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Abigoliah Schamaun

cactus — Fri, 23 Apr 2021 10:46:41 +0000

A product of her New York stand up roots; frank, funny, and unapologetic. She first showed her face in the UK comedy scene when she became a finalist in the Funny Women Comedy Awards 2010 and has grown a Edinburgh Fringe following coming back yearly ever since. She moved to London in 2014 and has become a regular on the circuit. She was named “One to Watch” at Leicester Comedy festival 2017 and The List named her “Top 5 Up and Coming Female Comedians”

As the only yoga instructor/comedy in comedy Abigoliah presents her always hilarious comedy with an open heart chakra. Bringing her audience into her world with the warmth and excitement like a friend who you haven’t seen in a while.

Her comedy extends past the stage as she was nominated in 2016 for a Malcom Hardee “Cunning Stunt Award” for buying an incredible amount of outside advertising and then plastering them with fake reviews poking fun at the usefulness of the critics words.

She has been featured on Channel 5′s Outrageously Funny Comedy, BBC Radio 4 Extra, and The Guilty Feminist Podcast with Deborah Francis-White. She also appeared in Comedy Central’s season 2 of I Live with Models and has opened for Jim Norton, Kyle Kinane, and Gad Emelah.

“Bayley’s material surprises with inspired and sparkling punchlines…with comic timing that is rarely less than brilliant. An assured performer who doesn’t have much trouble getting audiences laughing.” - Chortle

“I saw her recently and she blew my socks off. She doesn’t dwell too much on “lady issues”. Funny in her own right, she was brilliant, clever and she’s gonna be huge.” BBC Online.

“Likeable headstrong persona- packing a considerable performing punch.” The List

“the night’s star attraction” Tamworth Herald

“Karen is one of the most consistently hilarious comedians I have had the pleasure of working with . She’s a sharp writer and an unflappable compère, able to cajole any room with her warm audience interaction and precise intelligent gags, ” Joe Lycett

Alan Carr

cactus — Thu, 10 May 2012 01:28:05 +0000

Since winning the BBC New Comedy Award for Stand-up as well as City Life Best Newcomer of the Year in 2001, Alan Carr has become one of the hottest comedy stars in Britain. The success of the first series of his own chat show, Alan Carr: Chatty Man, in the summer of 2009, led to Channel 4 commissioning a further three series as well as a 2009 Christmas and New Year Special. Alan has a regular slot on BBC Radio 2 every Saturday night presenting Going Out with Alan Carr alongside the lovely Melanie Sykes. He is the Celebrity Reporter for More! magazine and has interviewed Michael McIntyre, Gok Wan and Radio 1 DJ Greg James, to name a few.

Alan’s three-year working partnership with his Sunday Night Project co-host, Justin Lee Collins, came to an amicable end in 2009 with both Alan and Justin off to pursue solo projects. ‘It was an amazing show,’ said Alan, ‘but there comes a time in a man’s life when you have to step away from the leotard and stilettos and move on.’

Elsewhere on the telly, Alan’s inimitable Channel 4 quiz show, Alan Carr’s Celebrity Ding Dong first aired in 2008 and on Red Nose Day 2009 Alan co-presented Comic Relief on BBC One as well as joining the men’s team for Comic Relief Does The Apprentice, alongside Jonathan Ross, Gerald Ratner, Gok Wan and Jack Dee. His team lost and Alan was fired (or as Alan Sugar put it ‘I’m doing you a favour’).

The DVD of Alan’s 2007 stand-up show, Tooth Fairy Live topped the HMV charts and was a Christmas 2007 best-seller. His autobiography Look Who It Is! was published in September 2008 by HarperCollins.

Son of one-time Northampton Town FC player and later manager, Alan Carr sportingly took on the Arsenal ladies team in 2008 in aid of Comic Relief. He sports some great moves. Watch Alan vs Arsenal Ladies.

