News

Indian features ‘get-inonit’ reviews Stephen at the Comedy Store, Mumbai:

http://blog.inonit.in/2011/10/23/review-a-serious-night-out-at-the-comedy-store/

Stephen’s new 2011 show ‘The Clown Joules’ is coming to the Brighton Comedy Festival on Sunday 16th October – the last* booked date for this show.

Here’s the details about it.

It’s a massive room, so even if you’re sat near the front, you’re going to be just fine**

Sell-out last 10 years so get tickets quick!

* second
** cannot guarantee you will be fine

A little while ago I was asked to contribute to Time Out’s top 100 comedy films.

My personal Top 10 is listed on the Time Out site here, and here’s the unedited list of what I sent them.

10 A Fish called Wanda

Dying breed of British comedies that did well in the US. Kevin Kline ace in it. Also unbelievably made a sex symbol out of John Cleese, whose other film, Clockwise, would have shaded it if it wasn’t for the brilliant Palin animal cruelty skits.

9 Wayne’s World

Has to be a great film seeing as it’s pointless and virtually plotless, yet brilliant throughout. Walks the line between pastiche and homage beautifully.

8 Monty Python’s Life of Brian

Quoted to death but that’s only because it’s brilliant. More challenging in its day than any ‘shock’ comic is now but still packed with laughs that stand up to repeat viewings.

7 Trading Places

Eddie Murphy before the ego took over, and Dan Aykroyd at his peak. Stellar writing and acting and a feel-good ending.

6 The Mask

My favourite Jim Carrey film because the plot suits his huge overacting. By having this multiple personality of the mask, he can overdo it without annoying the viewer. Much.

5 Better off Dead

My guilty pleasure. A John Cusack comedy teen flick with constant silliness that allows you to forgive some appalling gags. “Testicles? You mean tentacles!”. Etc.

4 The Naked Gun

I prefer this to Airplane. Leslie Nielsen is sharper & drier, the jokes are subtler and the actual plot isn’t actually that bad.

3 Team America World Police

You expect it to be rubbish and then you find yourself laughing like a drain for an hour. And singing, “America, Fuck yeah!” for about a week afterwards.

2 This is Spinal Tap

There’s a reason why all comedy documentaries – TV or film – are compared to this; it’s because it’s the yardstick work. This film is also responsible for the BBC iPlayer volume control going to 11.

1 Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Genius. It has to be. Imagine ‘There’s Something About Mary’ having a script so powerful you could point at a bush and shout, “A Shrubbery!” and then giggle for a day.

This list is based on a backstage chat where somebody said that every one of the 92 clubs in the FA pro leagues (Premier, Championship, League One and League Two) probably has a professional circuit comedian following them. For ‘pro circuit comedian’, I mean any stand-up who appears in the Chortle list of comics.

So, who have I missed? And can anyone confirm those flagged with question marks?

Premier League
Arsenal : Ian Stone, Alan Davies, Chris Martin, Milton Jones, Jack Whitehall, Dara O’Briain, Romesh Ranganathan, Joe Bor, Tom Rosenthal
Aston Villa : Gary Delaney, James Dowdeswell, James Cook, Ryan Gough, Mark Allen
Blackburn : Lee Mack, Ian Moore, Bethany Black
Bolton : Paddy McGuinness
Chelsea : Owen O’Neill, Omid Djalili, Sean Lock, Tony Salmon (Raymond & Mr Timpkins Revue), Daniel Sloss
Everton : Jamie Sutherland, Sam Avery, Brendan Riley, Phil Nichol
Fulham : Jim Jeffries, Dom Frisby(?)
Liverpool : John Bishop, Tim Clark, Mark Olver, Rob Hitchmough, Steve Gribbin, Gordon Southern, Rob Heeney, Marlon Davis, Andrew Maxwell, Russell Howard, Paul Sinha, John Robins, Rudi Lickwood, Kojo, Humphrey Ker, Craig Murray, Quincy, Iain Sterling, Alfie Brown
Man City : Mike Newall, Des Sharples, Chris Roche, Jason Manford, Danny Hurst
Man Utd : Tony Hendrix, Andrew Ryan, Justin Moorhouse, Mick Ferry, Ian Smith, Paul Tonkinson(?), Kevin Dewsbury
Newcastle : Mark Walker, Gavin Webster, John Fothergill, Dave Johns, Kai Humphries, Mike Milligan
Norwich City : Marek Larwood (?)
QPR : Seann Walsh, Harvey Oliver
Stoke City
Sunderland
Swansea City : Elis James, Bennett Arron
Tottenham : Carl Donnelly, Barry Castagnola, Joey Page
WBA : Frank Skinner, Andy Robinson, Karen Bayley
Wigan Athletic
Wolves : Mark Billingham, Susan Murray(?), Tom Parry & Ben Clark (Pappy’s)

