Katherine Ryan

Is Comedy a Londoner’s Game?

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Anyone who knows me knows that I love comedy. I’ve been to countless stand-up shows in Birmingham over the years and a fair few in Cardiff too since starting my degree. But one thing I have never done is see any form of live comedy at a venue in our country’s capital: London. No tour shows, no club nights, no previews in the back of a pub. Zilch. I could give you a whole bunch of reasons, from money considerations to the fact it’s just easier to wait for the comedians to come to me than to scout them out in London. I’ve always intended, one day, to go and experience London’s comedy scene first-hand. But why do I have this intention? What is it that makes the London comedy scene so unlike Birmingham, or Cardiff, and why do I feel like I need to go and experience it?

Suppose it’s a Friday night. You want to see some live comedy in central London, but where to go and who to see? A quick internet search provides a whole host of interesting events. On the night I’m looking at, Stewart Lee is performing his Content Provider show at the Leicester Square Theatre, and Geordie comedian Lauren Pattison is performing Lady Muck at the Soho Theatre (a show which saw her nominated for Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards in 2017). Both shows have completely sold out. There are also comedy club nights happening all over this part of the city, from the Comedy Store in Soho, to the 99 Club in Covent Garden. Some comics’ names are even appearing two or three times, as they perform a set at one club, then move straight on to the next (and sometimes the next). There are also shows that start as late as 10-11pm; closer to the finishing time of most comedy gigs across the country than the start.

Lauren Pattison © Andy Hollingworth

There’s clearly a lot of comedy to cram in over the weekend, and certainly high demand for it too. London has a population of almost 9 million people, whereas Birmingham (my home city) comes in lower at around 1.1 million. Cardiff, at the other end of the scale, is home to just under 500,000. So we might assume that the demand for comedy is much lower in Cardiff than in London, but is this all there is to it? Are these comedians flocking in their hundreds just to perform to bigger, more frequent audiences? It may be true that other cities in the UK just don’t have the same demand for stand-up comedy, but I’m curious to find out if this is the main attraction for stand-up comics, or whether there are other factors that make this city such an appealing place to work.

Now, I’ve made it pretty clear that my knowledge of London’s comedy scene is limited. However, I have interviewed countless comedians about their theatre runs, new material nights and club nights in the city. And, after all, writing an article about stand-up comedians working in London, without speaking to any stand-up comedians who have worked in London, is about as useful as writing a dissertation on the social behaviours of ants but spending the whole time only speaking to toddlers about their verdicts on such ant behaviours. I need to ask some comedians first-hand about why they feel drawn to London’s comedy scene, because surely it can’t just be the size of the crowds.

Lauren Pattison moved to London in September 2016. She confided in me at the time: ‘I’m worried moving to London was the wrong thing to do; I’m worried that I’m never going to be in a position financially to leave my day job and just be a comedian.’ (See: ‘Seven Questions With Lauren Pattison’). But since this conversation, Lauren has skyrocketed into the public consciousness. She regularly performs as tour support for the quick-witted Katherine Ryan, and is currently touring her acclaimed show Lady Muck across Australia and New Zealand. It hasn’t been an easy ride, with financial worries understandably playing a big part in the comedian’s struggles to properly settle in London, but her success appears to be increasing by the day. I’m intrigued to know how Lauren is managing to make her move to London financially and creatively viable, so I started by asking her why she moved to London in the first place.

‘I moved to London because I felt a bit stuck in Newcastle,’ Lauren tells me, ‘I was doing alright for myself up North but felt like I didn’t really play anywhere down South – partly because I wasn’t known and partly because the expense of travelling and staying down there for a gig was so high that it would cost a week’s wage for me to go and do an unpaid gig. I had nothing to lose by moving to London (aside from my hopes and dreams).’ It seems that moving somewhere more central, like London, is a way of opening up other parts of the country for Britain’s commuting comics. ‘A lot of places seem to be a bit easier to get to from down here! Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and Birmingham are all relatively easy to get to via train and being based down here means it’s much easier and cheaper to get to gigs down South.’

Stephen Bailey © Comedy Central

Stephen Bailey (a stand-up comedian from Manchester who also regularly supports Katherine Ryan on tour, it seems she has good taste) lives and works in London too: ‘I was living in London anyway because of my day job. Then, when I was in a position to leave the office, I kind of just stayed. For me, just breaking into TV, I feel like I need to be here for the meetings, the auditions, the showcases – as it would cost an arm and a leg for me to go back and forth to Manchester as a non-driver.’