Alan’s been described as ‘the spiritual son of Frankie Howard’ (City Life). His formative years were spent working in a supermarket as well as a call centre for lost and stolen credit cards. In 2002, his Edinburgh Festival show ‘Me ‘Ead’s Spinnin’ earned a four star review in Edinburgh bible, The List as well as the The Daily Telegraph’s Critic’s Choice. There were no surprises then, in 2003, when ‘I Love Alan Carr’ was rated a four star show in both the The Scotsman and The Independent, but it was at the Edinburgh Festival in 2005 that things really started to happen for our Alan. He earned five star reviews across the board in The Independent, The Scotsman and Three Weeks as well as numerous ‘Pick Of The Fringe’ accolades. It was here that Alan came to the attention of the Channel 4 bigwigs.

Alan has gone from strength to strength appearing at comedy festivals all over the world, Melbourne, Montreal’s ‘Just For Laughs’ and Kilkenny as well as touring the length and breadth of Great Britain with his ‘Tooth Fairy’ tour culminating in a three night sell-out run at the Hammersmith Apollo. Alan doesn’t just perform for commoners, he has performed for her Majesty The Queen at the Royal Variety Performance too.

TV & Radio

Alan Carr: Chatty Man (Channel 4)
Going Out with Alan Carr (BBC Radio 2)
Alan Carr’s Comedy Outings (BBC Radio 2)
Alan Carr’s Celebrity Ding Dong (Channel 4)
The Sunday Night Project (previously Friday Night Project) (Channel 4)
Live From The Apollo (BBC1)
Friday Night With Jonathan Ross, guest (BBC1)
Graham Norton Show – BBC1
The Paul O’Grady Show, guest (Channel 4)
Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Take Away (ITV1)
Top Gear, guest (BBC2)
8 Out of 10 Cats (Channel 4)
TV Heaven TV Hell (Channel 4)
Alan also covers for Adam & Joe and Stephen Merchant on BBC 6 Music

QUOTES

‘Sharp, sassy material with pitch perfect comic timing’ – The List

‘Bellyachingly funny’ – The Sunday Telegraph

‘Joyous stuff that most of us can relate to without it sounding clichéd, and it is delivered effortlessly by a comedian who owns the space he is working in so much, he could put up a flag’ – The Independent

Bethany Black

cactus — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 23:54:40 +0000

Bethany Black is the outsider’s outsider, a taboo breaking story teller dealing with subjects other comics other wince at with a lightness of tough and a cheeky chatty style that makes it all surprisingly accessible this Goth, lesbian, trans comedian is nothing short of utterly unique.

Bethany Black has performed two Edinburgh shows and has a third one in the pipeline, her debut show “Beth Becomes Her” dealt candidly with her transition from male to female and gained several rave reviews. A confessional tone she continued with her second show “Love and A Colt 45” which dealt with her battle with alcoholism and drug addiction and new found sobriety. Three years on she’s returning to Edinburgh with a new hour show called “Insecurity Guard”.

As her career grew in 2005 when she opened the Manchester Pride festival. She supported many popular acts such as Mick Miller and got great reviews from critics, encouraging her progression as a comedian. Touching on very real and often incorporating the ‘shock factor’, Beth is a unique act guaranteed to make your event unforgettable. So if you’re looking for something different, an alternative and fresh approach to comedy, then consider hiring the acclaimed Bethany for your private or corporate events.

Quotes about Bethany Black:

“dark-tinged but magical” – The Guardian

“Something quite special and unique… I was genuinely grateful for the experience.” – Time Out London

“The anecdotes are pitched perfectly… very funny” – Chortle.co.uk

“Bethany Black should prepare for world domination” – Bruce Dessau British Comedy Awards magazine

Catherine Bohart

cactus — Tue, 04 May 2021 09:45:49 +0000

Catherine began performing stand-up in 2015 and has enjoyed a rapid rise through the ranks of UK and Irish comedy, becoming a finalist in both the BBC New Comedy Awards and Funny Women the very next year.

2016 also saw Catherine and fellow comic Cally Beaton perform their show Catcall for a full run at the Edinburgh Fringe, enjoying packed houses and stellar reviews. The following August, Catherine joined the line-up of the prestigious Pleasance Comedy Reserve.

Catherine took her debut solo show, Immaculate, to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2018. Immaculate received widespread acclaim, with The Times describing it as “the sort of perfectly structured Edinburgh debut you always hope for and rarely get to see.” Catherine returned to the festival in 2019 with her second hour-long show, Lemon. It enjoyed a month of sold-out performances and excellent reviews before being brought to jam-packed audiences at London’s Soho Theatre. Catherine will tour Lemon in the UK in 2021.

