Celebrating 50 years of watching stand-up: Richard Gill's 25 special shows

My blog and podcast, A Rich Comic Life, describes my experiences of watching over 1,500 comedians (and counting) for the last 50 years, starting with my first gig in August 1974 aged 7, which forms one of the highlights below.

A lifelong supporter of anyone who has picked up a microphone and tried to make an audience laugh, I can usually be found on the front row, watching a live comedy show.

In 2024, my anniversary year, I have been kindly asked for my top 20 gigs by British Comedy Guide. This is an impossible task, as comedy is very subjective, and so many great comedians have made me cry with laughter (and what an infamous laugh) over the years. So instead, documented below, there are 25 'moments' in date order, with extracts from the blogs, that have been very special on my comic journey. Please follow my blog, support live comedy, and enjoy!

Les Dawson: Floral Halls Theatre, Scarborough, 1974

My first ever comedy show and an unforgettable encore...

Dawson came back on stage and let it be known that the chairwoman of the Scarborough Women's Institute was in the audience, today was her birthday and she is the grand old age of 111 years old. He pointed to an old lady sitting very near to me who went very red. The audience applauded and Dawson started to play badly on the piano (as was the norm of his act) Happy Birthday to which the entire audience joined in. With perfect timing and precision, he cut the audience short from the singing and yelled 'what, what, oh!' to an imaginary prompt in wings, before turning back to the audience with the line 'She's not 111, she's ill!'. He then winced at the audience who were all in hysterics laughing and applauding including the put upon lady sitting near me, and the curtain came down to end the show.

Tommy Cooper: Floral Halls Theatre, Scarborough, 1975

The lights in the theatre dimmed and the curtains opened to reveal nothing on stage apart from a bed with Cooper lying on it asleep. One member of the audience started to laugh and then another and then another. All the time Cooper having done nothing apart from lie asleep on the bed. After a good five minutes everyone in the theatre was laughing loudly waiting for something, anything to happen. When the laughter had reached breaking point, and with split second timing, Cooper lifted his head from the bed and said 'What? Has somebody come on stage?'

Victoria Wood Live: The Sands Centre, Carlisle, 1988

Wood walked on stage alone in front of a couple of thousand people and explained that 'Joan Collins was due to appear in Carlisle tonight and because she has been delayed near Silloth [a seaside village just outside Carlisle], she unfortunately has abandoned the appearance and you've got me instead; good evening!'

The fact that Wood had never played Carlisle before and the fact that she had taken time to research the area that she was due to play endeared her all the more to the audience. The evening was also notable for the standing ovation Wood got after performing her classic comic song The Ballad of Barry and Freda. During the evening there were trademark piano compositions together with comic tales of everyday life including very relevant and humorous references to the city or town that she was playing in.

Rik Mayall Live!, The Sands Centre, Carlisle, 1989

This was a tour-de-force that was performed at such speed that the audience could not catch its breath from laughing so hard for the next onslaught of jokes and routines. The show was particularly memorable for its opening. Before Mayall appeared on stage, the introductory music was played on a turntable off set and was the theme from The Muppet Show scratched into the theme from Dallas on a revolving loop. Mayall could be heard getting angry trying to get ready off stage. Then suddenly the stage was in darkness and then light in quick succession. Mayall then jumped onto the stage, arms wide with an inane grin on his face before his trousers exploded! He then yelled manically 'Hello Ladies and Gentlemen of The Carl!' This was his own cool funny reference to Carlisle which he used throughout the show. Whilst the audience were still laughing at this, he spotted someone sitting very near to me who wasn't laughing, promptly got down from the stage, grabbed the audience member's arm and promptly threw him out of the theatre for the rest of the show. Even if this was a staged audience plant, the routine worked brilliantly and shocked the audience into more laughter.

Vic Reeves Big Night Out on Tour: Manchester Academy, Manchester, 1990

Vic Reeves Big Night Out first aired on Channel 4 television in 1990. I remember flicking channels with a TV remote and coming across this surreal, sort of parody of a variety show featuring bizarre, soon to be classic characters such as Judge Nutmeg and The Stotts. Fronted by Britain's Top Light Entertainer Vic Reeves (real name Jim Moir) with Bob Mortimer appearing from time-to-time as himself or different characters (as well as Fred Alwyn appearing as mute scientist helper Les), I didn't know this show was, but I stayed with it and realised that I was laughing loudly at the screen.

