The Hitchin Comedy Festival July 21-22 2012

IT'S BACK! Less than a decade since we last tried it, the Hitchin Comedy Festival returns as a part of the official Hitchin Festival 2012. Eleven shows over two days in the barn at The Victoria Pub, Ickleford Road, all of which will then be heading up to The Edinburgh Fringe festival for the whole of August! We don't want you having to go all the way up there though, so instead, we're bringing Edinburgh to Hitchin The Line Up: SATURDAY JULY 21ST (All shows priced £5 tickets available from The Victoria Pub from early July Special £15 tickets available from the Hitchin Festival Box office permit entry to ALL the SOLO shows - in other words - see five for the price of three - bargain!) 2.30pm Barry Castagnola "Where's Barry?" Barry Castagnola (Cyderdelic, 11 O'Clock Show, The Swingers) is late for his gig… 'Character comedy at its best' (Independent). 'Fantastically innovative and astonishingly funny' ★★★★★ (List). 'Innumerable comic moments … a hugely entertaining and intelligent piece of character comedy' ★★★★ (Metro). 'Straight down the line, old-fashioned hilarious … excellent blending of live action and film … hysterically funny set pieces … acting, good characterisation and crisp writing.' ★★★★ (Chortle.co.uk). 'Film sequences are used to hilarious effect with perfect timing and some brilliant character acting' ★★★★ (Times). 'Inventive use of video footage … very funny and enjoyable' ★★★★ (One4Review.com). 4pm Marlon Davis "Enter The Davism" An anticipated debut show from one of comedy's rising stars and winner of FHM Stand Up Hero. 'Bursts onto the stage like a breath of fresh air' (Chortle.co.uk). 'Charming Observationalist' (Time Out). ★★★★ (ThreeWeeks). www.offthekerb.co.uk 5.30pm Danielle Ward "Speakeasy" A brand new show from award winning stand-up Danielle Ward (Mock the Week/News Quiz), writer and creator of Fringe hits Gutted and Karaoke Circus. Speakeasy: An hour of stand-up about sex, politics and the world's greatest Ryan Gosling joke. (Mon/Wed/Fri/Sat). 'Hilarious' **** (List). 'Delightfully naughty' (TimeOut) 7pm Paul McCaffrey "Pills & Thrills & Bellylaughs" You can take the boy out of Glastonbury... Paul seeks to emulate bands reforming for 20th anniversary classic album tours by reuniting his old raving crew at a festival, with the words 'Come on Paul, you're not 18 anymore', ringing in his ears. Is this really a good idea? A hilarious, engaging hour of stand-up. As seen on Russell Howard's Good News. 'Born to be a comic' (Scotsman). 'He has charm, charisma and success written all over him' (Evening Standard). 'Likeable, animated and fluid with a first rate sense of timing' (Chortle.co.uk). 8.30pm Sara Pascoe "The Musical" The uplifting and inspiring tale of Sara who lived from the 1980s to 2012. Sara was born as a baby, meaning she could neither talk nor walk, but she didn't let this hold her back, she faced adversity in the face and grew up to be the overachiever you're all jealous of today. The show includes catchy tunes, stand-up and many morals. Sara's life includes being on TV in Stand Up For the Week, Todd Margaret, Free Agents and Campus (C4), The Thick of It, Being Human and Twenty Twelve (BBC). 10pm Late & Live MC. Paul B. Edwards introduces four great comedians and possibly the odd special guest... SUNDAY JULY 22ND (As part of the PBH Free Fringe, all of today's shows are FREE ENTRY but a voluntary contribution is encouraged at the end of each performance). 2.30pm Paul B. Edwards "Songs In The Key Of Death" 4pm Charmian Hughes "Charmageddon" 5.30pm Peter Buckley Hill 7pm The Quadrantines 8.30pm The Lastminutecomedy Club MC. Paul B. Edwards introduces some of the best new acts on the comedy circuit as well as one or two of the performers on during the day. The festival is curated by BBC radio's Trudi Stevens and supported, of course, by The Lastminutecomedy Club. Check back here for more information about the acts.