Mock The Week funnyman Andy Parsons is heading to Essex with his new stand-up tour. Let’s hope his name doesn’t go up in lights as “Andy Arsons” this time…
He’s been labelled “hysterically funny” and “the punchline king” by critics and fans alike. Fellow comic Rob Beckett even dubbed him “surprisingly ripped”. There’s no doubt that Andy Parsons is many things to many people.
The Mock The Week panellist, writer of sketches for TV’s Spitting Image and star of sell out shows at the Edinburgh Fringe is doing what he loves best this year – heading back to live stand-up with his new tour Bafflingly Optimistic.
Andy will be gracing Essex audiences with his self-deprecating wit in March when he heads to The Mercury Theatre in Colchester. The 57-year-old is looking forward to sharing his talent in what he hopes will be a comfortably cool auditorium.
“The first time I played Mercury Theatre in Colchester it was boiling, on the next occasion it was freezing. But it’s been re-furbed, and they’ve got air-conditioning now and it’s become one of my favourite gigs,” he says.
So, what’s the show got in store?
Well, imagine we’ve been visited by the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in the form of Disease, Death, War and overpriced ketchup.
What hope can there be?
Andy is indeed Bafflingly Optimistic about this future.
In his unique way the satirist will take audiences on a journey through topics like quantitative easing, austerity, inflation, the cost-of-living crisis, broken banking system and, of course, something that keeps us all up at night – overpriced ketchup, Andy began his career writing non-commissioned material for Radio 4’s Weekending and went on to become one of the main writers of the original Spitting Image on ITV. Having had his own Radio 2 series for six years, he became a regular panellist on Mock The Week and has made numerous TV appearances on the likes of Live At The Apollo, The Comedy Store and QI.
He’s won a swathe of awards and been labelled Time Out Comedy winner, New Zealand International Comedy Award winner and the Montreal Just For Laughs Comedy Festival Award winner to name but a few.
Things, however, could have been very different for Andy, who was born in Dorset, grew up in Devon and Cornwall and went to Cambridge University to study law.
After realising law wasn’t for him, comedy beckoned and he embarked on a path paved with laughter.
Andy has played Essex theatres before, including Chelmsford’s Civic Theatre and the Palace Theatre in Westcliff.
It was at the latter that he had what we might call a memorable experience: “I’ve played Southend in Essex every tour I’ve ever done and I remember the first time I played the Palace Theatre in Westcliff, I was very excited to see my name up in lights outside but the letter ‘P’ had fallen off so it read ‘Tonight: ANDY ARSONS’.”
As for good old Southend Andy shares his thoughts: “As well as the world’s longest pleasure pier, I love that Southend has got an airport called ‘London Southend’.
“Tourists arriving at London Southend will have heard of London’s West End and London’s East End but will be surprised to find out that London’s Southend is 40 miles east of London’s East End!”
In all seriousness he’s chuffed to be heading to north Essex “I’m looking forward to seeing some friends and relatives when I play Colchester and I’ve always found the Essex stereotypes complete BS! But don’t get me started on Kent!”
Andy will be at the Mercury Theatre in Colchester on March 28. Tickets are £19. Visit mercurytheatre.co.uk to book.
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