Show Me The Funny
Encyclopedia
Show Me The Funny was a British reality show in which a group of ten comedians of varying experience visit ten different cities around the UK, performing tasks that are somehow meant to equip them with local knowledge to work into five-minute-long new live routines, which they then showcase in front of a live audience.
At the end of each show one contestant was voted off by the judging panel of Alan Davies
, Kate Copstick
and a different guest judge in each city, with a live final at the Hammersmith Apollo
on 25 August 2011. The eventual winner of the competition won a nationwide tour (with support from two of the runners-up) and their own DVD released in the run-up to Christmas.
’s books. Prince won the Your Comedy Star competition at the Edinburgh Festival in 2007. He has been on the circuit for four years and recently came second in the Barbican
New Act of the Year competition. Prince was eliminated in week two.
impersonator in 1989. Through this, he traveled all over the world, before developing his own stand-up routine. Rudi was eliminated with week four.
and gave up her job in corporate events to concentrate on comedy full-time. Ellie was eliminated in week six, along with Stuart.
Dan Mitchell
34-year-old charity worker Dan Mitchell is a former undertaker from Wales who cites ‘boredom’ as the reason for his move into stand-up five years ago. Dan has since performed more than 500 gigs after starting in small pubs in the rural Welsh countryside. Dan finished second in the live final.
Patrick Monahan
35-year-old Patrick Monahan was brought up on Teesside
, and is of of Irish-Iranian decent. Patrick is a stalwart of the circuit who has performed around the world, often as a warm-up act
. Patrick won the live final, and the competition.
, where the ten contenders were sent out to get to know the city and its people. This was so they could then write five minutes of brand new material to perform at a nerve-wracking gig in front of an all-female audience.
They then faced a panel of comedian Alan Davies
, comedy critic Kate Copstick
and guest judge, Liverpool legend Jimmy Tarbuck
. The panel then decided who made the cut for the next gig, and sent Ignacio home.
in North Yorkshire
, Europe's largest military base, where they received two days of training with the Army before performing for members of the Scots Guards
regiment. Davies, Copstick and guest judge Bob Mortimer
then decided to eliminate Prince.
. Davies, Copstick and guest judge Ross Noble
sent Cole home.
in Watford
, where they created a new routine to be broadcast before performing for an audience of doctors, nurses and medical staff. Davies, Copstick and guest judge Jo Brand
gave advice to Stuart, Rudi and Ellie, before eliminating Rudi from the competition.
, before performing new material for a group of rugby
players. Davies, Copstick and guest judge Johnny Vegas
eliminated Alfie from the competition.
. The guest judges were Cannon and Ball
, and Ellie and Stuart were eliminated.
in the live final on August 25. The show was won by Patrick Monahan, with Dan Mitchell finishing second and Tiffany Stevenson finishing third.
At the end of each show one contestant was voted off by the judging panel of Alan Davies
Alan Davies
Alan Davies is an English comedian, writer and actor best known for starring in the TV mystery series Jonathan Creek and as the permanent panellist on the TV panel show QI.- Early life :...
, Kate Copstick
Kate Copstick
Kate Copstick is a Glasgow-born Scottish actress, television presenter, writer, critic, director and producer.-Career:She is best known for her roles on the children's TV shows No. 73 and ChuckleVision. She also played Marlene Marlowe in Marlene Marlowe Investigates and performed as part of the...
and a different guest judge in each city, with a live final at the Hammersmith Apollo
Hammersmith Apollo
Hammersmith Apollo is a major entertainment venue located in Hammersmith, London. Designed by Robert Cromie in Art Deco style, it opened in 1932 as the Gaumont Palace cinema, being re-named the Hammersmith Odeon in 1962...
on 25 August 2011. The eventual winner of the competition won a nationwide tour (with support from two of the runners-up) and their own DVD released in the run-up to Christmas.
Ignacio Lopez
24-year-old Spanish barman Ignacio Lopez got a job as an usher in a cinema, to get him closer to short films. His colleagues at the cinema pushed him into comedy at the end of 2009. Ignacio was eliminated in week one.Prince Abdi
Somalian-born 28-year-old Prince Abdi is a former primary school teacher who was once on Millwall FCMillwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
’s books. Prince won the Your Comedy Star competition at the Edinburgh Festival in 2007. He has been on the circuit for four years and recently came second in the Barbican
Barbican
A barbican, from medieval Latin barbecana, signifying the "outer fortification of a city or castle," with cognates in the Romance languages A barbican, from medieval Latin barbecana, signifying the "outer fortification of a city or castle," with cognates in the Romance languages A barbican, from...
