Preview: Omid Djalili at Barnard Castle Witham Arts Centre

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OMID DJALILI COMES TO BARNARD CASTLE

Omid Djalili

Barnard Castle Witham Arts Centre

Tuesday 1^st March 2016

Comedian and actor Omid Djalili is to visit Teesdale as part of his new tour.

Djalili, whose career has seen him become a fixture on both the comedy circuit and the silver screen, will visit The Witham arts centre in Barnard Castle on Tuesday 1^st March 2016 as part of his worldwide tour.

Following a sold-out four week West End residency and a sold-out season at the Edinburgh Festival, Djalili is now taking his new showIranalamadingdong to venues across Australia, North America and the Middle East before returning to the UK.

With over twenty years under his belt as a stand-up comedian, Djalili is one of the most recognisable comics in the country, notching up countless television appearances including Live at the Apollo, Have I Got News For You, and The Royal Variety Performance.

Armed with cheery observations, uncanny mimicry and old-school showmanship, the award-winning comic has been delighting audiences and critics with his energetic shtick since 1995.

As prominent on screen as he is on stage, Djalili has racked up an acting career as impressive as his comedy CV, with roles in Hollywoodblockbusters such as Gladiator, The Mummy, Pirates of the Caribbean and The Infidel.

He has also enjoyed success as a writer, having penned two series of sketch programme The Omid Djalili Show for the BBC, an episode of popular Sky anthology series Little Crackers, and his autobiography Hopeful, which was released last year.

Peter Dixon, of promoters Funny Way To Be, said: "Omid has a huge array of film, West End theatre and TV credits to his name, as well as a cabinets full of awards.  "It is as stand-up though where he truly comes into his own. Anyone who saw his last tour of major theatres will tell you of his razor sharp wit, boundless energy and expertly crafted cultural observations. We are elated that he has agreed to perform at our relatively small venue in Barnard Castle as part of his brand new tour."

Tickets:

Tickets are £22 and go on sale on Monday 2nd November 2015 from funnywaytobe.com.

VENUE: The Witham, 3 Horsemarket, Barnard Castle, Durham, DL12 8LY

Preview: Barnard Castle Comedy Festival

MARK WATSON HEADLINES THE FIRST EVER BARNARD CASTLE COMEDY FESTIVAL 

Barnard Castle Comedy Festival

Barnard Castle The Witham Arts Centre

Saturday 18 July 2015

TV star Mark Watson is to headline the first ever Barnard Castle Comedy Festival.

The award-winning comedian, who has a huge array of TV credits including Mock The Week and Never Mind The Buzzcocks, will perform alongside a host of stars at The Witham arts centre on Saturday 18 July for a full day of world class comedy.

Mark Watson Photo: Tom Stanier

The confirmation of Mark Watson as the festival's headliner means the line-up for Teesdale's first ever comedy festival is now complete, with the Edinburgh Festival Award Winner joining Alex Horne (8.30pm), Jo Caulfield (4.30pm), Tony Law (3pm), Lost Voice Guy (1.30pm) and Lee Kyle (12pm) on the bill.

Festival organiser Peter Dixon said: "We are thrilled that Mark Watson is headlining our first Barnard Castle Comedy Festival. His appearance fits perfectly with the line-up that we had already secured for the day.  This is the second time Mark will have performed in Barnard Castle as he was booked to play our first show at the refurbished Witham. Delays to the building work at the time meant we had to find an alternative venue so it's fantastic that we have been able to invite he back to perform on the Witham stage. His performance two years ago in Barnard Castle topped off a very special gala performance.  Anyone who saw that show then will tell you what a what an incredible show it was. Mark's career has gone from strength to strength since he last appeared for us.  He's currently in the process of recording two DVDs of his recent shows, both of which have been huge critical and audience successes."

Mark Watson Photo: Tom Stanier             

 Mark Watson is one of the most talked-about British comedians to emerge in recent years. Not only a regular on hit comedy panels, Mark has been the face of programmes such as BBC Four’s We Need Answers and BBC Radio 4’s Mark Watson Makes The World Substantially Better.  He has also appeared on Have I Got News For You, Would I Lie To You? Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow and Channel 4’s Comedy Gala.

