Comedy / Adam Riches
Adam Riches brings Sean Bean to Bristol for ‘The Christmas show to end all Christmas shows’
Appearing variously as Jimmy Connors (in Jimmy) and Michael Ball (in Ball and Boe), the mercurial character comedian and actor Adam Riches has also been embodying his own version of Sean Bean, aka “Actor, Warrior and Slayer of dialogue” on stage and screen for a decade – most famously as a recurring dictionary corner guest on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown (Channel 4).
In his 2023 late night Edinburgh Fringe gameshow Dungeons ‘n’ Bastards – which has since been reprised at London’s Soho Theatre – Riches starred as Lord Sean of House Bean, inviting his audience on a series of esoteric quests and garnering a slew of five-star reviews in the process.
He has now adapted that show into a festive offering which will be visiting Bristol’s city centre comedy club The Gaffe on December 3, before touring the UK through to the end of the year.
Adam Riches, Dungeons at End of The Road Festival – photo: Rachel Juarez Carr
In The 12 Beans of Christmas, Riches will be bringing Sean Bean to the west country for a memorable evening of seasonal games and “chaotic buffoonery”.
But has he ever visited Bristol before? “Only in a fever dream”, he says.
“I’ve told this story before but last May, all four of the McGann brothers challenged me to eat an entire Toby Carvery, bricks and all, in one sitting. Like a bastard, I of course did it. But not without consequence.
“Apparently, due to the dangerously high levels of tryptophan and mortar I had coursing through my veins, I passed out for what felt like a solstice but was probably only an equinox. Apparently I started hallucinating and begging them to take me to the Clifton Suspension Bridge, at dusk.
“But they’re all bastards, so I wouldn’t pay them much mind.”
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Chumps Comedy presents: Adam Riches as Sean Bean in The 12 Beans of Christmas, at The Gaffe Comedy Club on December 3 at 7.30pm. Tickets are available at www.thegaffecomedyclub.com. Follow Adam Riches @adamrichescomedy.
Main photo: Matt Stronge; design: William Andrews
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