Both Stephen and Lauren agree that London is a great place to develop yourself as a comic and potentially get noticed by important industry people. ‘The good thing,’ Stephen tells me, ‘is that you can perform several times, every night of the week, which can arguably help you get better. On the flip side, it’s so oversaturated… you could just be playing to other comics if you don’t know where to look.’ Lauren’s comments back this up: ‘Comics can literally do something every night of the week without having to leave London. It helps you hone your act and you can notch up a lot of gigs in a short space of time, but I think what made me the comic I am is by not just gigging in one place but gigging in different rooms, in different cities with different audiences.’ But just because there might be more opportunities in our capital for hopeful stand-ups, you can’t just move there and expect a career handed to you on a plate. The sheer number of comedians working in London goes to show how much effort needs to be put in to make sure you stand out from the crowd. Not only do you need a clear, original and genuine comic voice, but you need to be savvy about where and when you perform, otherwise you can find yourself out of pocket and performing to smaller crowds than you’d like.

Lauren confirms my suspicions: ‘People tell you, “you can gig every night of the week!”. You soon find out that you can, but none of those gigs are paid and you’re on with twenty other comics and there’s no progression and you’re lucky to have an audience. For me it was about not just saying yes to everything (which is what I usually do) but sussing out which gigs were worth my time and effort. Focusing my energy on the gigs I knew would get me places or swing a tenner my way so I could cover my tube fare soon made me much happier.’

Money is, and I expect always will be, a massive obstacle for comedians working in London. Starting out in comedy is an expensive game anyway, with many continuing to work different jobs in the day and gigging during the evening. The financial aspect was an issue for Lauren (she continued to work as a waitress when she first moved to London), and I suspect she is just one of countless creatives who struggle to make living and working in London financially possible for themselves. ‘I was burning the candle at both ends, working a day job and going straight to a gig after. Yet at the end of the month I was still broke. All my wages were being pumped into affording travel to gigs and trying to cobble together rent.’

And it doesn’t help that some comedy clubs seem to be in no rush to pay comedians for their work. Lauren fills me in: ‘I’ve had nightmares before where I’ve had to chase promoters for months for £50 and you’ve got bills to pay and food to buy and travel to cover to get to another gig. If any other job didn’t pay on time you’d be straight to HR but there isn’t really an HR department in comedy and it’s not unusual to wait nearly two months to be paid.’ Stephen tells a similar story: ‘Good acts that are working the circuit have to quit because they can’t get their payments off promoters. You have to be good at budgeting as most places just pay you as and when they feel like it. I am owed money from December, I’m always chasing payments. The longest I ever had to wait was a year. Jongleurs didn’t pay for ages, kept booking in more gigs then went bust so most comics lost dollar for work done. Not cool.’

Jongleurs announced on the 17th of October 2017 that they were closing down. In a statement, the company said: ‘Every possible effort has been made to keep the company viable, including cash injections of over £200,000 from the director and shareholders since late 2014. Unfortunately there are now no more funds available to inject into the company.’ The closure left many comedians unpaid; some had even racked up a whole year’s worth of gigs that they hadn’t been paid for.

So maybe working in London as a stand-up comic isn’t a plausible reality for many comedians working today. But while working in London can help get you noticed by industry professionals and punters, and will thus inevitably help you to establish yourself as a comedian, it surely isn’t the be all and end all. There are other big cities with a large variety of people making up their comedy audiences. I asked Lauren what she thinks about this prospect, and she felt a similar way: ‘I don’t think London is necessarily the best place to be working as a stand-up comedian for everyone. I think it’s not necessary to move – for example, if I lived Manchester or Birmingham and could drive, I wouldn’t move. Everything would be more accessible via car and living costs would be lower.’ If you want to access areas aside from London, then any city that is relatively central could be a good place to set up camp, opening up cities in the North and the South, whilst avoiding the living costs of the capital.

© Birmingham Glee Club

You may have noticed whilst reading this article that Birmingham is where my heart lies. It’s where I’m from, where I spend the majority of my time, and my favourite city to go and see live comedy in. One quick search of comedy events next Friday night flags up lots of results. Though admittedly not as many as my search of London venues, I still find that Patrick Monahan is performing his show Rewind Selector 90s at Birmingham Glee Club, there’s a Machynlleth Comedy Festival Showcase at the MAC (Midlands Arts Centre), and Dane Baptiste is performing G.O.D. (Gold. Oil. Drugs.) not too far outside of Birmingham at the Leamington Spa Royal Spa Centre, plus more. 

