Sketch show/cheese
Thanks for all the iTunes help. I will be putting at least one of your suggested methods into action. Now, I will take the two questions posed by commenters yesterday, just as I promised, for some lighthearted non-hard-drive chat.
Since it’s referred to in countless interviews and press cuttings, please could you tell us a bit about ‘Far Too Happy’, your critically acclaimed Cambridge Footlights tour show? What were the most memorable sketches, and how did the writing process back then compare to the process of composing an amusing novel chapter or a witty stand-up routine now? – Joe
Hehe. I swear I didn’t make this up. I love it when someone who’s not my management uses the phrase ‘critically-acclaimed’ about me. Actually the Footlights show that I was in attracted mixed reviews, but it was ‘acclaimed’ by the standard of student revues, especially Footlights who tend to be attacked from all corners by journalists and people who hate Oxbridge or hate students in general.
It was ten years ago this month that the cast of ‘Far Too Happy’ was picked after an exhausting series of auditions where you had to improvise, write things, and generally be bolder than I’d ever been in my life. Footlights, in case you don’t know, is the Cambridge Uni comedy society. It has a reputation for having ‘produced’ people like Stephen Fry, Richard Ayoade, and more recently the likes of Simon Bird. This reputation is both a blessing and a curse. It makes it easy for people to say things like ‘well, they’ve really gone downhill since the days of Fryayoadesashabaroncohensimonbirdanyoneelsewellknown’, not realising that those people themselves were not very good when they were students, because the whole point of being a student comedian is that you’re learning your trade.
But anyway. To my surprise I got picked for the show. So did a man called Tim Key who was to become my best mate and best man and a dangerous idiot. Fun fact: he wasn’t even at Cambridge, he just lived locally, and was a talented blagger. But he was far and away the most talented person at the auditions, and by the time they found out he was only pretending to be a student, the directors had set their heart on having him in it. The other cast member still involved in comedy was a lady called Sophie Winkleman, sister of the Winkleman you get on TV. She went on to be in Peep Show and stuff, and then married into the Royal Family.
My main contribution to the Footlights show was playing the character of Death, but as a gay Welshman in denial about his sexuality. It wasn’t quite as bad as it sounds and provided the spark for what ended up being my stand-up persona for a while (the Welsh bit rather than the gayness). The highlights of the show were some monologues by Key which ended up being the Radio 4 show ‘Luke and Stella’. The whole thing was more like a play than an out-and-out comedy show, and as someone who can’t really act and doesn’t have the patience for rehearsals and proper acting and so on, it was a mixture of frustrations and liberating challenges. I came away with the feeling I’d like to be a comedian, but it would probably have to be stand-up because it was the only discipline of comedy where I would be completely on my own and wouldn’t have to have much… er, discipline.
I would say that if you are an aspiring comedian, it’s well worth taking any opportunities that come your way at university, even if they seem different from the precise sort of thing you want to be doing. Every minute on a stage is useful experience. Also, if you meet a weird guy called Tim, stick with him and it might work out well.
Can I request that you tell us what your favourite cheese is? This has become a bizarre obsession of mine recently. As well as being slightly interested in what’s popular (I have a ridiculous chart going right now), it actually can tell you quite a lot about people – Dan .
Not sure if I’ve admitted this before here, but I (gulp) DON’T LIKE CHEESE. I can eat it on a pizza or in lasagne. But I don’t much like it. I can’t eat things like Cheddar at all. Or anything strong. Or any of those blue ones. Or most cheese. Oh, I wish I liked it. It would go nicely with all the wine I like to drink. It would save me looking like a philistine in front of food buffs. It would save me awkward conversations. But I don’t like it, people. I’m sorry.
Maybe I’ll try to get the hang of it in 2011. If I end this year snacking on Gruyere, I really will have proved anything is possible in the field of self-improvement.
Posted by Shell on January 5, 2011
Lovely blog Mark. I really enjoyed reading that story.
There are a lot of cheeses I don’t like – that sweaty, rhindy, stinky French stuff springs to mind. I do like most English hard cheeses but they don’t like me so I can only eat ‘cow’s’ cheese in small quantities. I can eat goat and sheep’s cheese without ill effect so I like various kinds of that.
My favourite is Feta though.
Now you’ve made the claim, I’m hoping for some shit hot character analysis based on our favourite cheese selections.
