When a legend reaches a certain point in their career, it’s time to ease up on doing legendary things and reflect on an exemplary life. Sol Bernstein has reached that point, and he invites us to listen to his tales of the high life with the biggest names in showbiz, musings on how the world has changed, and being just an ordinary Jew with world-beating wit, unbounded talent and death-defying chutzpah.
But despite such a life, Sol has suffered an unforgiveable injustice. Heard of Elvis Presley? No? How about The Beatles? Really? Ok then, surely Marcel Marceau? Good. Well Sol Bernstein launched the careers of these greats and many more, and what did he get for it? Nada. Nothing, not even a ‘thank you’. But having escaped the Pogroms in Russia and the Nazis in Germany as a child, Bernstein is no stranger to pain, and hardships – in all their forms – have made the man what he is. Such struggles – be they life-threatening or merely female nagging – give Sol Bernstein not only the inspiration to face each new day but the material for his limitless supply of comedy shtick. The resulting performances – not to mention charisma alone – have given the man good reason to enjoy fame and build friendships with, among so many, the likes of Burt Bacharach, James Brown and Harry Hill.
He’s got so much to say and – being now in his 80s – so little time to say it. Catch this legend and genius while you still have the chance.
Singer, dancer, comedian, magician, actor and musician Sol Bernstein was born in Ukraine. Having been rated Best Triangle Player by Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington in the 1950s, he went on to perform across the globe at venues such as The London Palladium, New York’s Carnegie Hall, The Paris Olympia and Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Besides his work with Elvis, The Beatles and Judy Garland, he’s also been friends and worked with greats such as The Rat Pack, Lenny Bruce, Jack Benny, George Burns and Milton Berle. He also played for Miles Davis. Now in his 80s, he still performs at all the top UK clubs.
2015 finalist for the City comedian of the year & FAF Breakthrough Act.
Regular appearances for Buzz Comedy, Ten feet tall, Jongleurs and Manford’s comedy clubs, he is probably the only Fraud Investigating comedian on the circuit.
He delivers real and one of kind perspectives on everyday life whilst struggling to do the right thing.
Tom Binns is the star and co-writer of the BBC 1 Friday Night Comedy Series Hospital People.
He is also an award-winning and critical acclaimed character comedian working the International Comedy Festivals and the UK Stand Up Comedy Circuit.
Widely regarded as THREE of the best headliners working in British Comedy, Tom’s ventriloquist act, alter egos Hospital radio DJ Ivan Brackenbury and psychic Ian D Montfort has won him over 30 five star reviews and many awards nationally and internationally.
Amongst his multiple nominations and awards, Tom has received a Fosters Comedy God, Best International Comedian, Best International Act at the New Zealand International Comedy Festival, Adelaide Fringe (twice), Nottingham International Comedy Festival and 3 Sony Gold Awards.
He’s been in BBC Shows Alan Partridge, Lee and Herring, Friday/Saturday Night Armistice and Channel 4 shows IT Crowd Drifters and Eight out of Ten Cats do Countdown and the feature films Going to Mecca and Eaten by Lions.
Whatever age or walk of life you’re from Steve has something for you, guaranteed to have you breathless with laughter, a master of the obvious and a Ninja of the not so obvious, you’ll be hit so hard by a punch line you won’t know where it’s come from.
His most obvious asset is his ability to get any audience on his side. A well-crafted act and a will and confidence to survive outside of it is what sets Steve aside from many of his peers. With most comedians you might get laughs with Steve you get a guarantee.
Steve first leapt on stage back in August 1998 and within 3 months had won himself the coveted North West comedian of the year award after just 5 gigs.
A finalist of the BBC new comedy awards and Channel 4’s “So You Think You’re Funny” in the same year. Steve went on to headline all of the top comedy clubs in the UK including venues as far flung as Hong Kong and Australia.
With his ever-expanding reputation the demand for Steve has come from all different types of media outlets including Radio and Television. With support slots with the likes of Johnny Vegas, Peter Kay and Lee Evans, Steve comes highly recommended from the heavy weights of comedy themselves.
Steve has also entertained the British, American and multi-national troops in places such as Afghanistan, The Falklands, The Middle East and Cyprus. He’s been in great demand from the CSE group who send entertainers all over the world boosting morale for British and NATO troops.
Adam Rowe is widely regarded as one of the most exciting young comics to emerge in recent years, with his reputation growing from exciting newcomer to international headline act since his debut in 2010. Despite still being in his early twenties, Adam is already one of the most sought after acts & comperes in the country and is fast becoming a huge favourite at all of The UK’s biggest comedy clubs and festivals, as well as being asked to headline clubs as far afield as South Africa.
His natural, laid back persona combined with his brutally honest, opinionated stand-up and his phenomenal ad-libbing ability make each of his performances unique and gloriously unpredictable, but more importantly; always hilarious.
He’s had four sell out years at The Liverpool Comedy Festival (2013, 2014, 2015 & 2016), with his venue capacity almost doubling every year due his growing hometown fan base. 2016 was a big year for Adam, with him taking his debut one-hour solo show to The Edinburgh Fringe Festival selling out a massive eighteen dates of his run. He also was asked to headline to prestigious AAA Stand-Up Show at The Pleasance Courtyard, which was the second of Edinburgh’s most sought-after showcases he’s been a part of after hosting The Big Value Showcase back in 2014.
