Makes The World Better (Substantially Better)
A thing! That will be both amazing and A REAL STRUGGLE. Mark Watson is to do another Long Show. For 25 hours, from 11pm on Thursday February 28 (after a full day's work, oh lordy) to midnight on March 1st at the Pleasance Theatre in London. For Comic Relief. Rather than just for reasons of fun, ego, and see-if-I-can. Though that too.
And oh, if even ANY of it is as good as previous years it will be the very BEST of gigs. Oh I'm sorry all other shows, you appear to be in a cocked hat now. Shame.
As Mark has put it, on his blog...
I wound up the long-show franchise in 2009 with what now seems the prima donna-ishly titled ‘Last Ever 24 Hour Show’, thinking it was better to quit while ahead than to keep pulling off the stunt with diminishing returns until it became almost meaningless, like Big Brother.
But now…
It’s Comic Relief’s fault. You can’t really turn Comic Relief down. It is their 25th anniversary this year; they asked for a 25-hour show. Featuring challenges by members of the public and audience members alike, being broadcast on various radio stations and streamed online, and all in all making money for good causes. You can see it from my position: I’d be pretty fucking furious if someone else did it. So I’m doing it.
25 hours. Jesus. I’m getting too old for this.
This is what will happen. It will be at the Pleasance Islington (the Pleasance being one of the big traditional supporters of the long show), in North London, starting at eleven pm on February 28 - Thursday night - and going through till midnight the following day, that is, Friday 1st March. We wanted to do it on a weekend, but Comic Relief wanted a weeknight as it’s easier to get publicity and so forth, and, well, it’s their gig really. So as a compromise it’s going over a Friday. I hope this means interested parties might be able to swing a day off work a bit more easily. I don’t know why I’m assuming Friday would be any easier to bunk than any other day. I guess I’d know if I had a job.
I am looking for comedy superfans who fall into two categories:
1. PEOPLE TO COME AND SEE THIS GODDAMN THING. Although people are always able to drop in and out, 24-hour shows have traditionally attracted a hardcore of lunatics who watch the entire thing. It’s definitely the best way to experience it… if you have a day of your life when nothing else needs to be accomplished, that is. The record for ‘lifers’ is, I think, 112 or something. But we’ve always had at least thirty to forty. These people are the lifeblood of the long show. If you think this could be you, I want to know about you. (You do get to eat and leave the room for the toilet, by the way. And even sleep, if you want.)
2. PEOPLE TO DO CHALLENGES. The idea of this is not only to raise money by being sponsored to do the show and various things during the show, etc, but also to get people around the country doing their own 25-hour challenges. Sponsored silence, sponsored eating bread, sponsored shouting at strangers, unicycling, fudge-making, fact-learning, football-juggling: whatever. Outlandish/difficult/newsworthy is good, but it could equally be something very small, yet difficult for you. Something you could realistically do for 25 hours, even it has to be fitted around your normal work/uni day. We’ll help you to get sponsorship, too, by publicising them all together, so don’t be deterred by thinking all your friends are poor. There is no limit on the number of these, but I’d like to incorporate some of them into the show. This doesn’t mean you have to come to London - you can just be in touch during the proceedings. Have a think about this and either leave a comment, or tweet me (@watsoncomedian), or tweet the person whose problem the long shows are (@CorryShawComedy).
And oh, if even ANY of it is as good as previous years it will be the very BEST of gigs. Oh I'm sorry all other shows, you appear to be in a cocked hat now. Shame.
As Mark has put it, on his blog...
I wound up the long-show franchise in 2009 with what now seems the prima donna-ishly titled ‘Last Ever 24 Hour Show’, thinking it was better to quit while ahead than to keep pulling off the stunt with diminishing returns until it became almost meaningless, like Big Brother.
But now…
It’s Comic Relief’s fault. You can’t really turn Comic Relief down. It is their 25th anniversary this year; they asked for a 25-hour show. Featuring challenges by members of the public and audience members alike, being broadcast on various radio stations and streamed online, and all in all making money for good causes. You can see it from my position: I’d be pretty fucking furious if someone else did it. So I’m doing it.
25 hours. Jesus. I’m getting too old for this.
This is what will happen. It will be at the Pleasance Islington (the Pleasance being one of the big traditional supporters of the long show), in North London, starting at eleven pm on February 28 - Thursday night - and going through till midnight the following day, that is, Friday 1st March. We wanted to do it on a weekend, but Comic Relief wanted a weeknight as it’s easier to get publicity and so forth, and, well, it’s their gig really. So as a compromise it’s going over a Friday. I hope this means interested parties might be able to swing a day off work a bit more easily. I don’t know why I’m assuming Friday would be any easier to bunk than any other day. I guess I’d know if I had a job.
I am looking for comedy superfans who fall into two categories:
1. PEOPLE TO COME AND SEE THIS GODDAMN THING. Although people are always able to drop in and out, 24-hour shows have traditionally attracted a hardcore of lunatics who watch the entire thing. It’s definitely the best way to experience it… if you have a day of your life when nothing else needs to be accomplished, that is. The record for ‘lifers’ is, I think, 112 or something. But we’ve always had at least thirty to forty. These people are the lifeblood of the long show. If you think this could be you, I want to know about you. (You do get to eat and leave the room for the toilet, by the way. And even sleep, if you want.)
2. PEOPLE TO DO CHALLENGES. The idea of this is not only to raise money by being sponsored to do the show and various things during the show, etc, but also to get people around the country doing their own 25-hour challenges. Sponsored silence, sponsored eating bread, sponsored shouting at strangers, unicycling, fudge-making, fact-learning, football-juggling: whatever. Outlandish/difficult/newsworthy is good, but it could equally be something very small, yet difficult for you. Something you could realistically do for 25 hours, even it has to be fitted around your normal work/uni day. We’ll help you to get sponsorship, too, by publicising them all together, so don’t be deterred by thinking all your friends are poor. There is no limit on the number of these, but I’d like to incorporate some of them into the show. This doesn’t mean you have to come to London - you can just be in touch during the proceedings. Have a think about this and either leave a comment, or tweet me (@watsoncomedian), or tweet the person whose problem the long shows are (@CorryShawComedy).