A Bit About Me
For reasons I have yet to fathom, I qualified as a solicitor about 20 years ago. Even more incomprehensibly, I stuck at the law for seven years, hating every minute, until I finally left and set up a legal recruitment company, Lipson Lloyd-Jones with my sister. It's a fantastic company, by the way, probably the best in its field (thanks to my sister) and I still do bits and bobs of work for it.
Around 1993, I had a bit of a bee in my bonnet about having a go at stand-up, so in December of that year, I stepped up for my first open spot at the King's Head in Crouch End, one of 21 acts on that night. My pitiful five minutes was redeemed only by the impressions I threw in as a last desperate attempt to get a laugh. I'd never thought of myself as an impressionist, but I could always do a few voices, so off I went to learn a few more. My next gig, at the Comedy Cafe, ended with me winning the open spot night. Can you imagine how shit the other acts were?
Next stop was the Hackney Empire New Act of the Year competition in 1994. The heat was my fifth gig and I had no idea what I was doing, but I somehow made it to the final, my ninth. Ronnie Ancona won it (other contestants included Ben Miller, Tim Vine and Rudi Lickwood) but the exposure meant that I started getting bookings and I soon became a regular at most of the main London venues, including Jongleurs and The Store.
TV and radio work followed, including appearances on The Stand Up Show on BBC1, Get Up, Stand Up on Channel 4 and, err...Celebrity Squares. I know, I know. I became a regular on a range of Radio 4 and 5 shows (Week Ending, The Game's Up, Interesting...Very Interesting) and also started doing voiceovers for commercials.
On I plodded, juggling my business career with my comedy career and probably not giving either sufficient attention. I eventually gave up stand-up in about 2002 and later hooked up with Philippa Fordham to create a sketch show, He Barks, She Bites. We took it up to Edinburgh in 2005, got nominated for the Dubble (sic) Act Award, and ended up with our own series on Radio 4 which aired in 2007/8. Philippa and I later went our separate ways (although we still write together) and I returned to stand-up in mid 2009. I'm now pressing ahead with my live work and looking to do a bit more stuff on the radio soon. A sitcom I co-wrote with Philippa is under consideration by the BBC and another - a sole project - is about to be submitted.
There. Wasn't so painful, was it?
Around 1993, I had a bit of a bee in my bonnet about having a go at stand-up, so in December of that year, I stepped up for my first open spot at the King's Head in Crouch End, one of 21 acts on that night. My pitiful five minutes was redeemed only by the impressions I threw in as a last desperate attempt to get a laugh. I'd never thought of myself as an impressionist, but I could always do a few voices, so off I went to learn a few more. My next gig, at the Comedy Cafe, ended with me winning the open spot night. Can you imagine how shit the other acts were?
Next stop was the Hackney Empire New Act of the Year competition in 1994. The heat was my fifth gig and I had no idea what I was doing, but I somehow made it to the final, my ninth. Ronnie Ancona won it (other contestants included Ben Miller, Tim Vine and Rudi Lickwood) but the exposure meant that I started getting bookings and I soon became a regular at most of the main London venues, including Jongleurs and The Store.
TV and radio work followed, including appearances on The Stand Up Show on BBC1, Get Up, Stand Up on Channel 4 and, err...Celebrity Squares. I know, I know. I became a regular on a range of Radio 4 and 5 shows (Week Ending, The Game's Up, Interesting...Very Interesting) and also started doing voiceovers for commercials.
On I plodded, juggling my business career with my comedy career and probably not giving either sufficient attention. I eventually gave up stand-up in about 2002 and later hooked up with Philippa Fordham to create a sketch show, He Barks, She Bites. We took it up to Edinburgh in 2005, got nominated for the Dubble (sic) Act Award, and ended up with our own series on Radio 4 which aired in 2007/8. Philippa and I later went our separate ways (although we still write together) and I returned to stand-up in mid 2009. I'm now pressing ahead with my live work and looking to do a bit more stuff on the radio soon. A sitcom I co-wrote with Philippa is under consideration by the BBC and another - a sole project - is about to be submitted.
There. Wasn't so painful, was it?
