The Cat Laughs festival - Johnny Vegas pottery story

The Cat Laughs comedy festival in Kilkenny, Ireland is underway again. The city attracts many of the best performers from Ireland and beyond, and the programme includes performances from a number of British comedians.

This year there's a very engaging new book to accompany the festival. Secret Kilkenny, compiled by the website Such Small Portions, lifts the lid on the stories that have become comedic lore, with contributions from over 50 of the finest acts from the festival's history.

Several stories mention one man in particular, so much so that the authors have given him his own section of the book - that man is Johnny Vegas.

Andrew Mickel, who co-edited Secret Kilkenny with Tim Clark, explains: "The festival seems to encourage comedians to cut loose. We've heard time and again from comedians who say it's their favourite festival; and we've heard time and again from locals who have provided so many stories about Johnny Vegas that we've given him his own chapter."

Bar owner John Cleere had this to say in the book, when asked "Who was the dirtiest comedian to appear in Cleere's over the years?"...

That's an easy one, with one person standing alone on the Dirty Comedian Rostrum, take a bow: Johnny Vegas.

'Dirty' doesn't adequately describe Johnny's show; 'filthy', 'shocking','depraved' are other words that spring to mind.

You see, Johnny's show at the time involved the use of a potter's wheel. The early part of the act involved him chatting to the audience and giving a pottery demonstration at the same time. Then a volunteer was brought up from the floor to learn the fine art of pottery in just a few minutes.

The unsuspecting assistant, usually a girl in her finest outfit bought specially for her attendance at The Cat Laughs festival, was guided to the stage by the hands of Johnny, with potter's clay liberally spread on her clothes. The clay seemed to have a life of its own and spread everywhere.

The wheel, now manned by the trainee, sent the clay flying in all directions. Some ended up on the audience, some on the black drapes and walls. It seemed to be especially attracted to the microphones and leads, where it hardened very quickly under the stage lights.

I kept expecting to get complaints for a new dress or dry cleaning, but it never happened.

Maybe they ended up for sale on eBay: "For sale. One black dress (almost new) with genuine Johnny Vegas handprints on rear."

For more stories about Johnny Vegas and many other comedians, pick up a copy of Secret Kilkenny. You can buy the book at the festival this weekend, or order a copy online or get the eBook version via SuchSmallPortions.com

To find out more about the festival visit www.thecatlaughs.com