Rotten Lousy Scoundrels

For a girl who never goes out and has no social life, I did a pretty poor job tonight. I met up with about 200 of my new friends, where they all know me by name and make a point of coming over to speak to me the moment they arrive.

Yep. The new Comedy Club season has started and this time, I'm the woman on the door.

I've been anticipating it all summer and have amassed a rather groovy collection of slogan tee-shirts for the occasion. Tirelessly campaigning to promote the written word, I figure they can only see me from the chest up so looking at my tits should be a positive experience. 'Course, tonight I wore a white tunic, simply because I had one ironed. One wise guy actually asked where the slogan had gone. " This? Oh, it's a blank note pad" was a funnier response at the time somehow.

Rob Rouse, a TV ( that's as in television, not Eddie Izzard) comic was headlining. I was a little excited and had taken my camera in the hope of getting a photo with a famous person. He'd cancelled. At 3pm this afternoon. Jon, the promoter and resident compere had recoved sufficiently to regain the power of speech by the time I arrived at 7 to set up the front desk. He'd got a last minute stand-in ( or should that be stand-up?). I was a little worried that anyone available to come to ScVnthorpe, a town responsible for at least 37 different search engine filters, at 4 hours notice might not be a crowd-puller. Boy! Was I wrong.

Pete Firman, the first slot, also with TV credits to his name ( C5's Monkey Magic - never heard of it) got things warmed up with his comedic magic. Not quite your Tommy Cooper but not bad at all. Next up were 2 newcomers to the circuit, Al, a Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall lookalike and, erm, a Geordie with walnut whip hair managed to raise some laughs which is more than can be said for the middle guy a fortnight ago.

I was mobbed during the intervals with people wanting to buy membership cards and book seats in advance for the next show. Word had got about and we'd sold out in advance for both the first two shows (it's repeated in Grimsby and Doncaster on alternate Tuesdays - I thoroughly recommend it to anyone living near either place, and I know some of you do - tell your friends, tell Jon I sent you and tell me what you think afterwards) so I hadn't had the chance to pop into the dressing room and meet the final act ( I also hadn't had the opportunity to get the inside gen on whether he was single, and more importantly, whether he wasn't fussy from Roger in advance - there are some benefits to having a best friend married to a stand-up comedian). I certainly would not have put the large, leather-clad, goatee-wearing, cropped haired leviathan down as Mitch Benn from Radio 4.

He was awesome. He had the place in pieces from start to finish. He came back for 2 encores and still they cheered for more. He was a damn sight funnier and completely more professional than that weedy Rot Louse would have been.

( No, that's not Dawn French at the front but I can understand why you might have thought it was )

Get out there. Bring some comedy into your lives. Support live performances, be it stand-up, theatre, music ( but I'm not sure where I stand on installation art). Your tellies and computers will still be at home waiting for you. Well, unless you're unlucky enough to live in certain areas of Manchester, they will be.