New Act of the Year competition. Prince was eliminated in week two.
Cole Parker
37-year-old Cole Parker started his stand-up career at the age of six after entering a talent contest in Norfolk, where he came second. He is now a regular on the stand-up circuit. Cole was eliminated in week three.Rudi Lickwood
47-year-old grandfather Rudi Lickwood has been on the circuit for two decades after first coming onto the scene as an Eddie MurphyEddie Murphy
Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician....
impersonator in 1989. Through this, he traveled all over the world, before developing his own stand-up routine. Rudi was eliminated with week four.
Alfie Moore
47-year-old Alfie Moore is a serving police sergeant; he took up comedy as a hobby three years ago, after a night out at a local comedy gig with his wife. He is now performing regularly and over the past two and a half years has done more than 250 comedy gigs and 50 after-dinner speeches. Alfie was eliminated in week five.Ellie Taylor
27-year-old former model Ellie Taylor from Essex decided to go into comedy after seeing a friend perform a five-minute set. A keen drama student at school, Ellie went on to study at York UniversityUniversity of York
The University of York , is an academic institution located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the campus university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, covering a wide range of subjects...
and gave up her job in corporate events to concentrate on comedy full-time. Ellie was eliminated in week six, along with Stuart.
Stuart Goldsmith
33-year-old Stuart Goldsmith ran away from home to join the circus when he was young, but upon discovering that the circus entailed more press-ups than he deemed reasonable, he fled. He moved on to street performance and acting, before settling on stand-up. He has gone on to perform all over the UK and Europe. Stuart was eliminated in week six, along with Ellie.Tiffany Stevenson
33-year-old Tiffany "Tiff" Stevenson from London started in stand-up as the WAG character Savannah Dior, and now performs stand-up as herself. She also runs and co-hosts London’s Old Rope new material night. Tiffany finished third in the live final.Dan MitchellDan Mitchell (comedian)Dan Mitchell is a Welsh-born comedian originally from Brechfa, a village near Carmarthen. In his youth, Dan had a fascination with comics and comedy. Having had his comedy appetite raised by running the local pub quiz , he started his career in comedy in 2005 and ran a regular stand-up night,...
34-year-old charity worker Dan Mitchell is a former undertaker from Wales who cites ‘boredom’ as the reason for his move into stand-up five years ago. Dan has since performed more than 500 gigs after starting in small pubs in the rural Welsh countryside. Dan finished second in the live final.Patrick MonahanPatrick Monahan (comedian)Patrick Monahan is an Irish-Iranian stand-up comedian born to an Irish father and an Iranian mother. He has performed at seven Edinburgh Festival Fringes, including five solo shows, and appeared multiple times on The Paul O'Grady Show...
35-year-old Patrick Monahan was brought up on TeessideTeesside
Teesside is the name given to the conurbation in the north east of England made up of the towns of Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, Redcar, Billingham and surrounding settlements near the River Tees. It was also the name of a local government district between 1968 and 1974—the County Borough of...
, and is of of Irish-Iranian decent. Patrick is a stalwart of the circuit who has performed around the world, often as a warm-up act
Warm-up comedian
A warm-up comedian or crowd warmer is a stand-up comedian who performs at a comedy club or before the filming of a television comedy in front of studio audience to get the crowd into the mood ready for the show or main act...
. Patrick won the live final, and the competition.
One
The first episode of Show Me The Funny came from LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, where the ten contenders were sent out to get to know the city and its people. This was so they could then write five minutes of brand new material to perform at a nerve-wracking gig in front of an all-female audience.
They then faced a panel of comedian Alan Davies
Alan Davies
Alan Davies is an English comedian, writer and actor best known for starring in the TV mystery series Jonathan Creek and as the permanent panellist on the TV panel show QI.- Early life :...
, comedy critic Kate Copstick
Kate Copstick
Kate Copstick is a Glasgow-born Scottish actress, television presenter, writer, critic, director and producer.-Career:She is best known for her roles on the children's TV shows No. 73 and ChuckleVision. She also played Marlene Marlowe in Marlene Marlowe Investigates and performed as part of the...
and guest judge, Liverpool legend Jimmy Tarbuck
Jimmy Tarbuck
Jimmy Tarbuck OBE or Tarby is an English comedian. Growing up he was a schoolmate of John Lennon.His first television show was It's Tarbuck 65! on ITV in 1964. He has also hosted numerous quiz shows, including Winner Takes All, Full Swing, and Tarby's Frame Game...