Catherine has also taken her talents overseas. Spring 2019 saw Catherine chosen to join the line-up for New Order, which showcases the best in original and trendsetting comedy at Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

Catherine’s burgeoning broadcasting career has seen her appear on BBC2′s Mock the Week, E4’s 8 Out Of 10 Cats, Comedy Central UK’s Roast Battle, BBC2′s Funny Festival Live, Comedy Central’s Guessable?, ITV2’s The Stand Up Sketch Show, Dave’s Jon Richardson: Ultimate Worrier, Celebrity House of Games, Pointless Celebrities, The Blame Game and as a regular correspondent on BBC2’s The Mash Report. Catherine has written material for Comedy Central’s Guessable, BBC shows The Now Show, The News Quiz, Newsjack and Frankie Boyle’s New World Order and E4’sSavage Socials.

Catherine co-hosts her own weekly podcast “You’ll Do” with fellow comedian Sarah Keyworth. You’ll Do is a podcast that challenges the notion of #couplesgoals and explores what it really takes to be in a relationship and make love work. You’ll do is available wherever you get your podcasts.

Catherine hosts a weekly online gig called Gigless every Thursday which aims to provide a space for comedians to try out new material during lockdown. All of the funds are divided evenly between performers. The gig has won a JOE.ie Award for Best Online Show.

She has co-hosted BBC Radio 4 Extra Comedy Club with Arthur Smith, hosted a series of Funny From the Fringe for BBC Radio 4 Extra and was a guest on Reasons To Be Cheerful with Ed Miliband and Geoff Lloyd. In addition, Catherine was named The Times Comedy Face To Watch for 2019 and featured on the BBC New Talent Hotlist for 2017.

Catherine is also a trained actor, having studied an MA in Acting for Screen at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

“The sort of perfectly structured Edinburgh debut you always hope for and rarely get to see.”
- The Times

”Packed full of laughs… she’s destined for great things.”
- The Herald

”A star in the making.”
- The Skinny

”A winning mixture of self-deprecation and confidence.”
- Beyond The Joke

”A supremely natural quality about her delivery.”
- The List

”Pretty much the perfect comedy package”

- Bruce Dessau, Beyondthejoke

Graham Norton

cactus — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 15:06:06 +0000

Graham Norton is one of the best known presenters on British television. His Channel 4 chatshows becames the channels highest rated shows and picked nearly every award going, including 4 BAFTAS.

Since his move to the BBC, Graham Norton has continued this success and attracted huge ratings with a string of talent shows. He has glided from Strictly Dance Fever and The One and Only to the West End audition vehicles Any Dream Will Do, I’d Do Anything and How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?

He has also launched a new Eurovision format and maintained his reputation as a chat show host, entertaining guests from Tony Curtis to Alice Cooper on The Graham Norton Show; away from television he still pops up occasionally on Just A Minute.

Graham’s break came when he stood in for the Jack Docherty Show on Channel 5, winning Best Newcomer at the British Comedy Awards. He went on to appear in Father Ted and become a BAFTA award-winning presenter on Channel 4 – spreading his wings as far afield as Japan, the US and Mexico.

His latest show on BBC 1, The Graham Norton Show, is sweeping the board again including winning a BAFTA for Best Entertainment Performance.

Jen Brister

cactus — Thu, 12 Nov 2020 09:29:43 +0000

Jen is a critically acclaimed stand up comedian, writer and actor. She is a regular performer on the UK and international comedy circuits. She has written for BBC Scotland, presented for BBC 6 Music, and has been a regular contributor to magazines and online sites including Diva, g3, Standard Issue and The Huffington Post.

Brister has written and performed six solo shows (Me My Mum & I, British(ish), Now & Then, Wishful Thinking, The Other One & MEANINGless) around the world, including at Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Norway Comedy Box Festival, Comedy Club Asia, Adelaide Festival and the Edinburgh Festival. She has toured extensively — with comedians Kerry Godliman, Francesca Martinez and Frankie Boyle among others — and will be supporting Romesh Ranganathan on his national tour from September.

