In 2012 I think I saw the comedian Richard Herring 6 times. I saw him in a mixture of his own shows, gigging with other comedians, and on game shows. He's great - a brilliant wordsmith, and frighteningly clever - but after watching him half a dozen times, the cracks began to show. What seemed like an amazing off-the-cuff remark was suddenly transformed into a cliché. An observation which looked like it had just zinged into his brain was now revealed as a well rehearsed skit. Comedy - …
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I'm not saying I'm a better blogger than Richard Herring. That's for other people to say... - Terence Eden Is Richard Herring the son of a god he doesn't believe in? He may not be the Messiah, but he is a very funny boy. For this long time apathist, none of His arguments were very new - the Bible is inconsistent, God is petty, etc. - but the sheer enthusiasm and obvious joy He brings drew huge laughs from the audience. The show is unremittingly funny - weaving skilfully between…
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Last NaBloPoMo, I wrote up my review of a Mitch Benn gig I'd seen. I know I’m not going to leave it ten years before I next see him. Indeed, I didn't even leave it a full calendar year. Mitch is back and better than ever - he even has a new single out. Buy the single for 79p at Amazon It's rare for Brits to get passionate without being cynical. Watching Mitch Benn sing "Proud of the BBC" is a joyous experience - especially with a packed theatre screaming the hideously complicated lyrics at …
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Edit! I've uploaded the clip as it's no longer available on iPlayer https://shkspr.mobi/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/I-am-the-Cheese-Lord.mp4 A few weeks ago, I blogged about seeing Russell Howard's Good News. I was (only slightly) gutted not to have appeared on the broadcast version of the show. Then, this morning, one of my colleagues stopped me in the lift... Hey! Saw you on TV last night talking about Dorset Blue Vinney. And so he did! You can watch the full episode for the…
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There are many reasons to love the BBC. In my opinion, one of the truly great things they do is offer free tickets to show recordings. Through the BBC tickets site and TVRecordings.com I've seen - for free - The Now Show, HIGNFY, The News Quiz, Mitchell and Webb as well as assorted TV and Radio pilots. Brilliant. An evening of watching some of the biggest names in comedy without paying a penny. The only thing they ask for is patience as they re-record all the bits which went wrong the…
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When I was a fresher at university, Mitch Benn played the union. I don't remember why I didn't go. I do remember being woken up by the guys in my halls banging on my door telling me that I'd missed a brilliant evening. The CDs that they bought back from the gig were hilarious - the perfect antidote to looming finals. Since missing him play 10 years ago, I've caught up with him on The Now Show and Twitter (where I'm happy to report he's a user of Dabr - the mobile Twitter client I code fo…
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It's been a rollercoaster year for Bletchley Park. Studiously ignored by the Government for so long, the British home of cryptography and computing is finally getting the recognition it deserves. However, it is still badly short of funds. Looks like they need.... A Benefit Gig! Thus was born https://web.archive.org/web/20090815094446/http://www.boffoonery.com/comedians.html! A comedy gig to raise money for Bletchley. Starring Robert Llewellyn, Robin Ince, Richard Herring and a host of ot…
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This is a necropost - resurrected from an ancient cassette tape. While I was studying at Carleton University in Canadaland, I joined the prestigious(?) Sock n Buskin theatre troupe. Together with "Where's the Soup", we put on an "Improv Superbowl". Basically a team version of "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" The director - Jenny - and I went on LIVE RADIO to promote our show to all of Ottawa. Somehow, that got recorded onto cassette, and then transferred to an old computer of mine. Here's our…
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