If you want to take advantage of the vast range of opportunities that working as a stand-up in London can bring, are prepared for the potential financial struggles and willing to put the work in, then I’m sure that London can be a wonderful, vibrant place to live and work. One final thing that Lauren says sticks with me, and proves to me once and for all why she has found such great success in recent years: ‘I am beyond pleased I gritted my teeth, kept my head down and ploughed on. Yeah, it can feel harder for sure if you’re less privileged, but rather than sulk about it I’ve always tried to find a way to still make it happen – even if it takes a bit longer and I have to eat noodles for weeks.’ This sums everything up for me: you can make your way in comedy, wherever you’re working, if you have passion and grit (and perhaps a day job on the side). Yes, being based in London can help you to reach more audiences in a shorter time frame, but if you’re not financially able to live in the capital, that’s not the end of your chances of making it big time. London is a place where comedians can gig as much as they like and develop their material and comic voice, but, at the end of the day, there are audiences in every town and city if you’re prepared to root them out. Comedians, the world is your oyster.

This article was originally published in Issue #167 of Quench Magazine, in March 2018.

TV Review: How’d You Get So Rich?

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How’d You Get So Rich? Now there’s a programme I didn’t expect to particularly like. Be entertained by, perhaps, but value comedically? Not expected at all.

The premise is simple. It’s a revamp of the 2009-10 US series presented by the late Joan Rivers. Katherine Ryan, often hailed as the next generation of Rivers’ cutthroat comedy, introduces viewers to numerous businessmen and women from all across the globe, from an interior designer for the super rich, a ten-year-old girl with her own fashion lines and a pair of men from Somerset who made their fortune manufacturing sex toys.

What makes this format work is undeniably the force that is Katherine Ryan. She is sharp, sarcastic and unforgiving; anyone who has seen her stand up knows that already. But what surprised me about her appearance on this programme is her undying self-sacrifice comedically. She is happy to be the butt of the jokes and unafraid to make a fool of herself. This is the programme where Katherine’s personal character is able to shine through most. It feels like the world is getting to know this comic personally.

© Channel 4

Despite my initial scepticism, this programme is remarkably lacking in spite. How’d You Get So Rich? is not a programme about people who have had everything handed to them. It is a programme about creative individuals who have crafted and grafted and forged a career despite an array of surprising odds and situational difficulties. Yes, the wealth in some cases seems excessive. Why do the rich need a special plumber that only works for rich people? Why do royal couples need a zoo in the grounds of their palace, with wild cats roaming around the front gate? But these are questions that remain unasked, perhaps because Katherine and her audience do not really need to ask them. This show is not about our prejudices; it is about gaining insight into the lives of those who live differently to us.

In particular, her handling of Isabella (who made her first million at the age of six) highlights how genuine Katherine’s approach is. Any humiliation of this child (because despite her great wealth and popularity, this is what Isabella is) could have stuck with her for a lifetime. Ryan remains generous in her interrogations. And she throws herself into every situation head first, with a healthy dose of scepticism yet no hint of closed-mindedness in any respect.

Endlessly curious and most importantly interested, Katherine Ryan is the selling point for me. How’d You Get So Rich? is available on All4.

KATHERINE RYAN: KATHBUM

Seven Questions With… Lauren Pattison

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© Andy Hollingworth

Lauren Pattison is one of the youngest comedians to have been featured on MoodyComedy, having being named September’s Comedian of the Month, though watching her perform does not leave an impression of inexperience or immaturity. Lauren is a bright and exciting performer who grows in popularity with each passing year, becoming associated with bigger names in the world of comedy as she does so.
I asked Lauren these seven questions to find out more about her…

1) What lead you to stand up comedy at such a young age?

I don’t know, it’s really weird. I wasn’t even an attention seeker or anything, I was dead shy! I just got a bit obsessed with making people laugh. I’ve always enjoyed making people laugh and it’s an addictive little habit to fall into. Less addictive than crack but just as moreish. I think it helps I’ve been brought up on good comedy by my dad! One of my earliest memories is being off sick from school and we watched the Jolly Boys Outing episode of Only Fools & Horses together. So blame him if you don’t like my style, it is all his fault and nothing at all to do with me. I had my first go of stand up when I was 15 because the Youth Theatre I went to every week for drama lessons ran a comedy course for us. I bloody loved it. It was just a bit of a fun but I knew I’d found something I absolutely adored. I felt too young to really do anything else with it other than a couple of performances at my drama group, cause I was too young to get into any clubs or pubs so I decided I’d do something about it when I turned 18. I spent the next couple of years just absolutely devouring comedy, while most girls my age were spending their money on make up and cider I was spending mine on tickets to see comedy. And cider. Sure enough when I turned 18, I tried to get into it, just as a hobby and it’s safe to say it snowballed just a tad.

