spring-heeled Jack, who terrorised Victorian London with fiery eyes and clawed hands. Those strange, hidden bits of history and mythology are irresistible.

Alex: The company was named for the fact that I kept a paper bag full of false beard in my locker at drama school for a Jacobean tragedy. A bag of beard. The DNA of this collective is steeped a little bit in that tragedy, in a sense of the grotesque, the dark, the possibility of the bloody and the awful, but then balanced by the fact that we all believe humour is integral to bringing an audience into the story. We’ve sometimes lured a crowd into a false sense of comedy and sucker punched them with something horrible, which can be a cheap thrill or equally, quite effective. At the moment, James and I are both interested in the countryside and the mythic quality of that, in different ways, and Ryan’s looking to explore something London-centric. So, I think we’re all looking at myths and urban legends combined into something strange and theatrical!

For those unfamiliar with the Highgate Vampire legend, what do you hope audiences take away, whether a deeper look at folklore, a commentary on media sensationalism, or simply an unforgettable night of spooky fun?

James: I hope people become as interested in the case as we are and feel compelled to do a Google and plunge into the rabbit hole - it’s bonkers. Beyond that, I just hope they’re entertained. We set out to make something that is escapism, full of wordplay and quick-fire gags. We want people to laugh, to say “no way!”, and to walk out having had an unforgettable, spooky, and very fun night at the theatre.

Alex: Yes, many a Google rabbit hole awaits the unwary traveller who types in ‘The Highgate Vampire’ - you won’t believe what’s true. More of it is true than you would believe. And we hope you laugh a little, and feel a shiver down the spine. Should be a fun night.

The Highgate Vampire is at The Cockpit from 28 January – 1 February 2026. Tickets available here 

https://www.thecockpit.org.uk/show/the_highgate_vampire