The holiday is just a distant dream now. Not only a four hour drive back from Lincoln, but I had to go to Southampton and back tonight as well. There was a brief window where I could sit on my sofa and watch some TV and try and work out what time zone I was actually in, but it passed very quickly.
We utilised our time well though and Andrew (the fucking idiot) kindly assisted me in recording a trailer for "As It Occurs To Me" (
Do book ahead here to come and see the shows - every Monday night from October 12th) even though he will be playing no part in it. I will let you know when the 10 minute in-car trailer is ready for download. It's mainly a way of making sure the show is up on iTunes so we can put it up as soon as it's recorded. If you can't make it to the live show you can download the thing for free as soon as we can get it up there.
It's all very exciting.
You know apart from the fact that I have no idea what will be in it and only a week to put it together.
At least I have a press release -
As It Occurs To Me is a revolutionary new ten-part weekly stand-up and sketch show written and performed by RICHARD HERRING which will only be available via internet download from iTunes and the British Comedy Guide (http://www.comedy.org.uk/) as an audio podcast. All the material for each show will be brand new and written on the week of broadcast, based on things that have occurred to him, either events from his life or things he's been thinking about.
It is Do-It-Yourself comedy without the support or interference of a broadcaster or sponsor. It's untested and uncensored and completely unedited. Itâs warts and all. HERRING says, "I was frustrated by the time and effort it took to get a radio and TV bosses to commit to an idea and then the censorship, interference and restrictions that were imposed upon you once youâd jumped through all those hoops. I realised that it is now possible to make your own show and have complete autonomy over content and not have to edit it down to fit a time slot. If I have 55 minutes worth of good ideas one week then the audience can hear them all, in their entirety. Or bad ones, of course."
For the last eighteen months HERRING has been producing a weekly improvised podcast with his colleague ANDREW COLLINS (The Collings and Herrin Podcast) which had proven popular with listeners and critics searching out puerile comedy which treats them like grown-ups. "Post Sachsgate, I think most normal people have felt patronised by the dilution and weakening of comedy. They can find comedy with balls in live comedy clubs and on the internet. Downloaded shows give people the freedom to choose. If you don't like it you don't have to listen to it, but also the broadcaster is not employed by anyone and so can not be 'sacked'. It makes for a much more fertile ground for creating comedy without having to second guess possible 'moral outrage'."
HERRING is hopeful that the costs of the show will be funded by the live audience who will pay £10 each to watch the recording. "If I can sell 400 tickets a week I will actually make about the same amount of money as I would by doing a radio show for the BBC. If I can sell 100 tickets then I should at least break even. Itâs really not about the money though, which is probably lucky, itâs about creating something funny that I can be proud of. And taking the risk. There's every chance with such a fast turnaround that it might be shit."
HERRING will be joined by comedy actors DAN TETSELL and EMMA KENNEDY for all ten shows which will be recorded at the Leicester Square Theatre. The success or failure of this audacious project depends entirely on the patronage of comedy fans.
"My ultimate goal is to create an internet empire putting out sketch shows, stand up, sitcoms and films which will destroy television and radio as broadcast media. But for the moment it would just be nice if a few people turned up to watch on a Monday night."
As It Occurs To Me is at the Leicester Square Theatre every Monday from 12th October to 14th December 2009 Box Office: 0844 847 2475 or www.leicestersquaretheatre.com
When I got home from Southampton I was hoping I might get to sleep, but still on NY time I stayed up til 3. I happened to chance across myself on Challenge TV on a quiz show I recorded in (it turns out) 2005 (though it felt like I had done it about ten years ago) called "Back in the Day". I was on a team with Paula Wilcox from "Man About the House" who I actually have no recollection of even meeting, but then we were recording a couple of episodes a day. Sue Perkins was on the other team and I remember that Hugh Dennis was also on it. Their fortunes have certainly risen since then. I don't imagine they would have appeared on this light and poorly paid lunchtime show now. Sadly I think I would probably still have to give it a go.
I tend not to watch myself on TV if I can help it, though this young idiot didn't seem too much like me. Though he was stupidly competitive like I am. I thought he was a bit of a prick. But he did at least manage to win the contest. The prick. Wearing his jacket in doors like a prick.
