Thread by @PhilipsComedy

I miss everything about being a #comedian, both on and off stage.

I’ll list some below but as we ask @OliverDowden to #SaveLiveComedy, as a comic or a punter, what do you miss about #LiveComedy?

I miss not knowing how a gig will go beforehands and then standing on stage telling jokes to a room that will judge a punchline in the moment & not based on any knowledge of how it’s been received before. I miss reading the room and editing as I go to get the best of a set.

I miss the awkward conversations with audience at gigs. The praise when things go well and avoidance of eye contact when you’ve died. I even miss hearing their jokes and being told “here, you can have that one for your skit!”

I miss the green room banter before, during and after the shows. The chats with promoters, learning local knowledge from venue staff and the levelling of the playing field where TV names and open spots sit as equals discussing anything from sports to the state of the circuit

I miss seeing a comedian on TV and then finding myself on a line up with them, chatting as openly as if the hierarchy didn’t exist. I miss being blown away by an open spot and then revelling in the delight of seeing a mate break through to tv me higher profile gigs

I miss the travelling, driving for hours at a time, often finding myself in the middle of nowhere for 2-3 hours just to deliver 20 minutes of middle class whimsy. I miss taking time on arrival to explore the high streets, even though lately they’re all starting to look the same.

I miss car shares with other comedians. The conversations that flow deep into the night as you desperately work to keep the driver awake. The sanctity of the car meaning that all industry gossip is protected and the awkwardly silent drive home after one of you died on stage.

I miss listening to hours of podcasts on these drives if I’m driving alone. I miss avoiding service stations when I need a break, choosing to rather explore local villages around the UK, doing my bit to #SupportLocal, #SupportLocalBusinesses & #SupportSmallBusinesses

I miss being the awkward entertainment at a corporate function or fundraiser, being stared at with a sea of pitying faces of bemused members of staff forced to sit through my material when all they want to do is raid the free bar and snog their colleagues.

I miss staying in hotels that mean I come back from the gig to find myself avoiding drunk wedding guests who can’t understand that you’re not home from clubbing, you’re back home from work.

And of course, after all that I miss coming home to my family. I miss remembering how blessed I am by what I have waiting for me when I come home. A love I fear I’ve taken for granted without the luxury of absence afforded to me as a travelling comedian.

This is why #comedy is so important to me & so many of my peers & colleagues. It’s not just our livelihoods it’s our lives.

I know everyone has great demands on their time right now and we’re all worried about the future, please PLEASE help us #SaveLiveComedy and #SaveTheArts