Comedy Beats at Copthorne

Comedy Beats begin their 2018 programme of shows on February 1 at Oliver's Wine Bar in Copthorne with acts from the UK comedy circuit.
Jonny AwsumJonny Awsum
Jonny Awsum

Organiser Mark Coxon said: “We are based in Copthorne and did our very first show at a venue in the village in 2015. It feels like we have come a long way since then and many things have changed. However the one thing that has remained constant is the quality of our shows.

“When we started we had no idea how quickly things would take off. Within our first two years, we supplied comedy shows to nearly 30 different venues. We are now producing shows in 13 different towns and villages all within a 20-mile radius of the village. Along the way we have had the likes of Lee Hurst, Bob Mills, Simon Evans and Zoe Lyons performing for us. Because I have been a comedian myself for more than 20 years I know so many really talented comics and it’s been a real joy getting them down here to do their thing.

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“I guess what I take the greatest pleasure in is putting on acts who are not that well-known and then seeing them get their first break on TV a few months later. In April we put on a show in Goffs Park Social Club with Jonny Awsum on the bill. Within a few weeks he had progressed to the semi-finals of Britain’s Got Talent and got 1.2 million hits on YouTube. The same thing happened with one of the acts I put on at The Grasshopper in September, Larry Dean, within a couple of months he was appearing on Live At The Apollo.

“The show at Oliver’s looks like it’s going to be a really good one. I guess the star of the show will probably be Jonny Awsum. I am really excited about having him down because he is such a great act. I was talking to him when I booked him in for this show and he told me he was really excited about it because when he was growing up he used to visit Copthorne regularly to visit his grandfather who lived here when Jonny was a child! He is a musical comedian and the audiences up and down the country love him. I’ve been watching him for about the last ten years and I have honestly never seen him have a bad show.

“The opening act will be Andrew Bird. He is essentially a story-teller whose work is well observed and laced with a dry delivery. A regular headliner at all the top comedy clubs in the country, he has also supported Rhod Gilbert and Lee Hurst on national tours. This will be his third show for Comedy Beats. He is the regular warm up act for TV shows that include Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Room 101 and Pointless. He is also a much respected writer for television where his credits include Mock The Week as well as writing for Lee Mack, Jason Manford and Matt Lucas projects.”

The show is at Oliver’s Wine Bar in Copthorne on Thursday, February 1. Doors open at 7pm and the show begins at 8pm. Tickets are available in advance from the venue priced £15 or online by visiting the website at www.comedybeats.com