In 2017, Adam released his debut one-hour stand-up special “I Know What You’re Saying” on various formats including DVD, download & USB flashdrive. The special was recorded across two sold-out nights at Hot Water Comedy Club in Liverpool and was co-produced by Adam’s own company; Front Row Productions. He’ll also be taking his sophomore show ‘Unbearable’ to The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, before taking it on his debut nationwide UK tour
Adam regularly performs at The Comedy Store, Hot Water Comedy Club, The Glee Clubs, Komedia, The Stand, The Comedy Loft, Frog & Bucket, Top Secret Comedy Club, The Boat Show, Just The Tonic, Ten Feet Tall, Manfords & many independent comedy nights, comedy clubs, corporate & private events.
A confident performer with a captivating charm, Darren’s comedy deals with everything from subverting stereotypes, to everyday observations, to that juiciest of topics, religion – all with a cutting edge.
2019 is set to be Darren’s year, with appearances on Stand Up and Sketch on ITV2, the Comedy Bus on Comedy Central and a Comedy Central Special
As well as being a series regular on ITV2’s Don’t Hate the Playaz, Darren has appeared on Live at the Apollo, Mock the Week, Roast Battle, Comedy Central at the Comedy Store, Russell Howard’s Stand Up Central, BBC Radio 4’s Best of the Fest, The Now Show and 5Live’s Fighting Talk. He has also featured in his own episode for both Achievement Unlocked, and BBC Three Life Lessons.
Following his nomination for his 2017 show Defiant, Darren returned to the Edinburgh Festival 2018 with a brand new hour, Visceral. In 2018, following a run at the Soho Theatre, he jetted off to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival where he appeared on the televised Gala.
Originally from Birmingham, and now living in London, Darren Harriott is a regular at clubs such as 99 Club, Top Secret, Backyard Comedy Club, The Boat Show, Up the Creek and The Glee.
Steve is a comedian, radio presenter, actor, writer, husband and Dad. His wife, Janet, actually went into labour with their first child, Daisy, whilst Steve was presenting live on air with Sally Naden!
For over 12 years Steve could be found in the guise of “Mad Edgar” the court jester at Camelot theme park where he presented over 2000 “Crazy Juggling Shows”. He has also supported both Peter Kay and Dave Spikey on tour and was voted “Entertainer of the Year” at the recent Red Rose Awards.
His many TV appearances have included “Phoenix Nights”, “Max & Paddy”, “Behind The Scene”, “That’s Entertainment”, “Stand-up Britain”, “Give Your Mate A Break”, “The Afternoon Show”, “Talk Of The North”, “The Things You Do For Love”, and despite being one of the North West’s healthiest males, a medical insurance commercial for “Medicash”.
Steve is also co-founder of the “Slaughterhouse-Live” (“Laughter” with an “S”) character comedy nights. The group regularly perform at “The Comedy Store” and they were nominated in the “best touring show” category at the Manchester Comedy Awards, losing out to Peter Kay!
In his rare spare time Steve prefers to throw food around the kitchen rather than balls in the air, as he loves cooking, and dreams of one day owning his own “Juggler” themed restaurant where all dishes are served in 3’s! Let’s hope it “Catches On”!
Steve hits the airwaves on BBC Radio Lancashire on Saturdays between 10am-1pm.
John Gillan is a comedian who has established himself as one of the most in demand entertainers on the
circuit.
He has a natural comedic standpoint on life and as one review of him said ‘He can make you laugh talking
about a brown paper bag.’ John’s comedy can be clean or risqué, depending on the requirements, but a
great night’s entertainment is always assured.
John has over 11 Clubland accolades to his name, including the Lancashire Show Guest Comedian in 2009,
NFES Guest Comedian in 2014 and the Blackpool Command Guest Comedian in 2015. He has also worked
alongside some of the country’s top TV comedy stars, such as Jimmy Cricket, Al Murray; Johnnie Casson to
name a few.
His non-stop humour will have you roaring with laughter throughout his brilliant repartee of topical and
varied stories mixed in with quick one-liners, all delivered in his attractive walk-about style.
Here's a man who knows how to work an audience, get the most laughs per second than anyone you’ll ever
come across. If you book him, make sure you turn your mobile off and definitely don't go to the toilet!
Geoff Norcott is a comedy writer and standup who has forged a reputation not just as a popular live performer, but for setting himself politically apart from his comedian peers.
Describing himself as ‘right leaning’ Geoff is subverting the view that all comedians automatically take a left-wing view of politics and the world. Especially relevant in these politically unpredictable times, he delivers an alternative view, without being dogmatic or uncritical of all political persuasions. A working class boy who grew up on a council estate to become an English teacher, Geoff contradicts many assumptions with well-crafted topical jokes, asides and stories. He looks at the difference between genuine beliefs and being controversial for the sake of it and what it means to be, as in the title of one of his hit Edinburgh shows, ‘right leaning but well meaning’. The Telegraph has described Geoff as “objectively funny regardless of your politics.”
In addition to the likes of Live at the Apollo and 8 Out of 10 Cats, Geoff has featured on Nish Kumar’s BBC2 satire show The Mash Report, and his political stance has seen him appear on Question Time, Daily Politics, and Radio 4’s Today programme. He’s also written for the Telegraph and New Statesman.
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