Not only a stand-up, Mark has written four novels: Bullet Points (2004), A Light-Hearted Look At Murder (2007), Eleven (2010), and The Knot (2012). He is also responsible for the now famous day-long comedy shows in aid of Comic Relief.

 The Barnard Castle Comedy Festival is organised by Teesdale comedy promoters Funny Way To Be. You can follow the festival on Facebook by searching 'Barnard Castle Comedy Festival' or on Twitter @BarneyComFest.

Tickets:

The festival takes place on Saturday 18 July 2015 at The Witham arts centre on Horsemarket.

Shows will run from 12pm until late, with Watson's show - a warm-up appearance ahead of his upcoming national tour - taking place at 6pm.

Earlybird day tickets for the festival are on sale now, priced £45.

For more details on the festival, visit barnardcastlecomedy.com.

Preview: The Gunge Show at Witham Arts Centre

TWO TICKETS TO THE GUNGE SHOW?

The Gunge Show,

Barnard Castle Witham Arts Centre

Saturday 18^th July2015

A leading North East comic is hoping kids will see the funny side of his jokes when he performs at the first ever Barnard Castle Comedy Festival.

Geordie comedian Lee Kyle has announced that he will be performing his family-friendly comedy show, The Gunge Show, at The Witham Arts Centre on Saturday 18 July.

A frantic, boisterous affair akin to the Saturday morning kids’ game shows of the eighties and nineties, The Gunge Show sees Kyle supervising two teams of comics competing in a series of ear-splitting games to save their team captain from a gunging.

Speaking ahead of the show, Lee said: "I love Barnard Castle - the festival has a brilliant line-up and I'm chuffed to be a part of it. My show's for kids and stupid adults. It has gunge in it and it is a right laugh, so please do come along.  I have done the show before and people liked it, so I'm not just guessing. It really is canny good."

Featuring gung-ho contributions from Si Buglass, Nicola Mantalios-Lovett, Sammy Dobson, and Matt Reed, the show will be laden with rapturous stupidity and plenty of near-the-knuckle asides for the grown-ups.

Frenzied rounds see participants – and plucky audience members – insulting each other, showcasing their special talents and shoving a ghastly assortment of foods into each other’s faces.

A recent review by the comedy website Giggle Beats compares the show to the "puerile gaiety of Dick and Dom’s In Da Bungalow – but with lower production values and actual comedians. The show is full of psychotic, inclusive charm that even the hardest heart can’t help but be taken in by."

The Barnard Castle Comedy Festival is organised by Teesdale comedy promoters Funny Way To Be.

Tickets:

It takes place on Saturday 18 July 2015 at The Witham Arts centre on Horsemarket.

Shows will run from 12pm until late, with Lee Kyle's Gunge Show kicking off the festival at noon.

Earlybird day tickets for the festival are on sale now, priced £45.  For more details on the festival, visit barnardcastlecomedy.com.

On The Web:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/barnardcastlecomedyfestival

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BarneyComFest

BARNARD CASTLE COMEDY FESTIVAL SHOWS

•       12pm - 1pm Lee Kyle presents The Gunge Show

•       1.30pm - 2.30pm Lost Voice Guy: Disability For Dunces

•       3pm - 4pm Tony Law: Nonsense In Progress

•       4.30pm - 5.30pm Jo Caulfield: Awkward Conversations

•       6pm - 7pm TBA

•       8.30pm - 10.30pm Alex Horne: Monsieur Butterfly

DATE: Saturday 18 July 2015

VENUE: The Witham, 3 Horsemarket, Barnard Castle, Durham, DL12 8LY

 Click on this link for more details about Be My Enemy / Alterred at The Cluny

Preview: Tony Law at Barnard Castle The Witham

LOTS OF LAUGHS WITH LAW

Tony Law
Barnard Castle The Witham
Saturday 18 July.

Following a fourth successive Edinburgh Festival Fringe sell-out run and extensive tour, Canadian stand-up Tony Law crashes down at the Barnard Castle Comedy Festival with a brand new show.  

Alternative comedy hero Tony Law is on his way to Teesdale for the 2015 Barnard Castle Comedy Festival. Teesdale comedy fans will get to see the Canadian stand-up's brand new show first when he performs at The Witham in Barnard Castle on Saturday 18 July.