Championship
Barnsley : Daniel Kitson(?)
Birmingham City
Blackpool : Greg Cook
Brighton & Hove Albion : Stephen Grant, The Noise Next Door, Tom Bell, Addy Van Der Borgh
Bristol City : Mark Watson
Burnley
Cardiff City
Coventry City
Crystal Palace : Sean Hughes, Kevin Day, Doc Brown, Jo Brand, Eddie Izzard, Mark Steel, Martin Coyote, Rob Beckett, Carly Smallman, Andre Vincent, Holly Walsh
Derby County
Doncaster Rovers
Hull City
Ipswich Town : Tony Cowards, Tom Deacon
Leeds United : Jon Richardson, Ardal O’Hanlon, Dave Cohen
Leicester City : Jim Smallman
Middlesbrough : Roy Chubby Brown
Millwall : Del Strain
Nottingham Forest : Matt Forde, Danielle Ward
Peterborough United
Portsmouth : Andy Heydon (Raymond & Mr Timpkins Revue)
Reading : Ricky Gervais
Southampton : Alistair Barrie, Paul McCaffrey
Watford : Eddy Brimson, Dan Nightingale
West Ham United : Russell Brand, John Moloney, Phil Jupitus, Nick Revell, James Sherwood

League One
AFC Bournemouth
Brentford : Nathan Caton
Bury : Danny Deegan
Carlisle United
Charlton Athletic
Chesterfield : Roland Gent
Colchester United
Exeter City
Hartlepool United
Huddersfield Town : Al Pitcher, Alun Cochrane, Bryan Lacey
Leyton Orient : Bob Mills, John Ryan(?)
Milton Keynes Dons
Notts County
Oldham Athletic : Smug Roberts
Preston North End
Rochdale
Scunthorpe United
Sheffield United : Roger Monkhouse
Sheffield Wednesday : Tom Wrigglesworth
Stevenage : Steve Day
Tranmere Rovers
Walsall
Wycombe Wanderers : Henning Wehn, Sy Thomas
Yeovil Town : Diane Spencer

League Two
Accrington Stanley
Aldershot Town
Barnet
Bradford City : Ben Schofield
Bristol Rovers
Burton
Cheltenham Town : Terry Saunders
Crawley Town : Windsor(?)
Crewe Alexandra
Dagenham & Redbridge
Gillingham : Andy Zaltzman(?), Joe Wilkinson
Hereford United : Bob Slayer
Macclesfield Town
Morecambe
Northampton Town
Oxford United
Plymouth Argyle : Josh Widdicombe
Port Vale
Rotherham United : Jonathan Elston
Shrewsbury Town
Southend United : Terry Alderton
Swindon Town : Ivo Graham
Torquay United : Charlie Baker, Andy Parsons(?)
AFC Wimbledon : Geoff Norcott, Jeremy O’Donnell, Charlie Talbot

Blue Sq Premier
AFC Telford
Alfreton Town
Barrow
Bath City
Braintree Town
Cambridge Utd
Darlington
Ebbsfleet United
Fleetwood Town
Forest Green
Gateshead
Grimsby Town : Lloyd Griffith
Hayes & Yeading
Kettering
Kidderminster
Lincoln City
Luton
Mansfield
Newport County
Southport
Stockport
Tamworth
Wrexham
York City : Richard Herring

Stephen’s first book, The Random Book Of… Stephen, comes out in October 2011 – and is now available for pre-order at Waterstones and WHSmiths.

The Random Book of… Stephen features facts, figures, stats and trivia on legions of record-breakers, record losers, actors, singers, sportsmen, historical figures, the famous and infamous, felons, inventors, rulers, heartthrobs, politicians and scientists called Stephen and features illustrations by award-winning cartoonist Jonathan Pugh.

Which Stephen…

• Is the only person to have raced both in Formula 1 and the World Rally Championship, and won in Le Mans?
• Has been labelled a ‘spermicidal maniac’ and has had 1.8 million dollars thrown back in his face by a model?
• Was the first to say ‘f***’ live in a TV interview and was paid over £350,000 to not record any music?
• Co-wrote the black music classics Soul Man, Sittin’ on the Dock of a Bay, & In the Midnight Hour… and is white?
• Consoled himself after failing to buy Liverpool by buying Wolverhampton Wanderers… for a tenner?

The affordable gift for every Steve, Stephen or Steven.

Details of the book at Stripe Publishing
The book at Waterstones
The book at WHSmiths
The book at Amazon

The last official Brighton and Hove Albion podcast of the season – recorded on the champion’s parade bus rubbing shoulders with the players – is available here.

Stephen’s new show for the 2011 Brighton Fringe Festival – The Clown Joules – are now available to buy

Sell-out for the last 11 years. Just a hint to get tickets asap!

Stephen appearing in ‘Adelaide Now’ alongside his fellow performers in the Bulmers Best of the Edinburgh Fest, and many others from across the Fringe.

Adelaide Now

In a star-studded ceremony in London on Monday 7th February, the Chortle Awards took place and Stephen beat off strong opposition to win UK COMPERE OF THE YEAR – the first person to win it twice (having also won it in 2008).

Even more impressively, Komedia Brighton, venue of Stephen’s regular night, won best Comedy Club in the South for a stonking 9th time.

Read the full write-up here :

Stephen has been interviewed by comedy.co.uk, about writing for Radio 1, warm-up, QI, Tara Palmer Tompkinson’s inability to appear on panel shows and Lisa Stansfield freezing her poo.

Read it here