Radio and television credits include writing and performing on: The Now Show & The News Quiz for BBC Radio 4, performing stand up on ‘Live at the Comedy Store’ on Comedy Central and ‘Live at the Apollo’ on BBC2 as well as appearing on the latest series of Frankie Boyle’s New World Order.

Paul Sinha

cactus — Sun, 06 May 2012 23:13:35 +0000

Paul Sinha is a qualified GP and international stand up comic of many years standing, having performed in all major comedy clubs in the UK, as well as China, Auckland, Singapore, the Middle East, South Africa, Netherlands and Germany.

Paul’s second full length solo show “Saint or Sinha” received widespread critical acclaim at the 2006 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and was nominated for the if.comedy award (formerly the Perrier).

Since then Paul has been in great demand, whether on TV shows such as Edinburgh and Beyond, World Stands up, Comedy Shuffle and Comedy Cuts, on Radio 4′s Loose Ends and the Now Show, or his numerous contributions to Radio 5 Live and Talksport, as well as having recorded for Shane Warne’s Ashes podcasts.

Quotes:

“Sinha’s wonderfully uncluttered one-liners are delivered with the crisp clarity of cut glass, but, crucially, his set retains an engaging warmth. He doesn’t so much walk the line between controversy and outrage as use it for a skipping rope. Highly original.” – Metro

“Universal anecdotes as warmly delivered as you would find anywhere……..its a pleasure listening to him” – Chortle

“His confidence on stage was excellent and his talent for adlibbing and summoning gags off the cuff were very funny” – BBC Online

“Wonderfully inventive and intelligent” – Evening Standard

Scott Capurro

cactus — Wed, 09 May 2012 15:13:03 +0000

“Brilliantly outrageous” – The Scotsman

Scott regularly plays almost every comedy club in the English speaking world, including the Punchline in San Francisco, the Comedy Store in London, the Comic Strip in New York City, and Yuk Yuks in Toronto, Canada. He’s been banned from Australia, because of a mishap with a person of diminutive stature, but that debt will be settled if Perth will wield its power as both a regional seat and a dominating cultural capital.

Background check: Scott admires Scotland so much he named the country after his great uncle, Randolph Scott. Sadly Randolph never stuck, so the locals, over their pints, characteristically chose the briefest and easiest way out.

Since then, in a faerie land where English is ne’er spoken, Scott has pushed his mother tongue, and, in 1994, he miraculously won the Perrier Award with his magical show Risk Gay, an installation/performance piece chronicling the power of wind, where Scott mimed a glittering chime.

Between reading the Koran and mocking the Bible, Scott has developed an eye twitch while chasing gay sheep around Montana, where male-on-male action is limited to animal pens. I know. HOT! The result, The Truth About Gay Animals, has been an internationally televised hit, having played Israel and, consequently, resulting in death threats.

Scott has written for several newspapers, including The Guardian, The London Times and the Scotsman; and for various magazines, like The Index on Censorship, which isn’t half as stuffy as it sounds. Kidding. It actually is. AND he currently has a monthly column in Gay Times, a British glossy that hired him because he’s – you guessed it – ghettoized.

His book, Fowl Play, a comedy novel about murder and date rape, received good reviews and it is out of print. Currently, he’s working on a second novel about the making of a Broadway musical, entitled Runt. And there’s a third novel, Loaded, based on his play about his correspondence with killer Erik Menendez, which the English press called ‘sick and dangerous’.

Wait, it gets better: He’s on all sorts of British television programs, most of which are too embarrassing to mention, although 8 Out of Ten Cats is a hit, even when he’s a guest. His stand up CD, some of which is included in this web site, was released in the UK, his second home, to enormous fanfare, and very limited sales. He did a play about gays. Currently he’s hosting a live chat show in London, letting his famous friends do all the work.

And he’s always touring, and being asked to tone it down in places like Manchester. Manchester for fuck sake, where clearly he’s not the problem. Still he perseveres, mainly out of a craving for attention and food.

Obviously, Scott is too busy to date. So he lives on friends’ couches. If you wanna call his a ‘life’. Or a lawn chair a ‘couch’.

ACTUAL BIO FACTS, which are meant to impress, but when read aloud have the oppostie effect:

Scott is a veteran of our TV screens. A diverse performer (read: difficult), Scott’s talents were also incorporated into various films, when he was young and film worthy.

