So my stupid brain finally got its act together and the script got written and somehow I even managed to think of a bit of a spin on Tiny Andrew Collings' catchphrase. As always it was impossible to know how things would go until it was all done in front of an audience, but it seemed obvious enough that my attempt to do the 10 commandments bit as a sketch was not going to work, so we crossed it all out and agreed that I would just try and ad lib my way through it as a routine like I had last night.
Before we'd even got to the theatre there was a sense that tonight would be celebratory rather than disastrous when the news started seeping through on Twitter that the BBC had decided not to close 6Music down after all. I had hoped that the massive support that had been shown for the station might get results, but hadn't really expected it to. It is the right decision and I am delighted that the people working at the station will keep their jobs. The news wasn't good for the Asian Network and there will certainly be cuts elsewhere, but it was heartening to think that people power can make a difference and that Andrew Collins might still have some work throughout the coming decade. There are no guarantees that the Collins and Herring slot will continue after Edinburgh, but my delight was not about self-interest. It was good to see justice done. It's not every day that the BBC makes the right decision about stuff like this, and it shows remarkable leadership to reverse its opinion on this one.
The AIOTM cast were all pretty tired when we got to the Bloomsbury, but the news that we had sold out this large venue was heartening. Dan Tetsell who has somehow become the official Haribo bringer (no one else provides anything) also brought in some doughnuts. I had a proper full on sugar rush, but was going to need this energy. Once again I was doing a COAB preview as well as the AIOTM script. And I'd been up since 6.30 doing the writing. Don't let anyone tell you that comedy isn't hard work. It isn't most of the time, but on days like these.
It was another watershed moment for me, in a year that has had a few, when I walked on stage for the first time with 550 people cheering and applauding. It is not easy to fill a theatre like the Bloomsbury, especially without TV exposure, so for this DIY podcast to have got to this stage by its 18th show is a real achievement and one that gave me a little burst of pride in myself and my lovely cast and crew. I think we all enjoy doing the show, but the support I have had from Emma, Dan, Christian and the producer Ben is astonishing given how little they are promised in return. It's another sign of my progress over the last few years and gives me hope for the future. But all those years where I would never have been able to fill the Bloomsbury have led to this day when I could.
And what a thrill to be able to perform a preview in front of this size a crowd. Most times I might be tentatively trying out stuff to 20-100 people, but this will probably be one of the biggest audiences I ever perform this show in front of, and it certainly gave me a lift and I put the requisite amount of energy into it all. Somehow most of the script has stuck in my head without me having had to sit down and relearn it and new ideas are popping into my mind at every performance. Not only did I feel that AIOTM could be classified as a success, but I was also delighted that I was being given another chance to give this show a run out and there was a sense that this time it might get the appreciation and the audience it deserves. Let's hope so. Though I managed to get rid of a box and a half of programmes tonight, there are still rather a lot of them blocking up my lounge.
The hard work was vindicated by the hard work and the show ended with a very funny heckle from the crowd which I hope will have been picked up by the mics. It will be downloadable from all the usual places, though might take a bit longer than usual as Orange Mark has been having problems with his BT broadband. Which is faintly ironic or at least typical given my travails with them this last week. Are they shit or are they good? They are shit.
I was pretty much wiped out after all of this, but it was one of the most enjoyable nights I have ever had as a performer and I think we all had a sense of the remarkable and ridiculous thing that we have achieved. Coincidentally the certificate trumpeting our Sony Awards nomination arrived today and I brandished it in front of the cheering crowd as if it was the World Cup, rather than a piece of card informing the world of our failure to place in these awards. But I think everyone sensed that tonight was the reward and we were all here to celebrate something that, for the moment, remains ours. Almost a secret. But much less of a secret than it was. Thanks for coming if you did and don't forget we're doing another one in Edinburgh on 17th August and then one on the 11th October at the Bloomsbury, one on the 18th October at the Leicester Square Theatre and then back to the Bloomsbury on the 1st November. Book early if you want to come. The atmosphere is really something else. It's much better live. And Collings and Herrin are also doing a live podcast (plus stand up) at the Bloomsbury on 27th September. Hope to see you there.
