A look at Twitter today and a name leaped out at me – Fin Taylor. Despite not remembering what I had to buy in the shop today I immediately recalled a comedy night back in 2011 when the stand up featured on the bill at The Axbridge Roxy Comedy Night.
I’m not sure if any of you follow Twitter and Have I Got News For You (HIGNFY) – a popular TV show – (well it used to be popular) but Fin Taylor and HIGNFY are trending following his appearance on the aforementioned programme. He made a bad taste joke about killing Bob Dylan and Jeremy Corbyn and 200,000 people at Glastonbury next year with a bomb as he doesn’t like them. Anyway – he appeared at the Axbridge Roxy Comedy Nights a few years back. I don’t recall his set particularly but this might have been an omen – he made a joke about killing his flatmate’s hamster.
Attached are the tickets as proof – I used to print them myself and put them in the Chemist. Yes – we sold comedy tickets at the Axbridge Chemist – and they were a good box office as everyone who was ill and needed cheering up went there. The comedy club is a victim of Covid at the moment – and with only 35 or so seats social distancing would mean an audience of about eight people – it was a struggle to make it pay before but with eight – no way!
For the record Zahra Barri (https://zahrabarri.com/) was top of the bill – and full value with lots of props and jokes about celebrities.
Also on the bill was Jack Barry (www.jackbarry.co.uk) who has appeared on TV since with Russell Howard and worked for Mock The Week, and Simon Heathcote who worked as a freelance sub-editor with me at Mid Somerset Newspapers in Wells and did an open mic to see if he liked it. He was fine and bought three friends who were like his own fan club. The host was yours truly as the 1940s character Harry The Spiv. Of course the Roxy was then owned by David and Juliet – now it is Bash and Gemma. The Roxy being a room in the former Red Lion pub.
I used to put a call-out on Facebook for local-ish stand-ups – pointing out the low cash and no public transport available – and see who contacted me. In truth I knew little about the stand-ups and so it was a bit hit and miss – but every night we did was a sell-out (I know – only 35 tickets) which proved that people in Axbridge have a sense of humour.
Any road up – hopefully the comedy nights may resume in 2021 at some stage.
For details of the Roxy (closed at present due to Covid) visit http://www.axbridgeroxy.org.uk/
And for more about Harry Mottram – journalist and much more visit http://www.harrymottram.co.uk/
You must be logged in to post a comment.