On a purely personal level one of the highlights of my
involvement with Partick Thistle came when someone made a point of speaking to
me, as I left the pub one evening, to tell me that they enjoyed reading the
programme each home game. That gesture was as unnecessary as it was kind and
something that I haven’t ever forgotten.
It’s in part because of that that I try and make the point,
any time I’ve seen a comedian/band/play that I’ve enjoyed, to try and pass on
my own thanks and let them know that their efforts are appreciated. Twitter and
Facebook make doing just that pretty easy.
The above is just a bit of a preamble to the topic of the
latest of my increasingly infrequent blog entries; ‘The Ginge, The Geordie and
The Geek’.
Unfamiliar with that name?
Hopefully after viewing BBC2 in April of next year then that
will have changed and you’ll have derived as much enjoyment from these three
talented guys as I, and my long suffering partner in crime; Alison, have in
recent years.
It would probably be a good idea to provide a bit of
background information at this point.
‘The Ginge, The Geordie and The Geek’ (aka as Graeme Rooney,
Paul Charlton and Kevin O’Loughlin) are a comedy sketch group that we first saw
during the, I think, 2009 Glasgow Comedy Festival.
It was really something of an afterthought to go and see
them. The Festival was drawing to a close and, to be honest, by the final Friday
we were pretty much comedyed (is that a word?) out. The high profile acts that
we saw that year were by and large disappointing, and the notion of finishing
the Festival with a sketch show as opposed to yet another stand-up appealed
greatly.
Universal in Sauchiehall Street Lane was the venue and the
boys blew the place away. Just as impressive as the actual comedy was the
unrelenting pace at which it was delivered. The ease in which they slipped from
one hilarious scenario to another was incredible.
We vowed as we left the venue that night that it wouldn’t be
the last time we would see them.
It wasn’t. The following year’s Glasgow Comedy Festival saw
them move from Universal to a sell out night at The Tron Theatre. They produced
another fantastic performance.
Just as they have each time we’ve seen them perform at the
Edinburgh Fringe. One of the disappointments of last summer’s festival, for us,
was the fact that we left it way too late to get tickets for one of their sell
out shows and didn’t get to see them. We made sure that we didn’t repeat that
error this summer.
From the very first time we saw them we were convinced that
they merited a television series. We were delighted to read, therefore, a
couple of months ago that that BBC had, finally, given them that richly
deserved commission.
That television series is currently being filmed, much of it
in front of a live TV audience, and we’ve been fortunate to catch a couple of
those recordings at the BBC studios at Pacific Quay. It will hit your screens
in April next year. Please make sure that you watch it.
Lest you think this gushing praise hides some kind of family
connection; the very occasional twitter/facebook interaction aside I don’t know
these lads at all. There is a real warmth to their performances, however, that
makes you feel as if you do know them; as ridiculous as that notion may appear.
We can’t claim to have seen them from the very start but all
the same there is real pleasure in seeing them progress over the last few years.
We’ve seen many acts over the years that we’ve felt deserved to get that so
called big break yet continue toil away without the recognition they deserve
while other, in our view, less talented individuals are performing to big
crowds at the SECC when not appearing on our television screens. What I call
the Kevin Bridges Syndrome.
To return then to the theme of the opening paragraphs;
Ginge, Geordie and Geek, thanks. We enjoy your performances immensely and we
look forward to seeing you on BBC2 next year and hopefully at the Edinburgh
Fringe in the summer, if not before.
For more information on ‘The Ginge, The Geordie and The Geek’
check out:
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