His show, dubbed Nonsense In Progress, takes place at 3pm, with live comedy running throughout the day in the venue's main hall.

Festival Director Peter Dixon said: "I saw Tony at last summer's Edinburgh Festival and was blown away.  His charismatic performance electrifies a room and we're sure he'll be a big hit at our first ever comedy festival in Barnard Castle."

 

One of the best and most exciting live comics performing in the UK today, Law's cheerfully absurd humour has endeared him to both live and TV audiences around the world.

His  recent TV and radio credits include Have I Got News For You (BBC1), Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Heading Out, The Culture Show, Charlie Brooker’s Weekly Wipe (BBC2), 8 Out Of 10 Cats (C4), The Alternative Comedy Experience (Comedy Central), Tony Law’s Surreal Guide To Surreal Comedy (Radio 4 Extra), Loose Ends and Infinite Monkey Cage (Radio 4). 

The Canadian stand-up is a three-time Chortle-award winner and was a Foster's Edinburgh Comedy Award 2012 nominee. 

Law comes to the North East as part of the first ever Barnard Castle Comedy Festival.

It was announced last week that Radio 4 star Alex Horne would close the festival on Saturday 18 July, with more huge names to be announced in the coming weeks.

Earlybird day tickets for the festival are on sale now, priced £45.

For more details on the festival, visit barnardcastlecomedy.com.

On The Web:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/barnardcastlecomedyfestival

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BarneyComFest

Tickets & Festival Details:

·        12pm - 1pm TBA

·        1.30pm - 2.30pm TBA

·        3pm - 4pm Tony Law: Nonsense In Progress

·        4.30pm - 5.30pm TBA

·        6pm - 7pm TBA

·        8.30pm - 10.30pm Alex Horne: Monsieur Butterfly

DATE: Saturday 18 July 2015

VENUE: The Witham, 3 Horsemarket, Barnard Castle, Durham, DL12 8LY

Preview: Lost Voice Guy at The Witham Arts Centre

HEARD THE ONE ABOUT THE COMEDIAN WHO CAN'T SPEAK?

Lost Voice Guy

The Witham Arts Centre

Saturday 18 July

The winner of the 2014 BBC New Comedy Award is to perform at the first ever Barnard Castle Comedy Festival. 

Lost Voice Guy - real name Lee Ridley - will bring his brand new stand-up show, Disability For Dunces, to The Witham Arts Centre on Saturday 18 July ahead of a month-long run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a child, the award-winning comic performs stand-up using an iPad and is the first comedian to use a communication aid on stage.

Lost Voice Guy Lee Ridley - Photo: Caroline Briggs

Ridley's show, which takes place at 1.30pm, marks his first ever appearance in Barnard Castle as he teams up with stand-up stars Tony Law and Alex Horne for the inaugural comedy festival in Teesdale. 

Speaking ahead of the show, Ridley said: "My show at the Barnard Castle Comedy Festival is about all the stupid questions I get asked by the general public on an all too regular basis.

"Stuff like; can you really not talk? Have you considered an exorcism? Are you just in it for the parking? Have you ever tried talking just to see what happens? How do you have sex? Seriously, can you not talk at all?

"I’ve decided to answer them all once and for all. Think of it as being like a disabled FAQ for dummies (…or dunces - for legal reasons!)."

Described by Matt Lucas as 'a wonderful comedian', Lost Voice Guy is one of the most talked about acts in comedy.

His material is profoundly positive: if someone with no voice can become a successful stand-up, then anyone can achieve anything if they put their mind to it.

Since making his comedy debut three years ago, Ridley has performed all over the UK at venues including The Stand, Jongleurs, The Frog and Bucket, The Glee Club and The Comedy Store.

His unique act has been featured in The Guardian, BBC, CNN, The Sun and The Mail on Sunday.

Festival Director Peter Dixon said: "In programming the festival day we have been striving to bring the very best comedy talent to Barnard Castle. 

"Lost Voice Guy follows in the footsteps of Lucy Beaumont and Steve Bugeja, who have each produced fantastic shows for us, as the current holder of the BBC New Comedy Award. 

