Book festivals are not all about serious subjects and this year’s Guernsey Literary Festival features three highly regarded comedians and writers.
An evening, titled Everything and More, of poetry, storytelling and comedy with BAFTA award-winning Henry Normal, writer of the beloved sitcom The Royal Family, is at St James on Saturday 27 April from 7.30 to 8.30.
Henry is a writer, poet, TV and Film producer, founder of the Manchester Poetry Festival (now the Literature festival) and co-founder of the Nottingham Poetry Festival.
He was co-writer and script editor of the multi-award-winning The Mrs Merton Show, spin-off series Mrs Merton and Malcolm, and The Royle Family with Caroline Aherne and Craig Cash. Since founding Baby Cow Productions with Steve Coogan in 1990, he’s produced and script-edited hits such as the Oscar-nominated film Philomena, I Believe in Miracles, Gavin and Stacey, Moone Boy, Nighty Night, The Mighty Boosh, Red Dwarf, Hunderby, and Alan Partridge.
Since retiring in 2016, Henry's written and performed ten BBC Radio 4 shows combining poetry, comedy and stories about his family. In this brand new show, he’s concentrating on everything: expect an entertaining evening of jokes, poems and stories, digging deep into the subject of every single thing in the universe and beyond…
In the Radio Times, critic Simon O’Hagan wrote: “Shove up, National Treasures! We need to make room for Henry Normal.”
Stand-up comedian Geoff Norcott will be at St James on Thursday 2 May from 7.30 to 8.30pm.
Through extracts from his book The British Bloke, Decoded, Geoff delivers a funny relatable guide to blokedom, in an attempt to explain the surprising depths that lurk behind a love of football, sheds and books about the SAS.
Based on 46 years of field research and almost scientific insights, Geoff digs deep into subjects as wide as: the value of banter, mansplaining, the near impossibility of getting blokes to send birthday cards, and whether there could be a medal system for hoovering. He will be in conversation with Gerry Foley.
Adrian Chiles has said of Geoff Norcott: “Geoff’s examination of blokeness is Geoff all over – funny and insightful, making serious points without committing the cardinal sin of taking it too seriously. Top bloke.”
Helen Lederer will be at St James on Saturday 4 from 6-7 pm for her event Not That I’m Bitter, a riotously frank and funny evening.
Helen, stand up comedian and writer who was in Absolutely Fabulous, was at the heart of the alternative comedy scene of the 1980s.
She offers a front row seat to her life as a pioneering female stand-up comedian, reveals just how tough it was to break through – and why she is now devoted to creating opportunities for other witty women. In conversation with Jo Durrant.
More information about the festival can be found here.
