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Mick Lynch stands up for lefty comedian in Chiswick Comedy club

Came across this interview on an online Irish news site (strong language warning). https://dublinpeople.com/news/arts-culture/articles/2024/09/25/61987/ Lefty comic Mark Thomas got heckled at a Chiswick comedy event (presumably at Headliners where he performed recently) after he said that the audience would include people who are posh and Tory. Presumably he didn't mean RMT leader Mick Lynch who was in the audience and Mick didn't seem to think so as he came up to him afterwards and said he thought he handled it well. Normally I find hecklers very irritating but have to admit I have a bit of sympathy with this one. About half the comedians who perform in Chiswick seem to work into their act some material about how posh Chiswick is. Maybe it was mildly amusing two decades ago when I first heard it but now it just seems lazy and unoriginal.

Andrew OSullivan ● 56d10 Comments

Ironically, Stewart Lee's own favourite joke was conceived in Hereford road, Acton, where he lived briefly in the late 80s.

Mark Frost ● 54d

The hilarious Geoff Norcott

N V Brooks ● 55d

Are there any righty as opposed to lefty comedians in London at all?

Stewart Jones ● 55d

That’s a lot of good sense, Caroline.

Alastair Banton ● 55d

Even Al Murray not known for being a "lefty" extracted th urine of Chiswick and Chiswickians regularly when doing stand up here and he blooming lives here.  I find it excessively boring reading about how "lefty" a comedian is.  They are either funny or not so funny.  Some are hilarious to one audience and atrocious to another.  As stated previously if you don't like one don't go to see them.  I like a great deal of comedy thankfully we watched Dave Allen and not Bernard Manning in our house we watched the comedians and I had my favourites but my dad knew Manning was to be switched off or turned down as my mother hated him. Jim Davidson was also a no no being Irish and having Caribbean friends meant he was just racist and not funny but  very many clever and silly people were enjoyed and still are.  I love Gina Yashere she should have had a huge TV career here after her work with Lenny Henry but no the powers that be are still living in the white predominantly male TV world to understand how utterly hilarious she is especially when talking about her Nigerian background.  So she goes to the US and they have stolen her for TV and stage and we lose out. Victoria Wood was one of the best comedy writers as well as stand ups we have ever had but when another of her ilk comes through now they have to be Posh so we gte Miranda who is very funny but there are more women comics ou there than her and I know she would say the same.  Disabled comedians I watch online crack me up every time as they do non disable audiences but TV seem to think if you are shaped differently you can't be funny.  They are all wrong comedy is not a one size fits all if it were 40% of people would never laugh

Caroline Carney ● 55d

M ark Steele has virtually made a living out of ripping the pi55 out of areas with his Mark Steele's in town radio shows. They are extremely funny in exposing the underlying idiocies and foibles of an area. He would have he fieled day in Chiswick

N V Brooks ● 55d

If you couldn't take the micky out of Chiswick for being 'posh'(I can think of better words),you would have nowhere else to go as a comedian as there is nothing else vaguely comedic about the area imo.When comedians visit new areas,they routinely work in observations about the vicinity.

Keith Iddon ● 55d

Simon Evans is absolutely brilliant live. Best reference statistic by comedian that I can recall was Bill bailey of the Ealing comedy festival who said "it's good to be back in healing it's not as posh as Chiswick but nowhere near as shit as Acton".

N V Brooks ● 55d

Of course I meant ‘Headliners’ not ‘Comedy Store’.

Alastair Banton ● 55d

I guess you had to be there but a couple of observations.  Chiswick has an image of being  a bit posh and privileged - fair game for any comedian.  That’s often an element in a local Comedy Store gig.  People who are able to laugh at themselves generally have a sense of humour, those quick to take offence often don’t.  People who accuse others of being boring are often projecting and attention seeking.  More honest people just admit that they are bored.  You know roughly what you’re going to get with Mark Thomas, if you don’t like it stay away.  If you want a more right wing style go and see the brilliant Simon Evans.  (And seemingly that was a kindly gesture from Mick Lynch.)

Alastair Banton ● 55d