2008 and Clean Comedy Thrives in UK

Posted on November 6, 2008
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The sleepy isles of her britannic majesty’s kingdom have slipped from winter to autumn, bypassing spring and summer. The birds don’t know which song to sing and the lazy foliage has not bothered to bloom.
Dark in the mornings, dark by tea-time.. and grey all day.. it’s as if the national meter has run out and no-one has a coin to put in.
So here in the damp cold of November our semi-comatose society sits staring into their tea cups wondering if the credit crunch has an upside. Probably not.
The british are a nation bred to enjoy the melancholy of mild dissapointment – so observed the genius Bill Bailey.
We have giggled at the foolishness of Dubbya Bush but found him too dangerous to be really funny. We have observed sceptically the discomfort of Gordon Brown and are baffled at the re-admission to the cabinet of Peter ‘Voldemort’ Mandelson .. we await his next fall.
We observe the election of Obama with no supprise and expect to see masonic handshakes all over Washington yet again.
A black man in the white house.. it is interesting. Will congress barrack Obama? Will Obama catch Osama? will McCain go back to making oven chips and will his people now take their teeth out of Mrs Palins neck? We all know someone will have a go at the new President next yr. as history repeats itself… will Hilary appear reluctant to come out of the wings?
From this side of the pond it seems there is much more to come.. whilst we shop for cheap umbrellas and await the snow that will become slush.
This lank Englishman went to Romania on a mission in August, caught a bug, had a great time, and came home to recover whilst watching team GB not will the Olympics [again]. Great. Tummy bug gone I ryely accepted that there was no time to organise a Clean Comedy Tour for this year. So I’m content with 2 gigs at the moment – one in Worthing on 14th Nov and one in Bedford on Fri 28th.
The first has Russ Bravo opening the show – he’s in the states at the moment so you will probably bump into him – and the headline act is the lovely and brilliant Jo Enright.
The second show is a fundraser for medical work in Africa and features the handsome Andy Kind and the tragic/willing victim Paul Kerensa who is weepingly funny and yet gently scathing.. truly British!

Other things of note – don’t buy Christmas presents just get the new Tim Vine DVD and pass it round – this one features the amazing ‘Flag Hippo’ (who got me in a lot of trouble at Spring Harvest!!).
Look out too for another series of ‘Not Going Out’ and the next outrageously funny ’24′ where Keiffer Sutherland and team go without food and drink whilst burning up ridiculous amounts of energy.
Ah well better go and not do some work…
bless you all,
Tim

Happy Christmas !

Posted on December 25, 2007
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Hello friends across the waters…
As you wake up to this joyful Christmas Day and reach for your computer, this will be the first thing you will see… Happy Christmas from me !

As if that wasn’t enough to make your day, you will find enough clean fun on the interweb to entertain you all day – won’t your friends and family be happy !
Search for the original ‘Top of the Pops’ video of Mud, singing “It’ll be Lonely This Christmas”, that always makes me laugh.
Search for the ‘Guitarist sketch’ by looking for “Mark Knopfler on French and Saunders”, there is a swear word in this but it’s a brilliant sketch.

If your Christmas Crackers have terrible jokes in their bowels, take a look at my website cleancomedy.org.uk and go to the ‘gags’ section… there are some of mine !

There is a list of Tim Vine gags in the web which is better – have a search for that and BEWARE ! some of his writing has been attributed to the great Tommy Cooper (the funniest magician ever !) but they really are Tim’s.
Tommy was always clean and film of him at work is always worth searching out.

In our fine industrial conurbation known locally as ‘Leeds’ there was a comedy show last week that, I have it on good authority, was probably the funniest ever in Britain. You will not be surprised to learn then, that the wordsmith Milton Jones was headlining ! I’ve not seen any film of him on my PC but there must be something somewhere.. go seek !

For a more ‘slapstick’ approach, have a look for ‘The Plank’ featuring several British comic actors of the post-war generation. Probably on DVD by now it features the great Eric Sykes.
After WW2 Eric worked with “The Goons” (Spike Milligan, Harry Seacombe, Peter Sellers and Michael Bentine) and on countless variety shows. His chatter was brilliant, bejewelled with clean laughs, and his comedy timing was perfect. He wrote prolifically and in the ’70s had a hit TV series playing the slightly hopeless brother of the huge Hattie Jaques – it ran for years and was a delight. Eric was suffering hearling problems but continued to emit comedy in every direction, being involved in ‘Tellytubbies’ and appearing in the ‘Harry Potter’ movies.
Ancient now, Eric is still funny, and lovable, anything by him is a joy !

so there we are… some clean comedy ideas to pull out of the bag at an oportune moment today…
God Bless You All !
Tim Hill

A Post Clean Comedy Tour Post

Posted on December 6, 2007
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Hello chaps !

The Clean Comedy Tour is now done for this year and we’ve covered a fair few miles (approx. 600) in my sturdy Honda ! Three of the four shows were a howling success – listen to bits of “Horley” on our website www.cleancomedy.org.uk.
In Bedford the first night was exciting and a swing band got it all going in a rather modern way.. 145 people turned up and we raised 600 pounds (UK money) for MedAid, a charity which takes operating theatre equipment to Africa and trains medics how to use it.
Straight after the show we travelled across to Oxford (yes, the one with the famous Uni.) to appear next morning on a live debate show with politicians, academics like Prof. Stephen Dawkins, top clergy and actor/singer John Barrowman. Our comedian friend Andy Kind did get to speak about ‘freedom of speech’ and a 14yr old lad from the Salvation Army silenced Richard Dawkins with an account of his own journey to faith !

