In London recently to visit my past. The milestones, places and venues which feature prominently in my unusual story called Eclipsed. I began in North London at the Hen and Chickens theatre – a 60 seater where I did my very first one-man show – quaking in my boots with nerves which I assured myself…
The book sales from World Book Day are being dispatched now – some have gone already and I am waiting on a delivery of Only in America. The people winning the zoom call will receive invites with their books and the details. Thanks to everyone who came to the site and your support more generally….
Like in all things human, there is a hierarchy within comedy. Comedians understand this and we accept it. Not all comedians are the same. Some comedians are funnier than others and the funniest comedians tend to be the most famous although not always. It is often said that well-known comedians can work less hard (get…
Who doesn’t enjoy a really big poo? Truly – a clear out of the bowels is one of life’s great victories, only marginally eclipsed by a clear-out of the house. And this being a time of annual renewal, many of us will have completed a decluttering catharsis between Christmas and New Year. Of our homes…
The last blog of an eventful and somewhat blighted year which began with a lockdown and ends with a quasi-one in the UK with people duly terrified by messages from our leaders imploring us to be very afraid. But Christmas arrived anyway and remains most people’s favourite time of the year. A time for family…
In stand-up comedy, ripping off another comedian’s act is an enormous faux pas. It does go on but it usually signifies the death knell of the thief’s career but not in every case. A few comedians have alerted me to a very celebrated North American comedian and whether or not he has listened (and plundered)…
A week of landmarks and sporting incidents colliding to reveal and expose human traits and quirks which I imagine (or hope) we are all subject to. Patrick’s 17th birthday was additionally exciting this year because all his big brothers were in London and free to celebrate. Tom was ensconced in a palatial London hotel for…
Aside from the people who work at them and perhaps the very frequent flyers, but for most of us, airports remain comparatively exciting places. As a transport hub at least. More exciting than train stations anyway (warmer?) and definitely more alluring than a bus terminus with its vending machines and toilets which rarely have the…
Regrets in life are quite normal but we should keep in mind that they’re rarely fruitful. You know the kind of thinking… I wish I’d done this or If only I hadn’t done that. Clearly it is better to live in the present and to affect our future rather than dwelling on what went before….
It is expected that my memory is increasingly unreliable. Huge swathes of my past have gone forever but then occasionally little vignettes recur. A happy memory is offered up that I am grateful to be reminded of. A recent example involves the Banana Cabaret, a long-standing comedy club in a huge South London boozer called…