2) What are you grateful for?

The Boots Meal Deal is a saviour and I am grateful to the Gods that it exists.

But seriously, I’m grateful for having lots of lovely supportive and understanding people around me! For my mam and dad who didn’t kick off when their youngest offspring was like ‘HIYA I WANT TO EMBARK ON A VERY FINANCIALLY UNSTABLE CAREER CHOICE AND I’M ALSO GONNA DROP THE C BOMB IN FRONT OF LOTS OF STRANGERS ON A REGULAR BASIS’ and who come see loads of my gigs and don’t tell me off for swearing and still laugh even though they’ve heard it a million times before and it’s almost definitely not funny anymore.

And to my comedian friends who get messages from me at like stupid o clock in the early hours of the morning like ‘hello I am not good at comedy aren’t I tell me the truth am I wasting my time’ and every time they tell me I am being a nugget and try their best to talk some sense into their favourite little mess of a human. Corry Shaw, Matt Reed, Adam Rowe, Si Beckwith are always good at cheering me up and Sam Gore and Rob Mulholland were my favourite alcohol angels in Edinburgh that kept my spirits metaphorically and literally (aka gin) topped up at all times.

I’m also so grateful for some of the opportunities I’ve had through comedy, literally couldn’t have even dreamed I’d get to do some of the things I’ve done! This all started as just a hobby, a bit of fun, I never would have expected to be on stage in front of 2500 people at Latitude or a theatre full of people doing tour support for Katherine Ryan. I’ll never take anything I get for granted, I’ll always feel so grateful for every cool thing I get to do cause I know how lucky I am to be able to do that for a night instead of working a 12 hour shift on minimum wage!

3) Who would you most like to see right now?

My nephew! He’s ace. I love him to bits. He’s only 5 but I think we are right on each other’s wave length. He tells me I am ‘the best joker’ and that is the highest praise I could want from the only critic who’s opinion I truly care about. He got really upset when I told him I was moving to London and went upstairs to pack a bag then got even more upset and told me he only had ‘3 moneys’ for the train and would someone be able to lend him ‘just 2 more moneys’ so he could come on the train with me and my little heart just BROKE INTO A MILLION TINY PIECES. I miss him loads. And I miss having a little human to take to the cinema to see kids films and eat his sweets when he’s not looking. Now I have to go on my own and look weird and steal other kids sweets.

4) What keeps you awake at night?

EVERYTHING! Mainly worry and comedy and worrying about comedy. I’ve had a lot of sleepless nights since I moved to London! Most people know I’m a massive worrier and I don’t have a whole load of self confidence (if anyone knows where I can get me some of that please email me) and my brain tends to really like to remind me of these things just as I’m snuggly in bed ready to go to sleep.

Recently I haven’t been able to sleep cause – I’m worried moving to London was the wrong thing to do, I’m worried that I’m never going to be able to be in a position financially to leave my day job and just be a comedian, I’m worried I’m going to sleep in, I’m worried that I’m not good enough to be a comic, I’m worried I worry too much, I’m worried where I’m going to get the money from to pay the rent, I’m worried I don’t eat enough vegetables and won’t grow big and strong, I’m worried that I haven’t got enough gigs booked in and I’m going to have to move back home or up my day job hours to full time, I’m worried that I’ll have to give up on my dreams, I’m worried that me with comedy is like when you watch someone really bad audition for X Factor and you wonder who on earth told them they were any good, and everyone is like ‘oh god why is Lauren even bothering to chase comedy when she’s shit at it, that’s so embarrassing.’ My brain is really kind to me at 1am as you can see.

© BBC

© BBC

5) What would you like to do tomorrow?

Sleep! And watch trashy telly. I’m so tired. I think I’ve been burning the candle at both ends since I moved to London, working a day job, gigging almost every night, finishing my Masters, travelling here, there and everywhere and then over the weekend I just got hit like a bus by this illness which has completely taken it out of me, just in time for to go back up North for a busy week of gigs. Good timing Lauren’s immune system, thanks for that. I don’t feel like I’ve had a full day to myself to do nothing in ages so I’d love nothing more than to just wrap myself in my duvet like a little burrito and watch RuPaul’s Drag Race all day with a mountain of snacks. And have a proper princess bath with loads of Snow Fairy from Lush in it so I can smell like candy floss

6) Which comedians inspire you if you ever feel like you’re beginning to lose your love for comedy?