No pressure…
Posted by Aislinn on January 5, 2011
(Oh, also, cheese is bloody delicious. I like mild cheese like Edam and garlic roule is also very nice but my ultimate favourite is Red Leicester. Or ‘orange cheese’. It is SO NICE.)
Posted by Aislinn on January 5, 2011
I second what Simone said. This was a delightlful blog to read; I really enjoyed hearing about Far Too Happy.
(Also, I saw Footlights at this year’s Edinburgh and didn’t particularly enjoy the show, but as you and Cowards and Jonny Sweet and John-Luke Roberts and basically everyone in comedy I’ve ever loved ever have ALL been part of it at some point, I don’t think I could have anything other than love for it.)
Posted by Weaselspoon on January 5, 2011
I remember Far Too Happy very well. I was one of the many Oxford techs on the night of the Double Whammy as it was probably called at the Oxford Playhouse. Every year there would be a one night stand with the Cambridge Footlights and the Oxford Revue (and IIRC rare appearances by Durham as well) taking a half each at the OPH. I worked on about five of those and you could never tell which half would be better (because the entire cast will probably change each year, there is little continuity in the shows).
Far Too Happy was by far the best of any of the shows I saw in that time and is one of only two that I then paid to see again in Edinburgh (the other was the Josie Long era Oxford Revue because I knew them).
FTH, as I will now relish in calling it, was brilliant. Particularly well crafted recurring characters gave it a sense of cohesion.
The Welsh Death I remember being the main story based running gag. I remember doing that irritating thing (I was young) of repeatedly quoting the final punchline without the build that makes it funny (I will do it again now: “We have a saying in Wales: When you’ve got a nice wife, don’t shag a bloke”).
I remember not liking the Tim Key monologues much, but they then go on to wrap up every other thread in the final moments and that was glorious.
Posted by Katy on January 5, 2011
Far Too Happy sounds brilliant. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I totally in love with Tim Key.
I cant believe how many people don’t like cheese! I love it and always have done. Its taken me a while to like ones other than cheddar but now theres no stopping me. When I was little, my mum used to find bites out of the cheese where I used to sneak to the fridge. Crafty. Or indeed, Krafty. I’ll get my coat.
Posted by Tibbs on January 5, 2011
I love cheese, but I’m quite fine with people who don’t, since that leaves more for me! People who are afraid of cheese though, that’s a bit sadder, cause I figure they could very well love the taste of cheese if not for some psychological issue getting in their way. And as I always do when discussions of food phobias comes up, I feel compelled to mention my friend Sarah, who has an intense fear of pickles. As does her brother! She even organizes her trips to grocery stores so that she doesn’t have to see any.
Loved the story! I think it was very brave of you to go through with that, and I’m glad you got as much out of it as you did. Though I thought it was odd that you said “it wasn’t as bad as it sounds”, since really the idea of playing a closeted gay Welsh Death sounds pretty awesome to me. But maybe I’m weird. And I agree with Misha, the more I learn about Tim Key the more I want to know. He sounds like a great guy to know.
Posted by Rachael on January 5, 2011
I’m not really a fan of cheese either, we should start an anti-cheese club.
Posted by Tracey on January 5, 2011
Hi Mark. The sketch show sounds great,really good to read. Regarding the cheese issue, my family are cheese freaks and I love eating cheddar on crackers. Also the herb roule is pretty good. My daughter, who hasn’t eaten it for years because she said she disliked it has, this week, asked for cheese sandwiches everyday for lunch! Seriously though, I wouldn’t try and like it if you really can’t stand it, I’ve known quite a few people who dislike cheese – the consistency being their main problem. I also love pate on crackers – that goes well with red wine. Take care, Tracey x
Posted by amycool on January 5, 2011
I’ve spent a lot of this year trying to like cheese. I have failed. Unlike most foods that get slightly more palatable with each sampling, cheese always makes me gag. So if you manage it, you are a better man than I. By man I mean human, obviously.
Posted by Lisa D on January 5, 2011
I really love cheese, but (oh dear I feel my pretentious girl rising forth) rest easy in the knowledge that it doesn’t actually go with wine. Shocking, I know! It can actually really interfere with the flavor of a lot of wines, mostly reds. So for a red wine fan such as yourself it would be a waste. The whole wine and cheese pair-up was invented as a way to keep people from getting embarassingly hammered at the classier events like gallery openings. The cheese slows down the rate at which alcohol hits the bloodstream, so people might still get drunk but not in the gallery.