FILM WORK INCLUDES:

STAR WARS; PHANTOM MENACE, dir: George Lucas, Star Wars Films, ‘Beed’
MRS. DOUBTFIRE, dir: Chris Columbus, 20 Century Fox, ‘Aunt Jack’
HEART AND SOULS, dir. Ron Underwood, Universal, ‘Carl’ (I made up that character name. But I did have a close up.)

QUOTES

“enthralling… electric … deliciously catty” – Guardian

“breathtaking… incandescently witty” – Scotsman

“The most fearless and technically perfect stand-up on the circuit” – The Guardian

TELEVISION WORK INCLUDES: 

2012 LATE N’ LIVE GUIDE TO COMEDY Guest and performer BBC1
2012 MORGAN SPURLOCK’S NEW BRITANNIA Guest SKY1
2011 IMAGINE Guest and performer BBC1
2010 THE GREATEST TV CHRISTMAS MOMENTS Guest C4
2010 THE GREATEST CHRISTMAS ADVERTS Guest C4
2008 IT TAKES TWO Guest BBC2
2008 COMEDY CUTS ITV2 (Series 3)  Sketch writer and performer
2007 THE BLAME GAME Panel guest BBC1  NI
2007 COMEDY BLUE Paramount Channel  for COMEDY CENTRAL
2007 HISTORY OF THE ‘C’ WORD Guest C4
2007 COMEDY CUTS ITV2 (Series 2 ) Sketch writer and performer
2006 THE LATE EDITION Guest BBC4
2006 BIG BROTHER’S LITTLE BROTHER Guest E4
2005 – 2008 8 OUT OF 10 CATS Panel guest Endemol for C4
2005 – 2012 THE WRIGHT STUFF Guest C5
2005 THE COMIC SIDE OF 7 DAYS BBC3  Sketch writer and performer
2004 THE ONLY GAYS IN THE VILLAGE as self Sky 1
2004 THE KINGS OF COMEDY Stand-Up C4
2004 THE WORLD STANDS UP Stand-up Paramount Channel  COMEDY CENTRAL
2003 RICKI LAKE Guest US TV NBC
2003 THE ALL NEW COMEDY STORE Stand-up C5
2002 THE TRUTH ABOUT GAY ANIMALS Presenter C4

Sue Perkins

cactus — Wed, 13 Jan 2021 12:48:00 +0000

Sue Perkins is an accomplished presenter, writer, actor, director and comedian. Together with her presenting partner, Mel Giedroyc, Sue first entertained the nation in 1997 on the popular Light Lunch, which ran for five series before transferring to an evening slot titled Late Lunch. With their fresh and unstuffy style, they jumped, yelled and gurned their way through hours of television, marking the start of a double act that has lasted over 25 years, including the seven series of The Great British Bake Off (2010 -2016).

Sue co-presented the Supersizers (2007 – 2011), alongside Giles Coren. The hugely popular show spawned a cultish devotion from fans and several spin-offs, all which involved dressing up in historically accurate costumes and eating (and drinking) their way through the cuisine of different eras.

Never one to turn down a challenge in 2008 Sue took part in Maestro, a BBC programme where “famous amateurs with a passion for classical music” competed for the chance to conduct the BBC Concert Orchestra at the 2008 Proms in the Park. Sue won the competition and has since conducted several charity concerts including the world’s biggest kazoo ensemble at the Royal Albert Hall.

Sue hosted four series of Insert Name Here on BBC2 (2016 – 19) and has appeared on many other comedy panel shows, including QI, Have I Got News for You and The Last Leg for television. On the radio, she can be heard on BBC Radio 4’s staple comedies The News Quiz and Just Minute, as well as hosting four series of Dilemma. As a big fan of Game of Thrones, Sue has presented the final four series of its companion show Thronecast (2015 – 2019) for Sky

Sue has several successful BBC travelogues under her belt including Japan With Sue Perkins (2019), The Ganges with Sue Perkins (2017), The Mekong River with Sue Perkins (2014) and Kolkata with Sue Perkins (2015). Her documentary Sue Perkins and the Chimp Sanctuary was nominated for a Grierson Award in 2018. Sue’s love of the natural world brought her to narrate the Audible podcast series Earpedia: Animals/Plants as well as hosting BBC Radio 4’s Nature Table in Spring 2020.

