Stand up is just a laugh
DONCASTER funnyman Phil Sheppard hopes to take his act to a major festival after his first taste of comedy competitions.
The 26-year-old stand-up, from Wheatley, is still laughing despite failing to take the 1,000 prize in his first event, after competing in the final of the Other Side Comedy Club's New Act of the Year competition .
He found himself going head to head with acts from all over the country, each with a five minute slot to impress the judges.
But his experience in the final at the Royal Hotel, Scunthorpe, has left him with an appetite for more and now he is lining up a crack at the Edinburgh Festival next year.
Phil said: “There was only one winner for in the competition - there was no runners-up prize or anything like that. Someone from London won, but for me it was the first time I'd been in a competition, and I was just really pleased to have reached the final. That was good enough for me because I've only just started.
“I only had five minutes to impress the judges and I had to edit my act, which I would have usually had as 20 minutes.
“But I got chatting to some of the comedians afterwards, and they're going to let me know about more competitions. Some of them had been to Edinburgh in the past and that's the place to go.”
It was the first time his act had been before a panel of judges.
When he won two heats at The Other Side's events at Doncaster's Regent Hotel and at a venue in Grimsby, he was voted the winner by the audience.
Phil's comedy act is a sideline away from his day job as a cartoonist who created the Lollipopman cartoon character, which has been used by a charity to promote road safety.
He takes part of that side of his character on stage with him, as part of his act involves drawing funny pictures.
“My comedy is silly comedy really,” he said. “I do animal voices and illustrate the show with pictures. My show is a really mixed bag. Eddie Izzard is my favourite comedian and he's an influence but I'm not like him. I think I share his way of looking at things.”
Phil is getting straight back on stage and smiling on. He will also be putting in an appearance at Doncaster’s fortnightly stand-up night at Spring Storm, at Kings Way, Hallgate, tonight.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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