A change of scenery for us on a Sunday as we hosted at the Royal George and MC’d by Lucy Jenner!
Opening the show was Stanislav Gunko, who taught us that the KGB isn’t just a spy organisation, it’s also a surprisingly consistent bringer for comedy. Next up was Michael Campuzano, half Spanish, half English, so it’s impossible to pronounce his own surname without booking a dentist appointment. We then had Barbara Fernandez (PICTURED), who attempted to shed light on her mysterious family business but only deepened the mystery before whisking us straight into Christmas hillbilly season. After Barbara came Karan Mehra, a man born in India, living in New York, performing stand-up in Soho; a diversity checklist all on his own. Then it was Richard Taylor who reminded us that, although we’re nearing the end of November, he’s still stuck thinking about Easter and how devastated Jesus must’ve been to come home and discover his family had nipped out for the bank holiday. Next was Eleanor Bernard , venting about her smug friends whose hobbies include pottery, yoga, and getting arrested. She was followed by Prakash Mistry, who proudly identifies as a boss man and who served us youth-focused naan bread: Naan-binary. Closing the first half was our brilliant headliner, Nigel Wolfin, accountant by day, comedian by night, divider of rooms at all times. Nigel’s been spending so much time at the job centre that he’s essentially gone there for the friends with benefits, he’s also been weighing up whether dating an optician is better with or without protection.
Kicking off our second half was musical trio Irritable Babe Syndrome (Eleanor Colville), who took us through turning 30 and the mystery of a random child. They were followed by Roger Clarke, a man brave enough to admit that infrastructure turns him on. This theme of unexpected confessions continued with Isaac Kirby, who revealed he lost his virginity to his teddy bear, a tale none of us will forget, even if we try. Sudeepta Sanyal then joined us, aspiring to reach the lofty heights of mediocrity, though her main priority is securing a visa via her flatmate. Next was Stephen Marsden, proudly middle class: he likes his coffee ground, his wine decanted, and his emotions firmly suppressed. Up next was Lucas Jones Ho, whose mother once gaslit his teacher into thinking she was racist when really Lucas just needed a trip to Specsavers. Then came William Milne on the awkwardness of dating at school… and the equal awkwardness of dating when you’re married. Our penultimate act was Ian Colyer, worried about the death of chivalry because men no longer give up chairs for women, which explains why he always loses at musical chairs. Closing our show in fabulous fashion was headliner Tracey Bowman, teaching us that finding information about sex today is infinitely easier than it was back when she needed it.
A fantastic afternoon at The Royal George — and a final shout-out to the fabulous red shoes in the front row. Join us next Sunday with powerhouse female headliners Amber Phillips and Lucy Jenner