In 2017 her witty and warm presenting style won her the prestigious gig of hosting the BAFTA Television
Awards, which she returned to host in 2018.

Sue’s series of ten podcasts: An Hour or So With … reached #1 on the iTunes podcast chart in October 2019, and these intimate and informal audio specials include conversations with Mary Berry, Stewart Lee and John Lloyd.

Over the course of her career, Sue has proven to be a highly talented writer, with writing credits including the beloved BBC comedy series Absolutely Fabulous and an episode of the influential Banana in 2014 (E4/More 4). In 2015, her memoir Spectacles garnered great reviews and reached the coveted number one spot in The Sunday Times paperback non-fiction chart. In 2017 she toured with her stand-up show based on the book, performing to sell-out audiences across the UK. Her second memoir East of Croydon was released in 2018, detailing her travels across South-East Asia alongside tales of her growing up in South London.

Sue wrote and starred in Heading Out, a sitcom for BBC2 about a veterinarian who struggles to come out to her parents with hilarious consequences. She returned to sitcom in 2020 in Hitmen, a new series for Sky, in which she and Mel play two best friends who also happen to be inept killers.

Over Christmas 2019, Sue Perkins was seen in two cameo roles for the feature film Last Christmas, directed
by the wonderful Paul Feig and the film adaptation of the best-selling book How to Build a Girl. Sue is thrilled
to have written and directed an Urban Myth for Sky about Joan Rivers and Barbra Streisand.

Susan Calman

cactus — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 20:57:45 +0000

Susan Calman used to be a corporate lawyer and in her time has worked on Death Row in America, at the United Nations in Geneva and been in charge of Vacuum Cleaners and Microwaves at an electrical superstore.

In 2006 she decided to give up her promising career in the Law to be a comedian. She reached the semi-finals of the BBC New Comedy Awards and ‘So You Think You’re Funny’, was a finalist in the prestigious ‘Funny Women’ competition in 2006 and she hasn’t stopped since.

In 2007 Susan was cast in ‘Ugly Kid’, a sketch show which was a sell-out at the Edinburgh Festival and following critical acclaim, was commissioned as a pilot for Channel 4. The show was renamed ‘Blowout’ and the cast went on to be awarded a Scottish BAFTA that same year.

On Radio 4 Susan has appeared on The News Quiz, The Unbelievable Truth, Now Show, Dilemma, So Wrong it’s Right and presented Woman’s Hour. She’s recorded two series of her own sitcom for Radio 4 and five solo series for the station including the recent Susan Calman Makes Me Happy. Like many people Susan has a podcast, the hugely successful Mrs Brightside which is now on it’s second series.

Sometimes Susan is allowed on television and has been on QI, HIGNFY and Mock the Week. She’s acted in the likes of Home from Home and Fresh Meat. She’s hosted daytime shows like The Boss and Armchair Detectives (winning her a second Scottish BAFTA) as well as the CBBC show Top Class. In 2017 she made it to week ten of Strictly Come Dancing, which was quite unexpected. She and her partner Kevin Clifton went on to win the Strictly Live Tour in 2018. The second series of her Channel 5 show “Secret Scotland” has now been broadcasted.

Susan has written two books “Cheer Up Love” and “Sunny Side Up” and also contributed to the Penguin published Doctor Who collection of stories “The Day She Saved The Doctor”.

Susan lives in Glasgow and is lucky enough to be married with five cats.

QUOTES

“Feisty Scot Calman is one of the best female comics to ever come out of the land of bagpipes and haggis. She’ll make you chuckle your pants off” – Time Out

“Calman fizzed manic energy, alternating between confessional tales and playing with facts she teased out of the audience…a perfect start to a fun-filled evening’ – Edinburgh Evening News

“Rarely have I observed an audience uniformly laugh so much… Not only is absolutely every person laughing, but they are falling about. And they don‟t stop for the entire hour.” – Scotsgay

“Who better to be locked away with at the end of the world than The Calminator?…Fabulous” – One4Review.com

“Calman can wring humour out of an Asda chicken and bacon bake… Sharp, warm and massively entertaining, Calman’s show is not one to miss if you take your pleasures seriously” – Chortle