HeadSpill

The Manchester Comedy Festival kicks off this week and I’m not in it because I missed the deadline and didn’t get a venue for my show sorted. Event’s have a funny way of conspiring though, and as it happens the Literature festival runs on exactly the same dates, and I’m doing two things for that, and even have my face in the brochure for the Poetry Slam Final that I’m mc’ing at the Northern Pub. During the fest I’ll be compering a Doctor Who convention (see previous post) on Saturday and doing the late night Asylum next Wednesday. As well as that I’ve got a whole new night kicking off in November, ‘Northern Humour‘, a sunday new material/character/wacky stuff night in the Northern Pub which promises to be proper fun.

The fest appears to be a lot more low key than in previous years, which is a bit of a shame for something that really needs to be as in-yer-face as it possibly can. With no sponsership this year it’s hard to can as much exposure when all the work being done to promote it is more or less being donated by the organisers. Hopefully next year it will be bigger, but that’ll only happen if more people get behind it, promoters and comics alike.

Utter Joy. If you were to list my favourite things in order they would pretty much be comedy, Doctor Who, cider,  comics and animation. So when I’m asked if I’d like to mc a Doctor Who Convention all about comics in a pub, I had to check I hadn’t fallen through a whole in my own mind and mistaken reality for a wish list.

Meeting the organiser Gareth I hoped I did’nt come over as a gob*****, as everything he spoke of I knew something about,  but it’s just true.  Doing my small press comic back in the 90’s I’d been to comic conventions and met some of the artists who are coming. Doing flash animation for the ‘Get Happy’ show a year back, I’d bumped into Firestep, the guys who did the WHO infinite quest animation, and been to their studio. And of course Doctor Who itself, I’d only just rewatched some vintage McCoy the previous night. It’s like it was meant to be, weird.

It’s great news too as ‘forgot’ to put my show in for the Manchester comedy festival, but I am in the Literature Fest Brochure twice, so I can’t complain.

Big up to Brian Gorman for getting me into the press opening for the Doctor Who up close exhibiton which open this Saturday at the S&I museum.

It’s the biggest exhibition of WHO stuff in europe apparently, and they got pretty much all the monsther from series two and a JUDOON!

I helped myself to canapes and bubbley while the curator was attacked by cybermen at the end of his speech and lead away to have his brains scooped out/be interviewed by local radio (it’s the same but different). Then they stomped around some more.

I spotted at least two terrified kids who’d nearly wet themselves with fright, instilled with a healthy dose of fear in the way only Doctor who can do.

Top evening.

Also present was fellow comedian and (for the next 13 weeks) Satuday night sofa buddy, Toby Hadoke who is currently touring with his show (see elsewhere on this thread).
These pics don’t really do just to how impressive and detailed the modelwork is, if you can go and see it yourself, you should.