Latest news with #ThinkAhead
Metro
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Alan Davies ‘moved' by audience during his harrowing show about childhood abuse
Alan Davies's new stand-up comedy show Think Ahead is like nothing he's ever done before (Picture:) Alan Davies has been a stalwart of British comedy TV for decades; he's a beloved QI comedian, panel show regular, and, of course, was Jonathan Creek in the long-running BBC mystery series for almost two decades until 2016. But at this year's Edinburgh Fringe, Alan is returning to his roots in his first stand-up comedy show for a decade in Think Ahead – and his presence has been well and truly noted. While Alan admits he's historically shied away from talking about his personal life on stage in the past – opting instead for jokes that are all good 'people pleasing' fun – this time he's getting incredibly deep. When the show began, with Alan's ticklish fretting about his 60 plus status and everyday angsts – mopeds swerving in and out of cars; his youngest seriously pondering whether death or courgettes was a preferable fate; and a hilarious bit about giving a poo sample for a bowel cancer test – I thought we were in for more of the same. The beauty of Alan is that even if he wasn't making jokes – and they weren't coming like the clappers – we were gripped anyway. His kindness seeps through every observation and tale, even when he feigns anger by shouting (a little too loudly) into the microphone. He's been a stalwart of British comedy for decades (Picture: Tony Briggs) Alan doesn't need to shout. He can do so little and still be a joy to watch, with masterful comedic timing and storytelling structure. The laughter came easily from an audience wanting to feel close to a man who, let's face it, everyone wants to be best pals with. While his stories are chuckle-worthy, Alan shines when delving into his darkly comic imagination. What if his erectile dysfunction medication, with a risk of causing a heart attack, killed him mid-act during reverse cowgirl? What if, indeed. But what sets Alan apart from many of his male peers is his brave and generous decision to share the story of his childhood abuse on stage. This bit wasn't funny. Obviously. But that wasn't the point. In 2017, Alan pressed charges against his father for molesting him as a child. Alan explained, while his breath shortened and he seemed visibly distressed, that he could talk about it now – albeit with on-stage PTSD. Alan suffers from PTSD after his childhood abuse (Picture: BBC/Fremantle Media/Talkback) Decades on, whenever people are walking outside his bedroom, Alan's breathing shallows, remembering the time his father would enter and give him a 'special cuddle'. Alan's father was too incapacitated with Alzheimer's disease to be locked up, and he's since died – though Alan doesn't know where. He didn't go to the funeral. Understandably, Alan didn't seem to fully relax into the show until this harrowing part was over: this is a topic that goes undiscussed for many men of his generation, which makes it more important he did just that. Explaining why he wanted to veer into this experience during a comedy show, Alan noted that everyone in the audience likely has some trauma, and it's important that we talk. 'So that's what that was,' he added, with a sort of shrug as if to say: 'Sorry!'. After a beat, the audience clapped in support, and Alan said this is the first time his story has triggered such a response during his Fringe run. This is Alan's first stand-up comedy show in 10 years (Picture: BBC/Fremantle Media/Talkback) 'I'm quite moved,' he admitted, before launching into the jollier tale of his erectile dysfunction (which is yet another important topic for men to openly discuss, well done Alan). Despite the dark parts, I left Think Ahead feeling warm, fuzzy and full of admiration for a man of his celebrity status putting himself out there so candidly. Alan is sacrificing his privacy in the name of helping other men. That makes me feel hopeful. The only thing missing from the hour was a trigger warning on the show's description. While Alan is ready to talk about his experience, some people in the audience who have gone through similar traumas might not be in a fit state to hear it. Nevertheless, respect for Alan only glows brighter on realising how uncomfortable this must be to talk about every night – if not because of the trauma, because of his inherent need to make people happy. Alan Davies: Think Ahead is touring this Autumn around the UK. Tickets here. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. Arrow MORE: TV star's harrowing show detailing abuse is a must-watch for all fat people Arrow MORE: Record-breaking TV series hailed 'funniest in ages' launches on free UK streamer
Scotsman
30-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
My Festival: Alan Davies