If I had thought the TV show was off-the-wall, the live tour that followed was an incredible experience. The show had become a cult, and the tour was a sell-out. As I sat in the audience at the Manchester Academy I watched in awe as the entire crowd chanted catchphrases on cue at the characters played by Reeves & Mortimer on stage. I happily joined in and can remember vividly the audience willing Les to catch loaves of bread with a fishing rod whilst standing on top of a step ladder on stage. When he successfully caught one the cheers from the audience took the roof off. This was something very strange, very funny, and truly unique.

Bill Hicks: Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, 1991

Hicks was a truly great American stand-up comedian. His material - which enveloped a wide range of social issues including religion, politics, and philosophy - was contentious and often soaked in black comedy. I was extremely fortunate to see him live at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester in 1991. The routines and rants from the show It's Just A Ride have become legendary in the comedy world. He was unafraid to say what he wanted regardless of the consequences and his angry rants were delivered with such precision and perfect comic timing. From the moment he sauntered onto the stage, dressed in black, smoking a cigarette to the impressive encore about like being just a ride, I could sense that the audience were watching something and someone very special.

Harry Hill: Downstairs at The Kings Head, Crouch End, London, 1993

Hill appeared to be late [for the start of his set] and made his entrance through the audience. As he brushed past me and clambered up onto the stage, he looked bewilderingly at the crowd and said 'I'm sorry I'm late Ladies and Gentlemen, I had to have a testicle brought down...' (pause for a laugh which he got), 'from Derby!'. To this day, this is the best opening line to a live routine I've ever heard and what a routine it was. I watched in laughter and amazement as Hill constructed five different jokes and routines by only saying one line of the first, then one line of the second and so on. Hill has used this method in his live performances for years to high comic effect and in particular a routine involving a trip up the M1 and M6 involving all the motorway service stations in order from South to North was also memorable. Most of the audience got this odd style of hilarious comedy and Hill left the stage that night to rapturous applause and laughter from a very happy audience.

Ken Dodd: The Ken Dodd Laughter Show: Lyceum Theatre, Crewe, 1997

I went with a friend who was not a fan but was willing to give the comic a go. The first half was okay but not great. We got to the interval and persuaded my friend to stay for the second half. Dodd began the second half with a routine about newspapers and asked what at the time was Crewe's most popular newspaper? Having recently moved to Crewe to work at the time, I yelled out from the audience 'The Chronicle!'. Immediately behind me an old lady yelled out 'No, no, it's the Mail!'. I was instance and said 'No, it's the Chronicle!' This went on for some time and laughing, Dodd interjected and asked where I was from? Carlisle, I said. He then said, 'I'll see you Sunday, and Crewe's favourite paper is apparently The Crewe Mail!' From then on, the show went up a gear as Dodd had found a foil in the audience - me! At the end of the show as Ken took his bow he gave me a thumbs-up as if to say thanks for being the stooge, and it was the first time I had ever taken part in audience participation.

Boothby Graffoe: Release U Win Tin (with Nick Pym): The Stand Comedy Club, Edinburgh, 2005

I have been a big fan of the musical comedian since first discovering him at The Stand Comedy Club at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2005. The amiable comic with enormous wit and appeal ambled onto the stage guitar around neck, pint in hand and a grin to the audience. I remember even then having never seen the act, I knew that I was going to have a great time. His loose conversational style displaying an array of accents and mannerisms whilst telling wild, surreal stories about his cat or the political state of Britain, he moves onto his first song, and I could see he was clearly a gifted musician as well as a daft yet extremely clever lyricist. An unforgettable memory of this gig was his rendition of his song Baseball Playing Spiders where he divided the crowd up to sing various parts of the chorus. The enjoyment he gave the crowd was extremely noticed and this was an excellent Fringe show.

Barry Cryer: The Elephant in The Pub, Gilded Balloon, Edinburgh, 2007

Cryer sat in a giant chair going through the alphabet of comedians that he has worked with, telling jokes and stories related to the comedian. [After the show], I shook his hand and told him that we see his show every year at the festival. As he walked out, he grinned at us warmly and said, 'You're the ones!' Genuis! Cryer had written for many of the comic greats of the twentieth century and he will be enormously missed. Having had the privilege to watch him many times live over the years and the honour of interviewing him for my podcast, I did meet him twice and I only wish I had a photo with him. Nevertheless, my interview stands as my tribute to a comic genius and a wonderful man who just wanted to make people laugh.

Jason Byrne: Cats Under Mats, Having Chats with Bats, Assembly Hall on the Mound, Edinburgh, 2008

The performance had been going on for about twenty minutes and someone in the audience was late for the show. As he was sitting down without trying to be noticed, Byrne caught him out of the corner of his eye, encouraged the latecomer to join him on stage and then rewound the show using physical comedy to the beginning so that the audience member had not missed anything. It was one of the most memorably funny things I have ever seen on the stage with Byrne acting out all the mannerisms in reverse.

Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers: Hammersmith Apollo, London, 2011

My favourite film comedian, live on stage...

When the great man appeared on stage [with his banjo] to a standing ovation he immediately told the crowd that they didn't often see Jerry Seinfeld with a bassoon, and they may not know that Martin could play the banjo! He could brilliantly, and as part of the band gave a terrific performance of their album Rare Bird Alert!. There was comedy in between the songs which was infectious and reminiscent. There was even a throwback to when Martin first performed as a stand-up comedian to thousands of fans in America at the start of his career when for an encore, we got Martin dressed in head towel Egyptian dancing to his classic song King Tut.

Hal Cruttenden: Tough Luvvie, Gilded Balloon, Edinburgh, 2013

Cruttenden had reduced me to hysterical continuous laughter and managed to retain the comedy of the performance whilst gaining a respect for the sensitive issues that he dealt with in the set. He also showed great confidence with his audience interactions. His easy- going, relaxed, and sometimes daring banter with me, and other members of the crowd was hilarious.

Josh Widdicombe: What Do I Do Now..?, Brighton Dome, 2016

The Devon stand-up comedian is the undisputed king of the infuriated irritation. He takes a sarcastic look at the world around him and points out logical flaws the audience never see but immediately recognise. However, his 2016 tour What Do I Do Now...? which I saw at the Brighton Dome also had plenty of engaging nostalgia about his isolated Dartmoor childhood with very funny reminisces. Widdicombe was such a relaxed presence onstage he makes me think that he is not working hard to make me laugh. This was a fabulously entertaining show, jumping between set-pieces and more off-the-cuff asides and chats with the audience.

Always Be Comedy: My 50th Birthday, Kennington, London, 2017

I turned 50 years old in August 2017, and celebrated with friends at The Tommyfield pub in Kennington, home to Always Be Comedy. Being a regular at the club, as I walked up the stairs, the audience was packed with more surprise friends who sang happy birthday as I walked through them to my seat on the stage next to the comedians. The night hosted by James Gill (no relation) included one of my unforgettable renditions of Bon Jovi's Livin' On A Prayer - my 'singing' thankfully drowned out by the audience - and then was treated to a comedy double bill featuring the great Phil Wang and Matt Forde.

Nick Helm's F*ck Fest: Pleasance Islington, London, 2017

The show started with Helm and his band at maximum bombast, enforcing singalong participation in his metal anthems and, seeing as it was Christmas, he placed three boxes of mince pies on the stage floor. Whilst still singing, Helm then collected two members of the audience and subjected them to a mince pie eating contest by getting them to shove as many of them in their mouths as possible within a set time. When they were in his mouth, he carried on singing and with brilliant comic timing sprayed the contents all over the front row (me included). That night, Helm was on stage for over two and a half hours with brilliantly clever and very funny routines, audience participation and great guests including Rob Deering, Brett Goldstein and Adam Riches. But it was Helm's gig, and he gave the audience a fantastic show, and I have been going most years since.

Ivo Graham: The Game Of Life: Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh, 2019

The Eton and Oxford educated comic and new dad described his concerns about the run-of-the-mill complications of life which demonstrated superb thoughtful comedy, reserving his most spiteful criticism and self-depreciation for himself as being 'weak and pathetic'. The jokes and stories were first rate, extremely funny and created constant belly laughs from the full audience. Noted not only for me laughing so hard, but also my best friend helpless with laughter.

Paul McCaffrey: Headliners Comedy Club, George IV pub, Chiswick, London, 2020

Comedians must be shattered after trying to make audiences laugh night after night. Many have sets at more than one gig in an evening. When I met McCaffrey, as he was about to headline Headliners Comedy Club in January 2020, he told me that Headliners was the second of three gigs he was booked to play that night. His enthusiasm on stage to create a laugh didn't show any signs of tiring. He once again showed that he was a master of creating situations that generate belly laughter from an audience. His routines about holidays and weight loss were prize examples of perfectly delivered routines with expert comic timing.

Kerry Godliman: Bosh!, Bloomsbury Theatre, London, 2022

I watched Godliman's tour Bosh! at the Bloomsbury Theatre in February 2022 and marvelled at what a very funny woman she was. The performance was one of the best she has ever given; displaying hysterical mannerisms, visual humour and material that was comedy gold.

Subjects included family, technology and her pets, the show focussed on the ability to get things done and I laughed consistently for an hour at her.

