Page 21 - 367639 LP248834 NE Volume Magazine (170mm x 245mm 52pp) October 2022

COMEDY
Comedic personalities come and go through entertainment and it’s very rare for a unique style to truly stand out in the crowd. In an incredibly oversaturated market, a world ran almost entirely on extreme, theatrical and eccentric personalities and personas, the idea of standing out is a ridiculous notion. Well, enter the ridiculous. Harry Hill is ridiculous incarnated. From his perfectly smooth baldness to his lolling tongue, overgrown suit or jaunty spectacles, the physical presence of Hill is a bizarre affair from the offset, and yet this may be the most accessible and normal part of Hill’s show. Known for a TV career that embodies the ludicrous, TV Burp was a wonderfully chaotic celebration of British television, stupidity and comedy, whereas You’ve Been Framed became an industry staple through Hill’s harmless commentary over people being silly, senseless and a little juvenile. With these all-being words that could be further attributed to Hill’s stand-up, it’s fair to say that the comic’s stage show is in a league of its own. Ferociously fast-paced, tenaciously unpredictable and incorrigibly silly, Hill’s humour may not be a meticulously constructed affair, nor is it a scathing satire, but it is a hysterical riot. Writing a list of previous Hill routines may read as the scrawlings across the wall of the clinically insane, yet with unwavering charisma, Harry Hill injects each twist in his odyssey into the bizarre, with nothing but charm, swagger and unflinching confidence. With the show introducing the world to Hill’s new friends, Sarah the Elephant, Ian the information Worm and, of course, Hill’s trusty sidekick Stouffer the Cat, the show is a vision born out of the heart’s need for an antidote to the past few years. With life breathing down on us all with a heavy sense of reality, taking a night off and submerging yourself in the absurd, the surreal and the harmless might be exactly what we all need - and who better to lead the way than the man who’s been waving that flag for 30 years. Rapid favour, razor-sharp and drowning in goodwill, nostalgia and heart, ‘Pedigree Fun!’ promises to be filled with improvisations, musical interludes and inexplicable skits that are all fuelled by unparalleled energy. The tour comes to Newcastle’s Tyne Theatre on Friday 14th October, later making its way to Stockton’s Globe on Saturday 29th October. CAMERON WRIGHT
Visit: harryhilltour.com
LITERATURE
Durham Book Festival returns from Thursday 13th – Sunday 16th October with a jam-packed programme showcasing best-selling writers, homegrown talent and leading thinkers who will be discussing their works alongside new films and commissions. International best-seller Alexander McCall Smith returns to the festival to discuss his latest No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency novel as well as The Exquisite Art of Getting Even, a new collection of short stories. Saint Etienne founder, musician and journalist Bob Stanley will be talking about his new book Let’s Do It: The Birth of Pop as he brings to life pop music’s formative years from the invention of the 78rpm record at the end of the 19th Century, to the beginnings of rock and the modern pop age. Other headline speakers include Marina Hyde and Jeremy Vine as well as murder mystery writers Lucy Foley and Janice Hallett. All events will also be live streamed, so for those of you who can’t get to Durham, you can watch from the comfort of your home. EMMA CHESWORTH
Visit: durhambookfestival.com
special events to commemorate its two decades at the centre of contemporary art and this latest exhibition continues their showcasing of innovative works from national and international artists. You can catch Mythmachine at BALTIC from 24th September 2022 to 3rd September 2023. EMMA CHESWORTH
Visit: baltic.art
DURHAM BOOK FESTIVAL
AT GALA THEATRE, DURHAM
HARRY HILL
AT TYNE THEATRE, NEWCASTLE & STOCKTON GLOBE
CULTURE // NE VOLUME MAGAZINE // 21