Alan Davies: Think Ahead | Tony Briggs The seasoned stand-up and Q.I. star opens up about his worst ever review, the anxiety of being stuck watching a terrible show, and his extracurricular Fringe activities. Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... There are thousands of shows in Edinburgh this month. Please tell us why we should come and see yours. Years ago, at the Edmonton Fringe in Canada, there was sketch group called Free Food and Beer. All their posters appeared to promise free food and beer. They sold a lot of tickets. I can offer a guaranteed seat for each ticket holder and - limited - air to breathe. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad What will we learn from your show that we didn't know before? That, unlike most comedians, who are famously outward looking, I'm entirely self-absorbed. Who or what was the biggest inspiration for your show? That I spend more time in the pharmacy than the gym. What's the best review you've ever had, and the worst? I gave a less than confident performance in a production of The Odd Couple many years ago and resolved not to read any notices, expecting them to be unkind. Walking down the steps outside the venue - with Dave Johns who was also in the cast - we passed the audience lining up for the next show. When they saw me people started to call things out. 'We liked it, Alan.' 'Yeah, don't listen to them, Alan.' 'We thought it was good!' This all culminated in a large number of them breaking out into a sympathetic round of applause. As I waved and smiled meekly I said, without turning to Dave, 'How bad are these reviews?' 'Don't worry about it, man,' he said. Who or what are you most excited about seeing this year? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Every year I find someone I've never seen before that I love. A couple of years ago it was Lucy McCormick, in the past it was Kiki & Herb. Last year I enjoyed Will Owen. The only certainty in my Fringe is that I will seek out John Hegley. Who do you most like spending time with in Edinburgh? These days it's a family affair. Katie and I are always on the lookout for kids' shows, though now two of ours are teenagers so the must-see list changes each year. Tell us something about you that would surprise people. On a Saturday afternoon I will seek out Hibs or Hearts, but I won't be drawn on a preference. What are the best and worst things that have happened to you at a festival? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The second worst thing that can happen is being stuck in a terrible show and not being able to get out. The worst thing is knowing someone in the show and having an arrangement to meet them afterwards. The best thing is approaching your venue and seeing the words 'sold out' next to your name. Thanks for the interview! We'd like to buy you a drink. Where are we going and what are we drinking? I met a Glaswegian recently who was bemoaning the fact that in his city you're not allowed to drink in the street, so perhaps we should take advantage of the rules in Edinburgh and sup something while watching some world-class street performers. As for what it is, surprise me, that would be in the spirit of the Fringe.
Sydney Morning Herald
29-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
Comedian Alan Davies' career changed once he admitted, ‘I'm one of those'
It's second thing Monday in London. 'I had to call the vet because the dog's got a bad paw,' Alan Davies explains. 'All her behaviour is normal, then I go to touch her paw and she goes –' he makes an alarmed dog noise. 'There's no talking to her about it. So we're off down the vet. That'll be a bargain.' We're either 30 seconds into a Zoom meeting or I'm accidentally streaming Alan Davies on YouTube. Like one of his tangential anecdotes on QI, the story is unremarkable but oddly compelling. There might even be a pay-off. 'I'm taking her at 3.30. I could call you back for an update?' After more than 35 years on stage and TV, Davies knows this space between life and funny like the back of his paw. He knew he wanted to be a comedian at 16. But it took writing three memoirs – White Male Stand-Up is out in September – to understand why. 'Eddie Izzard and I started out together in stand-up,' he recalls. 'Like me, he also lost his mother when he was six years old, and he told me early on he thinks that [seeking] the love of the audience was an attempt to replace the unconditional love of his mother. 'I wasn't having it at the time. But as I've got older I think he's probably right. It's still the case. The audience laughing and applauding makes you feel good in a way, perhaps, that I need.' Just Ignore Him is the title of Davies' 2020 book. It's something his dad used to say to undermine his credibility. This was because his dad began molesting him when he was eight or nine – two or three years after his mother died, of cancer, under especially cruel circumstances. Telling that story, after a lifetime pretending to ignore it, 'changed a lot of things', he says. 'Prose was the only way. As a comedian I'd not been able to tell it.' Nor would there be any value in his audience wondering, 'Why's he saying all this sad shit?' when he brings his new stand-up show, Think Ahead, to Australia in November. 'But I've tried to access it a bit,' he says, 'and I do that by talking about being an older comedian. 'I'm turning 60 next year. How do I approach comedy? How do I approach who I am when I'm speaking to the audience? And how was I approaching it when I was younger? Why was I behaving like I did on stage in my 20s? Why is it different? 