I'm All Right Jack.

Last night, Jack Dee played Mostly Comedy; something we would never have dreamt would happen when we started the club, back in 2008.

Jack Dee at Hitchin Mostly Comedy (22.11.17)

I regularly have to catch myself when another big name comes to Hitchin, which happens these days with alarming regularity. In 2017 alone we’ve hosted an impressive list of acts who’d never been to Mostly before, such as Ardal O’Hanlon, Reginald D Hunter, Mark Watson, Angelos Epithemiou, Katy Brand and Hal Cruttenden, not to mention some of our favourite regulars, like Arthur Smith, Norman Lovett, Richard Herring and Hattie Hayridge. For an event that started solely as an excuse to write more material, it’s crazy how it’s snowballed, and having a household name like Dee come to town is the icing on the cake; I’m already searching my mind for who to try to book next.

Ivo Graham at last night's gig.

The unexpected treat for many last night was Ivo Graham's set, which was fantastic, not least for the wonderful coincidence that he shared a house at Eton with local MP Bim Afolami; a person of some infamy among the non-Tory local community (myself included). While it was clear from the audience reaction that Bim hasn't exactly won over his naysayers, the pantomime boo that filled the room at the mere mention of his predecessor Peter Lilley warmed my heart, as our run-in with him a few years back proved the man's an unutterable cunt.

Admittedly, the lead-up to yesterday came with its stresses, but by the time we got to the show, everything was ironed out and we were able to enjoy a great night. The roar from the room when I introduced Jack was pretty extraordinary; here’s hoping he comes back soon.