mostly david ephgrave

Yesterday, we released a new episode of More Than Mostly Comedy , featuring an interview with the excellent Tony Hawks , which we recorded a fortnight ago - our second new MTMC both in a month and since the club relaunched in 2023. That 'our' has been subject to a personnel change since Mostly was last a functioning entity. I now host the podcast with Dan Graham, who also now runs the club with me. I suggested resurrecting the podcast a few months ago to make the most of what, for me, has always been the best part of Mostly Comedy: the fascinating people it brings us into contact with. Why waste that opportunity by restricting it to a one-off gig in a room, when you can get something out of it that lasts beyond that date? (Don't respond.) Tony Hawks is undoubtedly such a person. I've been a fan of his books ever since my friend Ash recommended 'Round Ireland with a Fridge' to me while I gave him guitar lessons in the early 2000s. I instantly fell in love with To...

We recorded our first More Than Mostly Comedy interview of 2021 last night with James Acaster, pulling the largest number of live viewers of a Zoom show to date. It's mad how far James' reach has extended since we first met at our second-ever Mostly back in October 2008. That said, if anyone from those days was going far it was him. He was a one-off from the start. While I get the impression he's a tough self-critic and would no doubt dismiss those early sets out of hand, his distinctive and now much-imitated delivery was there already. That unique turn-of-phrase, which must just be him, was well-established, as was his slightly formal dress sense. I've never known a chap his age own so many pairs of corduroys. (Says the man who just used the word, 'chap'.) What's nice is he's remained loyal to the club, despite his stellar career leaps, often returning when he can. So when I asked if he'd be free for an onstage interview in the autumn, and he wasn...

From September 2010, every month for two years, Glyn and I would carry four 4.5' square rostra 176 yards from Glyn's dad's chip shop to Mostly Comedy's then-venue The Croft before/after each gig, in all weathers, for a step in the venue floor to render them invisible when we put them in place. It was an utter ballache. Nine years on, these chunky wooden bastards still bug me. The Croft's stage was hardly the Palladium. And when I say "all-weathers", I genuinely mean all-weathers. The worst was snow, although it's not like a sunny day made it any more enjoyable. Not only were the rostra heavy, but they were also very cumbersome. They were wide and a nightmare to keep purchase; it was like holding a butter-coated tombstone with clammy hands. Navigating from A to B was akin to a scene from the Eric Sykes / Tommy Cooper film The Plank with equal slapstick; my knuckles practically dragged along the floor at the end of Orangutan-like arms by the end of our j...

Wednesday afternoon's interview with Josh Widdicombe was the relaxed, easygoing chat I hoped and expected it would be and will make for an entertaining episode, I think. Us and Josh, during last night's Zoom interview (15.07.20) It's funny as, from the outside looking in, he's one of the bigger names we've interviewed, although the way we came into contact with him makes this feel less significant, as regards intimidation at least. Not only was he one of the club's regulars during its earliest days, but we also shared a Free Fringe venue with a split-bill show of him and James Acaster with them in immediately after us, so we were relaxed with them both. It helps that, like James, he's just a nice guy with no arrogance, who's remained that way, irrespective of his success. And as far as I'm concerned, those are the best people. So this allowed the interview to flow with ease and without pretension. Plus it was great to catch up. And it's ...

My OCD has been suitably placated now the first two Hitchin Mostly Comedys of 2019 have sold out. While it's fair to say this is a common occurrence at the club these days, I'm never complacent; there's always a niggling concern a show won't do well and suddenly we're at risk of making a loss we can't afford. Again, there's been no evidence of this looking likely for years really, but there's always the possibility, and while things have been reasonably comfortable for the club financially for a little while, the last-minute cancellation of November's show with James Acaster did result in us writing off a profit we were counting on. Then purchasing some light & sound equipment left us playing catch-up ever since. There's also always the worry people will either lose interest or expect too much. In some ways the club's hands are tied by its success: last year saw a handful of big names perform who'd either never been on the bill be...

See below for a short conversation - recorded verbatim - that took place today while distributing Mostly Comedy posters around town. NEWSAGENT: "So, who've you got on this month?" ME: “James Acaster.” NEWSAGENT: (after a moment's thought): "...no." Hitchin likes to keep you in your place. I mentioned he’d been nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Award a record five times, but this didn’t placate the unimpressed vendor of news. Telling her he’d done plenty of television - including Have I Got News For You - provoked a shrug, though she did concede “I’d probably recognise his face.” Pointing to his picture on the poster to an unwavering expression was the final nail in the coffin of our chat; I may as well said he’d just completed a summer season in Rhyl for the lack of reaction the whole thing got. This only goes to show you how the impressiveness of a man’s achievements can vary accord...

Today saw another Mostly Comedy pre-sale, with November’s Hitchin show with James Acaster and Alison Thea-Skot selling out in just thirty-five minutes (with 100 tickets going in the first ten minutes). This is particularly remarkable when you consider James made his first appearance at the club almost ten years to the day of November's gig, playing to a fraction of the people he’s now used to, though he was just as memorable back then. He actually criticized his performance that night during an interview for our podcast a few years ago, because he thought he had laid into a heckling audience member a little too over-zealously, but I'd say he judged himself too harshly; he certainly proved he already had the chops to hold his own in a truly individual way; he was special right from the get-go. (That gig also saw the first outing of the Star Trek Porn Letter, so it was a crucial night for us too). In a way, the popularity of today’s pre-sale is indicative of how things ha...