'I can tell you why it was different: because these facts were unknown to you. I was concealing them, and I was creating a persona to navigate my life with, and I thought I'd cracked it. And then you find later in life you haven't cracked it, you've just got a facade, and the facade starts to annoy you, as much as it perhaps does those audience members who don't like your show who have spotted it. 'So it's a bit of a reappraisal. Some of that is prompted from being able to mine the material in the book.' Think Ahead, you'd assume, will be progressive by definition. 'I can't remember why I called it Think Ahead. That's probably all you need to know,' he says with a laugh. But he does know it's a relatively new headspace. 'When I started doing stand-up I was 22. I did a drama degree at university, then I started doing open spots on the London comedy circuit, which was quite a nice thing in the late '80s. It was all these little comedy clubs that were run by individuals who you'd ring on their landline, they'd put you in for a spot a few months away, then if you went down well they'd book you three months further on. 'So your diary was never more than three months ahead. After that it was literally blank for the rest of your life, and that suited me at that time. I liked that feeling of 'I'm not tied into anything'.' Those blank days are long gone. Booming comedy career aside, Davies' kids with his wife Katie Maskell – a fellow writer of books, TV and radio – are 15, 14 and nine, so school has the future block-booked for the medium term at least. TAKE 7: THE ANSWERS ACCORDING TO ALAN DAVIES Worst habit? Overeating. My nine-year-old had a taste of something the other day, and he said, 'Oh, that's disgusting. Give it to Dad.' And, sure enough, I ate it. Greatest fear? Dying. I was asked by my publishers to write a list of how many of the people in my new book are now dead, and I think there are 35. So, yeah, it bothers me. The line that has stayed with you? 'Why is it important?' [via actress Fiona Shaw]. That's a good question to ask of anything you're doing. Or watching. Especially online. Biggest regret? Not dealing with the stuff with my father earlier. Favourite book? Recently it's Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. The artwork/song you wish was yours? A New England. I really revere Billy Bragg. He grew up not far from me, in Essex. If you could time-travel, where would you choose to go? I imagined being at my own funeral and seeing what people were saying. Then I suddenly had a terrible fear: what if Katie and the kids are not there? But I did a podcast with [astronomer] Brian Cox and he reassured me that time travel is impossible. So don't worry about it. 'On top of that, your own mortality comes into play,' he says. 'This is one of the hardest things to manage in life, is the length of it. I mean, we're obsessed with the length of things. How long will it take to walk to the cinema? You go on your maps app and it says nine minutes, and you're thinking, 'I could shave a minute off that'. 'How long is the film? How long will it take to cook the potatoes? We demand to know those things. But how long are you going to live for?' He makes a grunty 'dunno' noise. 'It's really troubling when you get to an age where, let's face it, people start disappearing all around you.' The suggestion that he log onto and type in his particulars makes him splutter. 'What if it says next Tuesday? Then what do you do?' In his case, probably a stand-up gig. He's described it as the love of his life, despite giving it away for 10 years when a show at the Comedy Store in London went wrong in the early 2000s. Thrown by a heckling audience, he felt his burgeoning profile as a wisecracking sleuth in Jonathan Creek and his many other TV gigs had dulled his impact. It was an Australian promoter friend, Marnie Foulis, who convinced him to get back on stage in Melbourne in 2011. He's only since stopped to write his books. But these days his 'why?' radar is ever more acute. Loading 'Once you've established that you have that skill to make people laugh, what choices you're making in the subject matter becomes more important to you. If you're 23 and you're just learning, 'Well, I need to get a laugh. Shopping trolleys! They never go straight. And then your kid goes in it, and …' Yeah, I could do five on that. 'When you get older you think, 'Who gives a shit about shopping trolleys? No one. Shut up about shopping trolleys. You're a 59-year-old man talking about shopping trolleys. What do you really want to talk about?'' One of the things that fuelled Just Ignore Him was a website called 'which is the number of men and boys who have been abused in some form or another', he says. 'It made me think about all the audiences that I play to, all the people sitting in silence with their secret troubles, and I thought, OK, I'll be the one who stands up and says, 'I'm one of those'. 'I'm not going to dwell on it. It's just a fact. It's affected me in this way and that way. And here I am with my comedy show in which it's a small part because that's how I prefer to think of it. There comes a time when you just think, 'I need to work out what it is that I've been trying to say for 35 years'. And it could take that long to get there.'