"Recognised by critics, fellow comic and audiences alike, Lost Voice Guy is one of the most original, refreshing and funny comics to arrive on the comedy scene in recent years."

The Barnard Castle Comedy Festival is organised by Teesdale comedy promoters Funny Way To Be.

On The Web

Website: www.barnardcastlecomedy.com.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/barnardcastlecomedyfestival

Twitter: twitter.com/BarneyComFest

Tickets:

The Comedy Festival takes place on Saturday 18 July 2015 at The Witham arts centre on Horsemarket.

Shows will run from 12pm until late, with Lost Voice Guy's show taking place at 1.30pm.

Earlybird day tickets for the festival are on sale now, priced £45.

Barnard Castle Comedy Festival Shows

·        12pm - 1pm TBA

·        1.30pm - 2.30pm Lost Voice Guy: Disability For Dunces

·        3pm - 4pm Tony Law: Nonsense In Progress

·        4.30pm - 5.30pm TBA

·        6pm - 7pm TBA

·        8.30pm - 10.30pm Alex Horne: Monsieur Butterfly

DATE: Saturday 18 July 2015

VENUE: The Witham, 3 Horsemarket, Barnard Castle, Durham

Local Music News: #‎HotOffThePressEP by Peculiar Disco Moves is just part of an exciting 2015

Read all about it: Jowheretogo PDM Blog Link

Peculiar Disco Moves recently appeared with Lost Voice Guy at The Tyne Theatre and Opera House in Newcastle on the "Smile For A Night" charity event. 

Preview: Lucy Beaumont, Katie Mulgrew, Hayley Ellis at The Witham

Three Northern Ladies 

Walk Into A Bar...

Funny Way To Be Comedy Club's new season gets underway with three of the UK's most exciting female comics - and they all hail from the North of England.

The 2015 programme, based at The Withamin Barnard Castle, kicks off on Saturday 10 January, with a headline appearance from award-winning comedian Lucy Beaumont.

Hull hero Beaumont has a clutch of awards to her name. She’s a 2014 Fosters Best Newcomer nominee, winner of the BBC New Comedy Award in 2012, and a former Chortle Award winner for Best Newcomer. 

Lucy has made appearances on TV in BBC Three's Live At The Electric, and has recently been commissioned to produce her own show for BBC Radio 4, To Hull and Back.

Described by comedy legend Arthur Smith as 'the next Victoria Wood in the making', Beaumont is one of the future stars of comedy.

Lancashire comedian Katie Mulgrew gigs all over the place in the country's best comedy clubs.  She can also be seen on the TV on the CBBC show, The Dog Ate My Homework.

A regular MC around the UK, including her native Manchester, Hayley Ellis' warmth and girl-next-door charm make her hard to dislike, something which has become evident in her success in new act competitions throughout the UK.

In 2014 she presented her debut hour show, We Need To Talk About Kevin, at the Edinburgh Fringe to great success.

Peter Dixon, of Funny Way To Be Comedy Club, announced the show, saying: "A lot has been talked about this last year about the hidden talents amongst many female comedians in the UK. In this show we set out to present an evening that brought together three of the brightest up and coming female comics in the UK today. All three will be presenting highlights from their 2014 sell-out Edinburgh Fringe shows."

Tickets for the show are on sale now from funnywaytobe.com, priced £10.

Tickets

Saturday 10 January: Northern Ladies - Lucy Beaumont, Katie Mulgrew & Hayley Ellis, £10 advanced/£12 on the door, 8.00pm

 Wednesday 21 January: Steve Bugeja, with support, £5, 8.00pm

Saturday 7 February: Alex Edelman, Felicity Ward, Jamali Maddix and Peter Brush, £10 advanced/ £12 on the door, 8.00pm.

Saturday 28 February: Tony Law, £12 advanced/ £14 on the door, 8.00pm.

 Wednesday 11 March: Carl Hutchinson, with support, £5, 8.00pm.

Saturday 28 March: Ray Peacock & Ahir Shah, £10 advanced/ £12 on the door, 8.00pm

Venue: The Witham, 3 Horsemarket, Barnard Castle, Durham, DL12 8LY