Today’s Mostly Comedy was strange in that it just sort of happened, despite a slow and disconnected set-up. Hal Cruttenden and Richard Herring; two comics in love. Part of the problem for me was I haven’t recovered from the shock of my dad’s sudden illness at the end of last week, which nearly proved fatal, to improve just as suddenly at it had hit (he says in a gross simplification for the sake of a simple paragraph). Now the adrenalin's settled, I'm feeling brain-shot and anxious, which aren’t ideal bedfellows for doing stand-up in a crowded room; consequently, it took a little while to adapt to the noise, which was a little overwhelming for my mind-state. Despite not feeling my best, I insisted on doing a couple of new bits, if only to start ticking things off the list. It's more for the sake of getting material in my head at first than seeing it if it works, as it’s all more likely to land well when it’s properly learnt. It was pleasing to see we were pret...

Today saw the first Mostly Comedy pre-sale of the year, with tickets for April’s gig with James Acaster (and a secret special guest) selling out to our mailing list in just forty-six minutes; I’ve left jacket potatoes in the oven for longer. It’s amazing how demand for the club has grown, with dates now habitually selling out long before they reach general sale. While this happens more often than not these days, I’d never get blasé about it, as we know how fortunate we are for the interest, but it's likely to continue providing our line-ups are right, as once people are aware of how quickly tickets go on pre-sale days, they’re more inclined to be at their computers from the moment the secret link goes live, clicking refresh repeatedly in the hope seats become free; it’s the dictionary definition of a snowball effect (well, nearly). To keep track of how quickly seats are snapped up, I make a point of noting down how many have gone as time ticks away. Thanks to this, I k...

I found yesterday’s Mostly Comedy frustrating, though this was probably more to do with my mindset, than the gig itself. James Acaster at last night's Mostly (photos by Gemma Poole) It was an exceptional line-up, with Mostly old-timer James Acaster making his first appearance at the club in a couple of years to preview his new show, and an acoustic set from The Bluetones’ exceptional (and thoroughly nice) Mark Morriss to round things off. It was nice to see James again, having not crossed paths for a while, and my kid inside was all worked up to hear Mark’s distinctive voice ringing out in our venue. When I introduced his set, I made reference to the fact that I have a clear memory of my old band Big Day Out jamming our way through the Bluetones’ song Solomon Bites the Worm in the front room of our then-guitarist’s house, when I was just seventeen (not the magazine). If you told me then that I’d one day play host to their frontman at my own club, I wou...

Tonight (or should that read "this morning") I wrote a long detailed blog about this evening's Mostly Comedy, which I managed to delete without saving. Consequently, I've spent the last hour or so trying to revert to a previous version of the file, to save me having to write the whole thing again. Now, a good sixty minutes into to trying to do this, I'll admit, I've been beaten. It's far too late to rewrite that blog post now - so I'll try and approximate it again tomorrow. It's very irritating, as I was quite pleased with it.  In the meantime, as a space-saver, you can enjoy a picture of me and Mark Morriss sharing an intimate moment after tonight's gig. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow. Watch this space. (I'm well aware that this is a cop-out, but it's nearly 4:30am, so give me a break; I'm talking to myself here and not you. Night night. This wasn't the way this blog was meant to be.

Tonight, I thought I'd share the press release I wrote for next week's Mostly Comedy; partly as it may be of interest, but mainly because it's getting late, and I feel that going to bed would be more beneficial than staying up to write a blog post about today's adventures (which included a spot of dog-walking, a little writing and going out for a drink with my co-In-Your-Inner-Ear host Steve). So here it is, in all its comedy club-promoting glory. Pray silence for pure, unadulterated information: Press Release – 18.03.16 mostly comedy a monthly comedy and music club, at the sun hotel in hitchin While 31 st March’s instalment of Doggett & Ephgrave’s Mostly Comedy is officially sold out, there’s still a chance to snap up return tickets on the night. This month’s line-up includes stand-up from JAMES ACASTER and DOGGETT & EPHGRAVE and music from The Bluetones’ frontman MARK MORRISS . JAMES ACASTER has come a long way...

Today’s blog is about Gladiators, because James Acaster told me it should be. (I couldn’t discuss Eggheads as I’ve already covered it twice, and didn't want to talk about David Trent, for fear of facing the wrath of the world’s angriest comedian.) I assume James meant the 90s LWT programme and not those Roman chaps who were paid in salt. Either way, I’m at a disadvantage; I didn’t watch the show, and everything I know about the muscly, fighty, slavey kind was gleaned from Russell Crowe, who probably wasn't the best source. With the first option, I’m aware of the basics. I know it was hosted by Ulrika Jonsson (with a name like an anagram), John Fashanu (likewise) and Jeremy Guscott (remember him?). All the contenders were named after Lynx deodorants. Most people fancied Jet, but she just made me think of Wings. Wolf looked like the guy in the painting in Ghostbusters II. Everything I thought I knew about the second opti...

Last night I had less than four hours sleep. Doesn't matter; I'm still buzzing. This is partially due to the two large black coffees that have already filtered their way past my oesophagus (not an enjoyable word to spell after a late night, nor a pleasing mental image). T he main reason for this morning's heightened sense of excitement , however, is that I’m still riding on the coattails of last night’s Mostly Comedy.  For those of you who are not in the know, Mostly Comedy is the monthly comedy & music club I run with my comedy partner, Glyn Doggett (no affection). We set it up on a whim, after taking our first show to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2008. It was called ‘The Balloon Debate’; a comedy three-hander set 2000 feet above East Anglia in the basket of a hot-air balloon (a basket we had to set-up and strike in less than seven minutes every night; such is the quick turn-around at the Festival).   ‘The Balloon Debate’ was Dogge...