I really look up to Katherine Ryan. I should have included her in the grateful answer – she took a huge chance on me letting me do her tour support. She saw me do 5 minutes in the Funny Women Final and about 7 months later sent me a message like ‘dude how much material you got, wanna open for me in Middlesbrough and Kendal?’ I’d never done a set that long, or anything in front of that many people and it was the best experience. I must have done OK cause she asked me back for some stuff on her next tour too! I feel like things started going good for me from then, so I probably owe a lot to Katherine. If she’s reading this ‘THANK YOU you are incredible and I have the utmost love and respect for you bae.’ She inspires me a lot, like just look at her career! She’s worked hard, she’s a bloody grafter and she’s reaped the rewards. I remember reading in an interview somewhere she was faced with either going back to work full time, or going for comedy and making sure it worked. It was either be poor and hungry or become successful and I think we know which one happened! I can very much resonate with that at the minute, I am definitely poorer and hungrier than I was when I was a bloody student so I have no choice but to become successful or I will probably become a street urchin.

And Chris Ramsey too. I went to see him about 6 years ago in a tiny theatre in Newcastle, the one where I did my drama lessons at. I’d never seen or heard of him before, I was actually there to see Alun Cochrane (soz Chris!) and he totally blew me away, I came out of the gig telling everyone he was gonna be massive. Should have put money on it! I’ve watched him play bigger and bigger venues and really break through and I think cause I’ve watched his career progress he’s a good person for me to look at for inspiration if I’m feeling a bit shitty about comedy cause I’ve watched him work hard and climb the ranks. He’s someone who always just looks like he’s having so much fun and thoroughly enjoying what he’s doing and I find that really lovely and motivating and other nice words that I can’t think of right now cause I’ve just sneezed 6 times in a row and am worried I am about to combust.

7) Do you have any set goals for your future?

I desperately want to go full time with comedy. I’m finding having a day job harder and harder, both for juggling and managing my time, and also just cause the more progress I make with comedy and the cooler gigs I get to do, the harder it is to go back to serving burgers the following day. Customers at my day job never laugh at my jokes as much as they should and that both frustrates and upsets me. I did a lovely gig in London the other week and it went so well and I felt all lovely and tingly which could have been the response from the crowd or the 3 large glasses of rosé I had but either way I felt like a champ, then I got home and set an alarm for the morning to get up and go to normal person work and I could have cried. Again, could have been the burning desperation of wanting to be a comedian and nothing else, or it could have been the 3 large glasses of rosé. I’d love to do that by next summer, ideally before Edinburgh and I think that’s realistic enough!

FOLLOW LAUREN PATTISON ON TWITTER FOR THE LATEST NEWS REGARDING LIVE GIGS

SEVEN QUESTIONS WITH…

Review: Katherine Ryan – Kathbum

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Perhaps a bit late to the party, as her DVD record at the Eventim Apollo is due to take place the following night, hundreds of fans flock to Birmingham’s Town Hall to see Katherine Ryan’s critically acclaimed and Chortle Award-winning show, Kathbum.

Ryan varies her support acts throughout each tour, and tonight’s warm-up entertainment comes from Stephen Bailey, who, as Katherine rightfully states herself, better fits the criteria for a headline act than a support slot these days in terms of competence in performance. Stephen is a wise head on young shoulders; reassuringly secure in himself and his act in a way that enables him to take an audience under his wing. With an attitude of confidence and independence, blended with a humorous suggestion of neediness, Bailey’s material is slick, but not so slick that audiences have difficulty warming to him.

Katherine Ryan has blossomed over the past year and this is clear from the moment she walks on stage, greeted by bellowing cheers of excitement and endearment. She appears surprisingly relaxed, but humble, explaining her reasons for always bringing a support act with her on tour before progressing towards the heart of the show.

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© Idil Sukan

This comic is constantly developing as a writer and performer, which is some feat considering how smart and cutting her comedy has been since her first UK tour in 2013. This latest show is about evolving as an individual as those we grew up with do the same, and the inevitable drift from those we used to relate to. Ryan uses this as a tool to discuss issues relating to overcoming the judgements of others and being assured enough in ourselves to make the decisions that are best for us. The somewhat-obsessive interest in celebrity culture is still apparent, serving as a metaphor for greater issues in society such as racism and misogyny.

Katherine’s comedy is self-aware in a triumphant sense, rather than a defeatist one. Her craft is admirable, with each narrative carried out to its conclusion and perfectly timed callbacks that fit into the performance, rather than shape it. She is professional, yet personal; brutally honest but not irrational in her cutting remarks with each issue being clinically dissected and evaluated before any ill-informed opinions are able to be expressed. And whilst she may introduce challenging concepts, Ryan always has her audience’s best interests in mind, assuming an almost-maternal role that shines through brightest when she talks directly to young female audience members; whom we might deduce to be her target demographic.