. The panel then decided who made the cut for the next gig, and sent Ignacio home.
Two
The nine remaining hopefuls head to Catterick GarrisonCatterick Garrison
Catterick Garrison is a major Army base located in Northern England. It is the largest British Army garrison in the world with a population of around 12,000, plus a large temporary population of soldiers, and is larger than its older neighbour...
in North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
, Europe's largest military base, where they received two days of training with the Army before performing for members of the Scots Guards
Scots Guards
The Scots Guards is a regiment of the Guards Division of the British Army, whose origins lie in the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland...
regiment. Davies, Copstick and guest judge Bob Mortimer
Bob Mortimer
Robert "Bob" Renwick Mortimer is an English comedian and actor, who is best known for his double act with Vic Reeves...
then decided to eliminate Prince.
Three
The eight remaining comics headed to a secondary school in BirminghamBirmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
. Davies, Copstick and guest judge Ross Noble
Ross Noble
Ross Markham Noble is an English stand-up comedian, brought up in Cramlington, Northumberland, England.Noble rose to mainstream popularity through making appearances on British television, particularly interviews and on celebrity quiz shows such as Have I Got News for You...
sent Cole home.
Four
The seven remaining comics tried their hand at hospital radioHospital radio
Hospital radio is a form of audio broadcasting produced specifically for the in-patients of hospitals. It is primarily found in the United Kingdom.-History:...
in Watford
Watford
Watford is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, situated northwest of central London and within the bounds of the M25 motorway. The borough is separated from Greater London to the south by the urbanised parish of Watford Rural in the Three Rivers District.Watford was created as an urban...
, where they created a new routine to be broadcast before performing for an audience of doctors, nurses and medical staff. Davies, Copstick and guest judge Jo Brand
Jo Brand
Josephine Grace "Jo" Brand is a BAFTA winning British comedian, writer, and actor.- Early life :Jo Brand was born 23 July 1957 in Wandsworth, London. Her mother was a social worker. Brand is the middle of three children, with two brothers...
gave advice to Stuart, Rudi and Ellie, before eliminating Rudi from the competition.
Five
The six remaining contenders headed to South Wales, where they had to organise a night of entertainment for locals at a pub in PontypriddPontypridd
Pontypridd is both a community and a principal town of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales and is situated 12 miles/19 km north of the Welsh capital city of Cardiff...
, before performing new material for a group of rugby
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
players. Davies, Copstick and guest judge Johnny Vegas
Johnny Vegas
Johnny Vegas is an English actor and comedian. He is known for his angry rants, portly figure, high husky voice and support of St Helens rugby league club. More recently he has moved into dramatic acting.-Early life:He was born in St Helens, Lancashire, the youngest of four children of Laurence...
eliminated Alfie from the competition.
Six
The five remaining comics made their final stop of the tour to BlackpoolBlackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
. The guest judges were Cannon and Ball
Cannon and Ball
Cannon and Ball are an English comedy double act consisting of Tommy Cannon and Bobby Ball. The duo met in the early 1960s while working as welders in Oldham, Lancashire...
, and Ellie and Stuart were eliminated.
Seven
The final three remaining comics performed live at the Hammersmith ApolloHammersmith Apollo
Hammersmith Apollo is a major entertainment venue located in Hammersmith, London. Designed by Robert Cromie in Art Deco style, it opened in 1932 as the Gaumont Palace cinema, being re-named the Hammersmith Odeon in 1962...
in the live final on August 25. The show was won by Patrick Monahan, with Dan Mitchell finishing second and Tiffany Stevenson finishing third.
Ratings
| # | Airdate | Total viewers | Audience share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 July 2011 | 2,640,000 | 10.7% |
| 2 | 25 July 2011 | 2,480,000 | 10.6% |
| 3 | 1 August 2011 | 1,930,000 | 8.1% |
| 4 | 8 August 2011 | 1,870,000 | 7.5% |
| 5 | 15 August 2011 | 1,880,000 | 8.1% |
| 6 | 22 August 2011 | 1,630,000 | 6.7% |
| 7 | 25 August 2011 | 2,460,000 | 10.9% |