Comedy / News
Bristol best of 2014: Comedy
1. 20th Anniversary Show feat. Al Murray: Comedy Box at the Hen & Chicken, March 12
The Pub Landlord was joined by rising stars Nathan Caton, Craig Campbell and Tom Allen, in a night compered by former Bristol boy John Robins. A packed Comedy Box witnessed a night of electric comedy. £25 for a pub comedy gig may have seemed steep, but the venue sold all its tickets over two days during the Christmas break.
2. What The Frock!: Colston Hall, November 14
The 40th instalment of this thriving all-female comedy night featured sets from three award-winning comedians. Bristolian force-of-nature Jayde Adams compered, Aisling Bea beguiled us with tales of her upbringing in rural Ireland and her dreams of stardom – and Shazia Mirza’s description of buying a bulletproof vest for her shows in Pakistan, incorporating Amazon reviews of said vest, was inspired.
3. Bridget Christie: Colston Hall, September 21
Gloucester-hailing comedienne Christie won plaudits for her show My Daily Mail Hell, which told the lurid tale of her spell on the Mail’s diary column. This time, she gave Bristol audiences a bumper set of highlights from her acclaimed 2013 and 2014 shows A Bic For Her and An Ungrateful Woman. Sharp, incisive comedy that, between the laughs, reminded audiences of some yawning gaps in gender relations.
4. Bristol Comedy Garden: Queen Square, July 2-6
The midsummer comedy festival returned to the leafy groves of Queen Square with its strongest line-up yet. Highlights included bone-dry Southerner Rich Hall, duck-voiced Anglophile Henning Wehn – and the brilliant Sara Pascoe (see below). Comic and ventriloquist Nina Conti was among the more off-kilter gems.
5. Sara Pascoe and John Robins: The Greenbank, June 30
Local comedy promoters Bristol Punchline have enjoyed a strong year, building up their nights at Ashley Down’s The Lazy Dog and adding monthly sessions at The Greenbank, BS5, of which this was the first. On a sweltering June night, the Greenbank was packed to the gills for sets from the wonderful Sara Pascoe and Bristol boy John Robins. Strong support from local acts Ben Thurston and Becky Brunning sealed a brilliant night.
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