The Age
29-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
Comedian Alan Davies' career changed once he admitted, ‘I'm one of those'
It's second thing Monday in London. 'I had to call the vet because the dog's got a bad paw,' Alan Davies explains. 'All her behaviour is normal, then I go to touch her paw and she goes –' he makes an alarmed dog noise. 'There's no talking to her about it. So we're off down the vet. That'll be a bargain.' We're either 30 seconds into a Zoom meeting or I'm accidentally streaming Alan Davies on YouTube. Like one of his tangential anecdotes on QI, the story is unremarkable but oddly compelling. There might even be a pay-off. 'I'm taking her at 3.30. I could call you back for an update?' After more than 35 years on stage and TV, Davies knows this space between life and funny like the back of his paw. He knew he wanted to be a comedian at 16. But it took writing three memoirs – White Male Stand-Up is out in September – to understand why. 'Eddie Izzard and I started out together in stand-up,' he recalls. 'Like me, he also lost his mother when he was six years old, and he told me early on he thinks that [seeking] the love of the audience was an attempt to replace the unconditional love of his mother. 'I wasn't having it at the time. But as I've got older I think he's probably right. It's still the case. The audience laughing and applauding makes you feel good in a way, perhaps, that I need.' Just Ignore Him is the title of Davies' 2020 book. It's something his dad used to say to undermine his credibility. This was because his dad began molesting him when he was eight or nine – two or three years after his mother died, of cancer, under especially cruel circumstances. Telling that story, after a lifetime pretending to ignore it, 'changed a lot of things', he says. 'Prose was the only way. As a comedian I'd not been able to tell it.' Nor would there be any value in his audience wondering, 'Why's he saying all this sad shit?' when he brings his new stand-up show, Think Ahead, to Australia in November. 'But I've tried to access it a bit,' he says, 'and I do that by talking about being an older comedian. 'I'm turning 60 next year. How do I approach comedy? How do I approach who I am when I'm speaking to the audience? And how was I approaching it when I was younger? Why was I behaving like I did on stage in my 20s? Why is it different? 'I can tell you why it was different: because these facts were unknown to you. I was concealing them, and I was creating a persona to navigate my life with, and I thought I'd cracked it. And then you find later in life you haven't cracked it, you've just got a facade, and the facade starts to annoy you, as much as it perhaps does those audience members who don't like your show who have spotted it. 'So it's a bit of a reappraisal. Some of that is prompted from being able to mine the material in the book.' Think Ahead, you'd assume, will be progressive by definition. 'I can't remember why I called it Think Ahead. That's probably all you need to know,' he says with a laugh. But he does know it's a relatively new headspace. 'When I started doing stand-up I was 22. I did a drama degree at university, then I started doing open spots on the London comedy circuit, which was quite a nice thing in the late '80s. It was all these little comedy clubs that were run by individuals who you'd ring on their landline, they'd put you in for a spot a few months away, then if you went down well they'd book you three months further on. 'So your diary was never more than three months ahead. After that it was literally blank for the rest of your life, and that suited me at that time. I liked that feeling of 'I'm not tied into anything'.' Those blank days are long gone. Booming comedy career aside, Davies' kids with his wife Katie Maskell – a fellow writer of books, TV and radio – are 15, 14 and nine, so school has the future block-booked for the medium term at least. TAKE 7: THE ANSWERS ACCORDING TO ALAN DAVIES Worst habit? Overeating. My nine-year-old had a taste of something the other day, and he said, 'Oh, that's disgusting. Give it to Dad.' And, sure enough, I ate it. Greatest fear? Dying. I was asked by my publishers to write a list of how many of the people in my new book are now dead, and I think there are 35. So, yeah, it bothers me. The line that has stayed with you? 'Why is it important?' [via actress Fiona Shaw]. That's a good question to ask of anything you're doing. Or watching. Especially online. Biggest regret? Not dealing with the stuff with my father earlier. Favourite book? Recently it's Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. The artwork/song you wish was yours? A New England. I really revere Billy Bragg. He grew up not far from me, in Essex. If you could time-travel, where would you choose to go? I imagined being at my own funeral and seeing what people were saying. Then I suddenly had a terrible fear: what if Katie and the kids are not there? But I did a podcast with [astronomer] Brian Cox and he reassured me that time travel is impossible. So don't worry about it. 'On top of that, your own mortality comes into play,' he says. 'This is one of the hardest things to manage in life, is the length of it. I mean, we're obsessed with the length of things. How long will it take to walk to the cinema? You go on your maps app and it says nine minutes, and you're thinking, 'I could shave a minute off that'. 