Gay stand up comedian Alan Carr

When I told my friends I fancied being a stand-up comedian, unfortunately they all laughed.  Anyway, there I was one dreary, rain-soaked Saturday in January attending a comedy workshop for this potential Bill Hicks-cum-Joan Rivers-cum-Larry Grayson. I’d just taken early retirement to cope better with rheumatoid arthritis in my knees, and as I walked in (stiffly) I’d never felt less funny in my life.

My gaydar told me that I was the only one there, and my select group of wannabe gagsters as I later discovered consisted of a fit ex-para (who I made sure sat next to me), a Jo Brand-type nursery teacher, and  a loud psychiatrist along with his lanky, much quieter son, who turned out to be a racing driver.  The course was run by a sometime  tv cartoonist and  experienced sitcom writer,  and his pretty wife who kissed us on arrival and performed lunch.

The first excercise was for the class to guess who we were in real life - instructions had been given to divulge no personal information up to that point.  They concluded, after much judging by appearances,   that I worked with young people, was married and had children of my own.  And it was then that your jobless, childless gay brother went into demolition mode with some relish, and began to enjoy the ride. Read the rest of this entry »