Seann Walsh Is Dead: Happy Now?, The Stand Comedy Club, Edinburgh, 2022

Sitting in the front row of The Stand Comedy Club, the comedian launched into a hysterical tyrannical assault on the funny bone by the inclusion of experiences of appearing on a dance show, his relationship with his father, his opinion on fellow comedians (including superb impressions of Michael McIntyre, Jack Whitehall and Josh Widdicombe) and the state of his life in general. The writing and delivery were exceptional, and after the show, I left feeling elated and exhausted from laughing so hard.

Gary Jennison: Hastings Fringe Comedy Festival, The Electric Palace, Hastings, 2022

Directors of Hull Comedy Festival, Gary Jennison and Jed Salisbury, saved the day when a billed act was unable to perform at the Hastings Fringe Comedy Festival. The magic of any fringe festival is discovering a new talent. When Jennison asked if everyone was okay and had anything to say, I shouted out that I had been eating two packets of crisps for the last thirty years and wondered why I had diabetes. To take a sentence based on my love of crisps, run with it, and produce the funniest twenty-minute ad-lib all year was a joy to behold. As I watched Jennison develop the comedy routine, it got funnier and funnier, and I was crying with uncontrollable laughter.

Al Murray: Downstairs at The Kings Head 40th Anniversary Show, Crouch End, London, 2023

Murray was a special surprise guest for the Downstairs at The Kings Head 40th Anniversary Show that I saw in April 2023. Delivering a wonderful performance, and gloriously showering me with beer as I sat in the front row seat, the audience banter was, as ever, inspirational building hysterical comedy from finding out some unique occupations from members of the public.

Frank Skinner: 30 Years of Dirt, The Bill Murray, London; and Edinburgh Fringe, Assembly George Square, 2023

I watched Frank Skinner's new solo work-in-progress show 30 Years of Dirt at Angel Comedy at The Bill Murray pub in London in March 2023. As I sat in the front row, he asked me if I could drive. I replied that I haven't driven for thirty years but, if I asked the council where I worked, I'm sure they would give me a parking space. He suggested I buy a Persian rug, lay it out in the parking space and lie on it! I saw the full finished version of 30 Years of Dirt at the Edinburgh Fringe in August 2023. Exceptionally fast-witted with his crowd-work, he made the art of making an audience belly laugh look easy. After the show, he was walking out of the theatre, and this was a golden opportunity to finally meet the great man. I went up to say hello and tentatively asked if we could have a photograph, please, as I was a big fan. 'Thank god, of course', he said, 'I thought you were going to ask for a refund!'. Wonderful.

An Evening with Frankie Monroe: Hull Comedy Festival, 2023

Occasionally, a new comedy act comes along and whatever the magic ingredient is, delivers with relentless belly aching laughter. Deserving to win the BBC New Comedy Award in 2023, Joe Kent-Walters presented his show An Evening with Frankie Monroe at the Hull Comedy Festival. Frankie Monroe is the owner and resident MC at The Moon Room Social Club (a working men's club in Rotherham that is also a portal to hell). Think a cross between Vic Reeves, Johnny Vegas and The Mighty Boosh and this original extraordinary character is born. A phenomenally funny hour with highlights included a singalong about touching Frankie's trowel! Absolutely fearless with an audience and it was an honour to be Frankie's stooge for the night. I could not stop laughing all evening and the crowd deservedly gave the act a standing ovation.

I saw the impressive act again at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August 2024. Recommending Frankie Monroe to two women in the queue, they smiled and let me know that one was Joe's mum and the other was his manager. The astonishing show was hysterically funny and extremely clever. I was delighted for his success which was culminated in winning the Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards. I think he is destined for greatness.

Russell Kane: Happy Mondays Collywobblers Comedy Night / Always Be Comedy, London, 2024

In January 2024, I watched the return of Kane performing a brand-new work-in-progress set for his forthcoming tour Hyperactive, at the Happy Mondays Collywobblers Comedy Night at the Amersham Arms in New Cross, in London. Sitting near the back thoroughly enjoying the performance, after the show, I was very lucky to get to meet the great man for a photo and a book signing. The very next night sitting in my usual front row seat at Always Be Comedy, I was unaware that Kane was the special guest and again sat through the brilliant material I had watched the night before. [The set] was a masterclass in visual, physical, and story-telling humour. He is one of the very best at commanding an audience and is so funny delivering the material. So much so, that he included him in his Always Be Comedy set describing why I would go and see him twice in two nights. What was so inspired was how he created comedy out of thin air by taking the mickey out of me. I loved it and could not stop laughing.

Richard's website is arichcomiclife.blog