Wimbledon season sets the scene for Anyone for Tennis at The Kenton

As Wimbledon gets underway, The Kenton Theatre is marking tennis season with news that comedian and former Wimbledon line judge Pauline Eyre will bring Anyone for Tennis to Henley this autumn.

The show comes to The Kenton on Thursday 1 October at 7.30pm and draws on Eyre’s 20 years as a line judge at one of the world’s most famous sporting events.

In Anyone for Tennis, Eyre shares a comic behind-the-scenes look at life inside Wimbledon, from the Royal Box to the locker room, with stories drawn from two decades spent close to the action.

The show also arrives at a time of major change for the tournament, following Wimbledon’s move away from human line judges in favour of electronic line calling.

Speaking about the change, Eyre has said: “Sport is about people,” adding that “it’ll always need humans”. In another interview, she described the loss of line judges at Wimbledon as “a crying shame”, saying: “Sport is about humans doing their best and sometimes getting things wrong.”

That mix of affection, experience and comic observation sits at the heart of Anyone for Tennis, which looks beyond Centre Court to the traditions, personalities and pressure points that make Wimbledon such a distinctive part of British sporting life.

Eyre has said that line judging was a skilled job which required confidence as well as accuracy. Reflecting on her years on court, she has spoken about the importance of making calls “sharply, loudly and clearly”, and of learning to hold her nerve under pressure.

Fresh from a sold-out run at Edinburgh Fringe 2025, Anyone for Tennis has won praise for its insider knowledge and sharp comic timing. Northwestend described the show as “laughs aplenty”, while One4Review called it “a love letter to a game” and praised the way Eyre turns a lifelong obsession into a “laugh-out-loud show”.

With Wimbledon once again part of the British summer calendar, The Kenton’s autumn date offers audiences the chance to hear from someone who spent two decades watching the drama unfold from the sidelines.

Anyone for Tennis is aimed at tennis fans, comedy audiences and anyone who enjoys a lively behind-the-scenes story.

Tickets are £18.75, including booking fee, restoration levy and community fund levy.

Book at https://thekenton.org.uk/whats-on/anyone-for-tennis/