'How long is the film? How long will it take to cook the potatoes? We demand to know those things. But how long are you going to live for?' He makes a grunty 'dunno' noise. 'It's really troubling when you get to an age where, let's face it, people start disappearing all around you.' The suggestion that he log onto and type in his particulars makes him splutter. 'What if it says next Tuesday? Then what do you do?' In his case, probably a stand-up gig. He's described it as the love of his life, despite giving it away for 10 years when a show at the Comedy Store in London went wrong in the early 2000s. Thrown by a heckling audience, he felt his burgeoning profile as a wisecracking sleuth in Jonathan Creek and his many other TV gigs had dulled his impact. It was an Australian promoter friend, Marnie Foulis, who convinced him to get back on stage in Melbourne in 2011. He's only since stopped to write his books. But these days his 'why?' radar is ever more acute. Loading 'Once you've established that you have that skill to make people laugh, what choices you're making in the subject matter becomes more important to you. If you're 23 and you're just learning, 'Well, I need to get a laugh. Shopping trolleys! They never go straight. And then your kid goes in it, and …' Yeah, I could do five on that. 'When you get older you think, 'Who gives a shit about shopping trolleys? No one. Shut up about shopping trolleys. You're a 59-year-old man talking about shopping trolleys. What do you really want to talk about?'' One of the things that fuelled Just Ignore Him was a website called 'which is the number of men and boys who have been abused in some form or another', he says. 'It made me think about all the audiences that I play to, all the people sitting in silence with their secret troubles, and I thought, OK, I'll be the one who stands up and says, 'I'm one of those'. 'I'm not going to dwell on it. It's just a fact. It's affected me in this way and that way. And here I am with my comedy show in which it's a small part because that's how I prefer to think of it. There comes a time when you just think, 'I need to work out what it is that I've been trying to say for 35 years'. And it could take that long to get there.'
Scotsman
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Unmissable shows at Gilded Balloon's 40th Fringe
Continuing on from my last column, I'm delighted to give you another rundown of some of the unmissable shows taking place at Gilded Balloon's 40th Anniversary Fringe. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... First up, 30 years after their last appearance at the Gilded Balloon, we have the return of the Oblivion Boys and Gayle Tuesday. Steve Frost and Mark Arden were an '80s double act who performed in The Young Ones, Blackadder and were the boys who caused havoc in Channel 4's The Tube. You may also recognise them from their hilarious Carling Black Label ads, in my opinion some of the funniest TV ads from the 80s! I can't wait to see them treading the boards once more. QI panellist, comedian and Jonathan Creek star Alan Davies, is back with his new show, Think Ahead Another familiar face making a welcome return is QI panellist, comedian and Jonathan Creek star Alan Davies, back with his new show, Think Ahead. After making his first fresh-faced appearance at the Gilded Balloon in 1994, he's back after a 10-year break with his new show. Also, impressionists Ronni Ancona and Hal Cruttenden will join forces for their parody podcast, In Pieces, where they seek help from celebrity guests dealing with performance chitters. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Comedian and actress Rosie O'Donnell, 11-time Tony and Emmy award winner and American talk show host, is making her Edinburgh Fringe debut after recently relocating to Ireland. Her new show, Here & Now, reflects on her life and extraordinary career, with Rosie's signature blend of heart, humour and honesty, this is a rare chance to see one of America's biggest TV stars in a Fringe setting. We also have another star returning in Aunt Hilda herself, Canadian-born comedian Caroline Rhea of Sabrina the Teenage witch and Pineas and Ferb fame. Caroline is a close friend and very much one of the Gilded Balloon family. She's a class act and loves Scotland – so much that she popped over for a Scottish tour last year. She has been working as a stand-up comedian for over 35 years and has some very funny showbiz stories to tell. There's a hub of Scottish stories in our 40th programme, including the incredible acting of Gail Watson in Ian Pattison's Faye's Red Lines. It received rave reviews from its run at Oran Mor earlier this year. Gail appeared in last year's Chemo Savvy and is part of BBC TV's River City, and we're so excited to have her with us as the star of this incredible piece of writing. Mary, A Gig theatre show uses original music and spoken word in this feminist retelling of Mary Queen of Scots' iconic story. F Bomb Theatre also return with a new autobiographical show telling a heartfelt, hopeful and immersive story about the turbulent journey of experiencing pregnancy loss as a young queer person. And there is so much more – head to our website and come and see some incredible entertainment at the Gilded Balloon this year.
