Forgotten North East comedy heroes brought to life in new series
Jesters: Forgotten Stories of North East Comedy has been produced by Felt Nowt comedy co-op and the Tyne and Wear Archives Museum
Last updated 13th Apr 2022
A brand new project is hoping to uncover the forgotten history of North East comedy.
Comedy co-op Felt Nowt have worked with the Tyne and Wear Archive Museum to create "Jesters" - a podcast series exploring forgotten characters from the North East's comedy history.
Each episode tells the story of a different person, and is hosted by a different comedian, part of the Felt Nowt Comedy group.
The stories explored in ‘Jesters’ are Mark Sheridan (1864 - 1918) Ian Milne (1922-1949), Leonard Barras (1922-2008) and South Shields’ elusive Wavis O’Shave.
Mark Sheridan was a music hall star from the docks of Hendon, Sunderland who travelled the world as an actor, singer and comedian at the end of the Victorian era.
Leonard Barrass was an author, poet, columnist and playwright who spent his working life as a clerk in Newcastle’s Swan Hunters and whose BBC 2 comedy starred Roy Kinnear.
Ian Milne, originally a draughtsman at Reyrolles in Hebburn had the makings of a very promising career but tragically died young from illness age 26
The enigmatic Wavis O’Shave was a surrealist comic who appeared on cult favourite Channel 4’s The Tube, made in Newcastle in the 1980s, and whose albums were favoured by legendary DJ John Peel.
Felt Nowt Director and stand-up comedian Si Beckwith says:
“We’re thrilled to be working with TWAM and we’re excited by seeing comedy working with such great institutions like this.
“Part of our ethos is to preserve the rich comedy heritage the North East has and what better than spotlighting some stories that aren’t championed to the level they should be.
“Through the podcast and the live show we get to shout about these incredible people, and it’s just a taster of so many great stories we’ll be looking to spotlight further in the future.”
Si tells us the group would love to expand the project, as there are so many more figures they would love to explore.
Digital Producer at TWAM Sarah Younas tells us they are very excited by the project;
“It is fantastic to work with Felt Nowt to explore the lesser known stories of a range of North East comedians and performers, who have inspired today’s comedy scene."
A launch event for the series will be taking place the Discovery Museum in Newcastle on April 22nd, where comedians Gavin Webster, Lee Kyle and John Gibson will perform alongside other guests in the art deco Great Hall.
Jesters: Forgotten Stories of North East Comedy will be available on TWAM’s Must-see Stories digital platform and all good podcast platforms, from 22 April 2022.