After that the Honda headed south until we hit the coast – Bexhill on Sea – it’s full of Eastern Europeans now, thousands of them ! The church hosting us had given over it’s evening service for the event and that was appreciated by all, especially the Pastor ! Several newcomers really enjoyed it and have returned a week later, causing outbreaks of joy (terms as expansive as “oh good” are said to have been uttered !).
The next night we were in Horley (by Gatwick airport for you intrepid travellers!) and a slightly quieter crowd, but still there was lots of fun to be had and you can hear some if you click ‘podcast’ on our site. Seventy-five is a good turn out for Horley and for a Monday night, well, I was delighted (and almost showed it!).

The last night got a very mixed reaction – people were worried about other people being offended. The visitors to Storrington all enjoyed it enormously but the residents tell me they thought it ‘out of order’. Well you can please some of the people……

I got bolder as the week progressed, always reluctant to class myself as a ‘comedian’ but it is such a thrill when people are laughing at your material. Andy Kind and Tony Vino worked very hard and are hoping to visit the States in ’08 – I will keep you posted !
I will try to come too though what customs would make of my ‘magic case’ I don’t know !!

Now it’s back to work for me… lots of Advent assemblies in schools in Surrey and Sussex then Christmas assemblies and then back to the Old Testament lessons for 10/11yr olds – phew !
I need a break.

I have enjoyed sending these Epistles, thanks for reading them !
God Bless you,
Merry Christmas,
Tim Hill
Winter draws on !

Clean Comedy – Tour Two

Posted on November 19, 2007
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Ah! Friends, you are still there!
So now I can tell you more about our Clean Comedy Tour in the UK. This year I have two fine stand-ups in the show, Andy Kind and Tony Vino.
They hale from ‘up north’ which for me, living south of London as I do, is almost anywhere in the UK. North of Birmingham it is bitterly cold and mostly continuing in Black and White. The old days are still upon those poor folk, so it’s batten down the hatches, stiff upper lip and brighten the hours with mirth whilst darning holes in your mittens.

Andy and Tony have performed at many of the best comedy clubs and have won awards. Both christians, they stand for quality and positive humour – take a peek at The Isaac Project on the web. Actually while you are there take a peek deeper into the throat of the world consuming computer network and there, hanging like a tonsil is my site cleancomedy.org.uk you might find something to enjoy there besides details of the tour.

Andy has a radio show (UCB) and Tony has a wife. Pop on the YouTube and look up ‘Anthony and Claires Wedding Dance’ and you will see the wife. The chap with her is Tony.

We already have some great clean comedians over here at the top of the tree – did I mention Tim Vine, Milton Jones, Harry Hill ? And Magic based comedians like John Archer and Mario Morris both of whom are versatile and energetically funny. I think Andy and Tony will climb that tree whilst I place manure around the roots.
In Britain the climbing of trees used to be compulsary for boys and a no go area for others, now sadly the health and safety killjoys have frowned at such fun and little boy-brits of this generation will never know the thrill off the fall. Ah well.

I can see by the clock on my computer that it’s later than early so I shall sign off for now.
Happy web-watching. God Bless.
Tim Hill

Clean Comedy — UK’s 2nd Tour

Posted on November 15, 2007
Filed Under Events, UK | 1 Comment

Well this is exciting — my first post in a foreign language !

I’ve contributed to a few UK forums before, like the BBC Comedy section… they’ve got this game called Mornington Crescent and I play sometimes as St. Tim of Sussex… Anyway here I am in the USA and I want to thank you for having me, via this keyboard, into your zone !

Last year I organised Britains first Clean Comedy Tour. We used real theatres (As opposed to fake ones? You think we have fake theatres? Like blow-up ones you can fold away to suprise people?) and some top acts (like the brilliant Milton Jones — another contributor to the BBC, except they pay him! Lots… hmmm) anyway it was expensive but fun.

So I organised the second tour — willfully entitled ‘Tour Two’. It begins on Saturday (as does the Jewish week I understand, but that is just a happy co-incidence!) 24th Nov in a village outside Bedford, in , err… Bedfordshire. Then we shoot down to the southcoast (in my car, firing as we go…) for the gig in Bexhill on sea next day. It’s in a church! They are having us instead of their evening service! Go Pastor Bishop! Liking that idea…

Then back up near Gatwick airport, where I live (No! I don’t actually live at the airport silly! I said ‘near’ the airport.) for a Monday night show at Horley Baptist then a few days in the wilderness doing whatever God throws up (no, I don’t mean The Lord vomits) and our final gig is in Storrington in Sussex on the Thursday (29th in most countries).

Whew! Next post I’ll tell you something about our comedians.

Blessings chaps,
Tim Hill

Sky Angel’s Special Events Channel

Posted on May 9, 2007
Filed Under Kerri Pomarolli, Ron McGehee, Television | Leave a Comment

Ron McGehee and Kerri Pomarolli on Sky Angel’s Special Events Channel June 23, 2007, 8pm-8:30pm ET/5pm PT. Will air nationally on Angel Two/Sky Angel Channel 9702 promoting their new television special.