So there you have it, not the most interesting food fact, but I thought it might make it easier to keep your head high among food buffs.
Posted by Ben Draper on January 5, 2011
This would be a great new food to like. I became a fan of it this year, having sworn blind I’d never like it previously. Ones with fruit in are a good gateway cheese to get you hooked because, if you don’t like the cheese, there’s always the fruit. Or edam, just ‘cos it’s very very mild.
Posted by Gabi on January 5, 2011
Finally, someone who shares the same cheese preferences as I do. It makes my family dinners often a little embarrassing, as I am Italian, and it seems to appear in a great deal of our food.
Posted by Dan on January 5, 2011
Of course you like cheese. (By the way I’m not the Dan who wrote the question. I don’t think. I might just be confused.)
Posted by Melanie on January 4, 2011
One of my friends floated the idea of having a wine and cheese party for her 18th. It never happened, but I would have made my excuses.
My guitar teacher loves cheese and orders special stuff from somewhere abroad. Last time he did though, his payment hadn’t gone through by the time it arrived, and he kept confacting them but could never get through to enquire about this. He basically tried all sorts of ways to tell them they hadn’t taken any money from him, but they didn’t want to know. So, although reluctantly, he is now the happy owner of about £100 worth of free cheese.
Posted by Kate W on January 4, 2011
Sounds like “Far Too Happy” ultimately served you pretty well. I love the idea of Key blagging his way into Footlights – he’s a sitcom waiting to happen. I remember student comedy/drama being a rather terrifying place; in my day it felt like you weren’t allowed to play unless you had a famous parent. So getting a comedy persona and a best man out of it’s good going.
Posted by Hannah Mae on January 4, 2011
I just googled Far Too Happy and a few websites tried to sell me tickets for it, haha. The reviews all seem very complimentary of ‘that thin Welsh guy’ though! I’ve such respect for you going through that lengthy audition process – I’ve been meaning to get involved with my university’s Footlights equivalent (the Bristol Revunions) since I started there, but it all seems a bit terrifying. I once went along to an improv workshop and died spectacularly. Which is worrying, because I’ve always wanted to write comedy and sort of hoped I’d be better at performing it. Agh.
Cheese is so good! I’m shocked.
Posted by Simone on January 4, 2011
What a delightful story; a joy to read.
Posted by issey on January 4, 2011
I’m with you on this one Mark – I don’t really like cheese either! I don’t mind it melted but not just to eat with or without bread/crackers. I’ve had a lot of people frown at me when I tell them.
Posted by lisan66 on January 4, 2011
I don’t like cheese either, at all. Can’t stand the stuff. It does lead to weird conversations, where your friends think you’re some sort of freak for it, but still…ew
Posted by Lydia on January 4, 2011
I didn’t know that people had a go at the whole footlights thing. That’s stupid. Like you said, it’s people just starting out. Argh. Irritating.
I was a little surprised that you don’t like cheese. Not even mozzarella? IN general I don’t care about cheese but I love mozzarella.
Posted by isabelle on January 4, 2011
I also dislike cheese. So many people have stared at me in disbelief when I told them this. Why is cheese a staple food every one should like? Why are we weird for disliking cheese? Now, people who dislike chocolate, they’re definitely weird.
Posted by MusicalLottie on January 4, 2011
Hoorah! I don’t like cheese either, except garlic-tasting things such as Boursin and roulé. I also don’t drink, but that’s another subject.
You didn’t mention Hugh Laurie *pouts*
Posted by Misha on January 4, 2011
Ahh but ahh you afraid of cheese? (Turophobia) or do you just not like it?
Massive distinction, I dislike cheese but Kirsty is (I believe) a Turopobe.
(I’ve probably ballsed up the spelling there)
I think we found an old cast picture of Far Too Happy on the forum, a long time was spent trying to work out who was who. Also, it’s tales like that, and the one Tim told us in Edinburgh about a bridesmaid in a disabled loo; that mean i’d not only happily buy a copy of his autobiography (should he write one) i’d probably cheerfully pay him TO write one. He seems like an interesting man.