Tough Crowd - Free Photo Exhibition in London

If you head to The Strand Gallery in London by Sunday 16th December you can see Tough Crowd - a free showcase of photographic portraits of some of the most popular and well-known comedians on the British circuit.

Many of the country's top comedians have been photographed by Dave Brown, who is perhaps best known as being linked to The Mighty Boosh. Over the years Brown has been involved in many aspects of the Boosh shows including photography, design, choreography, music and played some characters in the show itself too, most famously Bollo the Gorilla.

Brown was also responsible for the photography and design of the marketing campaign for Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy. Not everyone was enamoured with Fielding's surreal E4 sketch show, but it certainly looked striking.

The exhibition includes photos from the likes of Jimmy Carr (pictured), Harry Hill, Bill Bailey, Tony Law, Noel Fielding and Lee Mack. The marketing material for the exhibition says: "Dave's intimate portraits capture the comedians in a unique, private way, offering a different view of these famous faces."

This new exhibition is titled Tough Crowd as a nod to the fact that getting to the top of the comedy ladder is very hard work, and requires a very thick skin throughout the long journey.

Dave Brown (pictured) explains: "Comedians are, by their very nature, tough - they have to be. We always see them mucking about with big smiles on their faces, the funny man, the wacky women telling jokes, getting the laughs, the awards, the fame. But before all this, in the early days, when they were starting out, it has to be one of the hardest jobs in the world."

He adds: "Travelling to the darkest corners of the country often on their own, all to stand in the corner of a beer stained room on an upturned crate, shouting their hard thought through, well crafted, deeply personal material to 6 alcoholics and a comatose dog, you don't get much tougher than that!"

"At some point in their careers they've all been heckled by a drunk, dropped by an agent, cancelled on a bill and delivered a punchline to total silence. I want to capture a glimpse of these thick skinned, seriously tough, complex, moody characters and try to show them in a different light to the usual smiley happy go lucky comedy world image we're used to."

Limited edition, signed prints are available to purchase, with all profits going to AfriKids, a charity operating in Ghana to try and alleviate the acute child suffering, for which Brown is an Ambassador.

Talking about AfriKids, the photographer says: "An amazing charity like no other, redefining how aid should be delivered, I've been out there a few times and it's so inspiring. I'll be showing some portraits taken out there at the exhibition too, these people are the very definition of a tough crowd!"

Tough Crowd is at The Strand Gallery on 32 John Adam Street (WC2N 6BP) until Sunday 16th December. The gallery is open 11am to 7pm (6pm on Sundays), and entry is free. The limited edition signed prints are available from £50.