Ropery Hall News

The return of our regular friday night comedy club featuring three top performers from the national circuit and our Barnstormers compere. Tonight’s bill features John Mann, Lovdev Barpaga and Sam Harland.

Often described as the compère beyond compare, Arthur worked as a road sweeper, dustman, market researcher, teacher and advertised chicken burgers in supermarkets dressed as a fox before becoming a fully-fledged playwright, panellist, performer and stalwart of the Edinburgh Festival,

A career in comedy was the only one that could follow a build up like that. He was one of many stand-up performers on the alternative comedy scene in the Eighties.

Twenty years on he still performs in much the same manner, perhaps ironically, he now describes himself as a “semi-professional” comedian.

To BBC radio and TV audiences, his career has been split between appearing on top quiz shows and fronting the funny section in Loose Ends. On TV, he’s been a regular Grumpy Old Man and Countdown wordsmith.

His plays include the award-winning An Evening with Gary Lineker, My Summer with Des and The Bed Show. He has presented Radio 4’s Excess Baggage and Radio 2’s The Smith Lectures and is a regular guest on Loose Ends. He describes himself as Radio 4’s “bit of rough”.

Presented in association with Clive Conway Productions

Once again our regular comedy club will feature 3 fantastic comics from the national circuit complete with our own Barnstormers compere. Tonight’s bill features Steve Harris, Fred Ferenczi and Jenny Hart

For the first line-up in the autumn programme our comedians are Steve Gribbin, Don Biswas  and Howard Read from the national circuit as well as our Barnstormers compere.

Acclaimed comedian, daytime TV star and global TikTok sensation, Paul Sinha is at least two of these. Paul’s last solo show was one of the best-reviewed shows at the 2022 Edinburgh Fringe with cracking praise from the press. 

‘Packed with goodies and not a moment of padding or superfluity, this is easily the funniest and most gratifying stand-up I have seen in two decades’ ***** Broadway Baby
‘This isn’t going to be a cosy, teatime, ITV-friendly hour… a seriously impressive show.’ **** ½ Chortle On the other hand, he’s had these too. 

‘Very cutting for a man whose neck looks like a stack of Cumberland sausages’ Garry Bushell
‘Not the wealthiest Chaser’ Liverpool Echo 

Known to many as the man in the white suit on The Chase, Paul Sinha has been a stand-up comedian for nearly thirty years; from his first tentative steps on comedy’s open mic circuit in the late 1990s to appearing at the London Palladium twenty years later, his comedy has been intelligent, hilarious and full of insight. He’s written and performed many series for Radio 4, including the Rose d’Or-winning Paul Sinha’s History Revision and he’s displayed his smarts on University Challenge, QI and Mastermind. Taskmaster, memorably, not so much – you can’t win ’em all. 

Wasson? Award-winning comedian, tap dancer and Talksport radio host Charlie Baker brings an hour of ‘genuinely funny ★★★★’ (The Herald) stand-up drenched in manure, cider and clotted cream to your village/town/cattle market. Comedy with a countryside accent. Imagine Jethro and Jack Black had a son. Job’s a good’un. Proper job.

As seen on The Last Leg, House of Games, Harry Hill’s Tea Time, Comedy Central at the Comedy Store, The Great British Bake-Off: An Extra Slice, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, and Channel 4’s Comedy Gala. Starring lead in Harry Hill and Steve Brown’s critically acclaimed musical Tony! The Tony Blair Rock Opera. 

‘An absolute romp, with some shout-with-laughter moments’ ★★★★ – Chortle
‘A superior take on the modern showman’ – Guardian