Katherine Ryan is not fazed by anything, it seems, whether that be hecklers or significant life events. The quality of her craft is creatively motivating; the content emotionally uplifting, whilst remaining delightfully unpredictable, accessible and genuine.

KATHERINE RYAN’S DVD RECORDING OF ‘KATHBUM’ WILL BE AVAILABLE SOON

A Guide To Edinburgh 2015

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That time of year is upon us once more; thousands of performers, reviewers and audience members are preparing to visit the holy grail of comedy that is the Edinburgh Festival. Here is a quick run through of everything MoodyComedy would be attending if only I could get there this year. Do get in touch if you attend any of these shows, or see something else that you think should be featured. You can also catch up with the past week’s exclusive MoodyComedy interviews.

Stuff That’s Gold

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Katherine Ryan

Katherine Ryan is performing her latest show, Kathbum, currently riding high on her phenomenal rise to fame in recent years and showing no signs of stopping any time soon. With every new show, Katherine only increases in her wisdom, experience and cutting sass, similar to that of Irish charmer Aisling Bea who brings her second show, Plan Bea, to the festival. Another name to watch out for is that of Luisa Omielan, who will perform a very limited run of her second show Am I Right Ladies?!. Omielan is a performer that cares about her audience to an extent I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed before: her show is empowering, lively and not to be missed.

James Acaster presents another whacky hour of surreal yet surprisingly dramatic story-telling stand up in his show Represent and Joe Lycett returns, with possibly the best show title of the year: That’s The Way, A-Ha A-Ha, Joe Lycett. And it would frankly be a mistake to miss out on seeing Bridget Christie‘s latest show, A Book For Her, which sees the launch of her debut novel, and showcases her trademark blend of feminism and spectacular comedy.

Stuff That’s Odd

Tony Law, the king of surreal comedy, is performing his new show Frillemorphesis where he explores ideas such as shouting, moving and talking, absolutely standard. A live show from the Tone Zone is an opportunity not to be missed, or forgotten in a hurry, and his being in this category is by no means a suggestion that this show will not also be Gold.

Shouty extraordinaire Bobby Mair brings another dark and bitterly funny show off the back of his recent television successes, entitled Filthy Immigrant; Tom Allen performs Both Worlds with his signature sinister calm and endearing flamboyance and Harriet Kemsley, who spent the first part of this year supporting Katherine Ryan on tour, also performs her debut hour, Puppy Fat, which has got the critics excited. If you like a bit of audience interaction, Jonny Awsum’s show Everything Is Awsum will be another unforgettable experience, as will Patrick Monahan’s seventies-inspired show The Disco Years.

Stuff That’s Free

Now any Edinburgh Festival-goer will be able to tell you that ticket price does not necessarily dictate quality; free shows are on the rise as they are a great way of ensuring the trip is more affordable for comedians and fans alike. There are some real gems performing shows this year that rely on kind donations alone.

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Lou Sanders

Rob Auton has prepared another delightfully off-kilter, poetical concept show entitled The Water Show where he considers everything surrounding the theme of water, much like his previous shows which have centred around themes such as Yellow, Sky and Face. Elf Lyons‘ Being Barbarella is a high-octane adventure, discussing science fiction, liberation and sharks. This lady is a true one-off, who’s surreal form of comedy is often likened to The Mighty Boosh. And Lou Sanders, being the wonderful shambles of a performer that she is, brings her insane show about her efforts to get accepted into Eton College For Boys, of course entitled: Excuse Me, You’re Sitting On My Penis Again.

Stuart Goldsmith will also be recording episodes of The Comedian’s Comedian Podcast where he interviews everyone that is anyone in the world of comedy, delving deep into the psyche of the performer and having many laughs in the process. The line up for this year is stellar and although the recordings are free to attend and non-ticketed, the venue will undoubtedly fill up quickly on the night so plan ahead.

You can purchase tickets for all shows mentioned on the Edinburgh Festival website.

READ EDINBURGH PREVIEWS HERE

Review: Katherine Ryan – Glam Role Model

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Birmingham Glee

© Birmingham Glee Club

Katherine Ryan is one of my favourite comedians (I mean, people) of all time and I hadn’t seen her since the beginning of last year. Luckily, the evening of Wednesday the 12th of November finally arrived and I had the opportunity to visit the infamous Birmingham Glee Club for the first time to see Katherine’s delightful new show, Glam Role Model, at long last. And before the evening had even properly started, I got to meet my lovely twitter friend Sophie, someone who I wouldn’t have met if it wasn’t for Katherine (so nice one mate).

The support act was Sean Mcloughlin; a new comic for me who has a wonderfully confident stage presence that made his entire set look effortless. He is refreshingly open and modest to the point of self-depreciating, which is something he certainly doesn’t need to be as he is clearly a very naturally funny man. The material that we saw was relatable and accessible to all in the room, as Sean picked apart his own personality and his frustrating lack of money; two hangups that almost everyone has about themselves.

And then the highly anticipated moment arrived. Katherine’s set was honest, diverse and outstandingly funny; she effortlessly combines topical material about pop stars, the royal family and glamour models with precise and intentional messages that she relays to her audience without appearing overbearing at any point. The show also gave us insight into what living in Canada is like as well as comparing that to life in Britain, with clever observations of our culture that many of us living here all our lives haven’t noticed, such as the fact we are the only country where things like Glamour Models and Page 3 are entirely commonplace.

Here we have a comedian who isn’t afraid of potential danger; who often aims to shock in order to get her ideas across, and I think that is the best trait a comedian can have. If you don’t push boundaries with your material, what are you really doing? She has been described to ‘frequently skirt with bad taste’ and I think this captures aspects of her comedy style well, and though this is what has unfairly got her into trouble in the past, I believe it’s what makes her comedy so intensely brilliant. Katherine may be classed as ‘mainstream’, but she has elements of something completely different: this show is perfectly and intricately crafted so that everyone can feel included, but also tackles issues that your average ‘mainstream comic’ wouldn’t dare touch. And she tackles them with force.

Katherine Ryan

Katherine is a comic who leaves a room of people feeling like they have gained something, and they have. Glam Role Model has frequent references to celebrity culture (her signature thing) but she never aims to bring specific people down; rather, she shuns actions and certainly not individuals. Katherine has said that she “soon learned that you won’t get anywhere in this world unless you have a voice,” and that she feels “a great responsibility to say meaningful things through comedy.” Well she has certainly achieved those goals with this fantastic show.

I’ve made it clear in the past that I hugely respect any female comedian, not at all out of sympathy, but purely because I can see what an immensely difficult task that must be, being a teenage girl myself. However, my admiration and respect for Katherine goes beyond this. It’s obvious that here we have a lady who has been through difficult times, particularly relevantly with her reference to recent events in her life that she talks openly about, but Katherine is never one to moan or complain: she just gets on with it. And not only that, she has made something magnificent, heartwarming and ultimately hilarious as a result and that shows amazing strength of character.

If you’re looking for a brilliant role model who just so happens to be a little bit glam too, look no further than my role model, the incredible Katherine Ryan.

Click here for more information about Katherine Ryan’s tour, which she has recently added new dates to

TV Review: Mock The Week, Series 13

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On the 9th of February this year, the BBC made an announcement that lead me to write this post because it made me feel so disheartened. The announcement concerned the number of female comedians that are present on panel shows broadcast by the BBC and proposed that all new episodes of programmes like Mock The Week, Have I Got News For You and QI will have at least one woman each. The statement given by Danny Cohen, Director of Television at the BBC, that contained the proposal, was not taken well by comedians and the general public alike. As I explained in my post at the time, this was mainly because of the patronising nature of the new rule and I worried immensely about the effect this will have on female comedians and their audiences.

It is now five months later and the first half of Mock The Week series thirteen has been and gone. As promised, there has been one female comic on each of the six episodes so far and, as a result, I personally think it’s been one of the best series yet. This is because many wonderful comedians have been given the chance to appear on the show where they may not have been able to before, and many of them have been women. Now, I completely stand by the concerns I expressed in my previous post and still fear they are just as valid: I am very uncomfortable with the idea of a ‘token woman’ on such programmes and it’s always going to be an issue because of Cohen’s statement.

However, despite my worries, when I focus purely on the entertainment; when I pretend I don’t know why there are suddenly more women on Mock The Week, I thoroughly enjoyed the series. It made me incredibly happy to see some of my favourite female comedians make their Mock The Week debut, such as Angela Barnes and Sara Pascoe, and to see the wonderful Katherine Ryan make her fourth appearance on the show (an impressive achievement, looking at the statistics for such a programme). Not only were there many new female faces (also including Susan Calman and Tiff Stevenson), but I was also delighted to see one of my favourite male comedians appear on his second, third, fourth AND fifth episode: the hilarious Romesh Ranganathan.

So there have been six episodes in this half of the series and that means there have been six female comedians who got some screen time who may not have got it otherwise, and this has to be a good thing. I did some research and discovered that series eleven had five different female comedians throughout the whole of the twelve episodes: Jo Caulfield, Zoe Lyons, Ava Vidal, Andi Osho and Katherine Ryan. Likewise, series twelve only showed three on all eleven episodes and they were Ava Vidal, Katherine Ryan and Holly Walsh. Despite the humiliation of the extremely concentrated ‘positive discrimination’ that women (including the public as well as comedians) are being force-fed with, it is undeniable that Mock The Week is a better show because of it, I just wish it hadn’t been done so blatantly, before everyone’s eyes.

In February, I was made to feel embarrassed for being a girl. I felt like female comedians were being held up under a spotlight and examined; pitied. And it made me feel really helpless because if this is the only way for women to get an equal amount of time on panel shows, there is something very wrong with the world. But the effects seem to be wearing off and hopefully many people haven’t even noticed the change, which shows how unnatural it was to have so little female comedians on Mock The Week in the past.

Anyway, I don’t want this to be a negative post because I think the nation’s memory of Danny Cohen’s statement has faded considerably since February and I’d like to hope it stays like that. In general, the changes that have been made to the running of Mock The Week seem to be extremely positive and I hope this signals the start of some kind of panel-show-revolution.

PS. Another thing I noticed was that the female comic was always in the middle chair on Andy Parson’s team and that has intrigued me as I can’t think of a reason for that being so. If anyone can enlighten me as to why, that would be much appreciated.

TV Review: Alan Davies As Yet Untitled

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A couple of weeks ago, the channel Dave broadcast five episodes of a wonderful new comedy chat show: As Yet Untitled. It was hosted by Alan Davies, ran over the course of one working week and featured four different comedians each episode. It has been said that this show was an attempt at recreating the feel of a comedy green room, with a relaxed atmosphere and a minimal agenda. Of course, I cannot truly know if it drew an accurate comparison as I haven’t been in such a situation myself, but I can say that a comfortable conversational feel was definitely present and I found the series incredibly enjoyable.

For a start, the physical set up was uniquely casual, with the four guests and Alan Davies (the host) sat around a circular table and the audience sat around them. The way the audience was situated had almost a Top Gear feel as you could always see them in shot, but they weren’t often involved in the proceedings. Each comic provided a strange fact about themselves to begin with which allowed the discussion to have some kind of initial direction but other than that, the show had a clean slate with the objective of deciding on a title for the episode at the end.

There was a danger with this loose format that conversation might not necessarily be free-flowing but this was expertly avoided by Davies who did an excellent job at steering clear of awkward pauses in discussion. In fact, the overall feel of the programme was very natural and chilled out which I thought was really nice. There was no pushing to have anyone’s voice heard over another person’s and everyone seemed very supportive of each other which is refreshing in comparison to the vibes you get from shows with more competitive, maybe harsher formats. An important impression I got from watching As Yet Untitled was that the attention was very much focussed on the stories and the people in the stories, and not so much on the comedians telling them. This meant that nobody appeared to be pushing particularly hard to be the funny one and in this way, I think the show definitely achieved its objective of seeming like a green room.

There were many funny anecdotes shared throughout the five episodes, including Bob Mortimer’s explanation of his and Vic Reeves’ comedy style, where in the early days, if the audience weren’t laughing, the double act would throw their shoes at them. We also heard the wonderful Katherine Ryan’s tale of the creepy inflatophiliac and Noel Fielding’s reason for disappearing from his own stand up tour (he ended up spending the day working in a vintage second-hand shop in Brighton, I mean, where else?). Bill Bailey’s account of his New Zealand airport kazoo confiscation was whimsical, as can be expected from Bailey and Phill Jupitus’ numerous celebrity impressions were spot on. Ross Noble’s tales about his accident-prone kids and Josie Long’s flawless diet plan were highlights of the final episode.

It was easy for the television audience to get carried away amongst all these hilarious anecdotes, which proves what an authentic mood there was, and every now and then I would remember how different the show actually is and feel really impressed at the smoothness of it all. At any point where a normal chat show may have become awkward, such as when they transition between topics or invite a special guest on, the conversation just continued on in the same fashion which shows integrity. The only flaw I could find, or perhaps the only stunted part of each episode, was trying to round it all off at the end. Of course, these would have been heavily edited to fit the time frame but the scramble to find a title could be done with more finesse in the future.

I adored this new show and the many guests on it; my favourites including Noel Fielding, Bob Mortimer, Katherine Ryan, Josie Long, Jason Byrne, Ross Noble, Bill Bailey and Marcus Brigstocke. I will be pretty annoyed if there aren’t more episodes made soon!