ONE of the true legends of British comedy is back on the road and is preparing to come to the Thames Valley this autumn.
Tickets have just gone on sale for Jasper Carrott’s Hexagon date this September – and they’re not just for owners of funky mopeds.
The show, Stand Up & Rock, will see the funnyman – who shot to fame in the 1970s before helping bring Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? to life – back live on stage with a new stand-up show and performing alongside his musical compatriots that have been rockin’ audiences all over the world.
His special guest for the show will be Bev Bevan, legendary drummer and founding member of The Move and ELO who, as well as being Jasper’s mate.
And in the band are some of the finest names around including Geoff Turton from the Rockin Berries, Phil Tree (Ex Wizzard), renowned session musicians Abby Brant and singer Suzi Woo.
Jasper’s career started when he became resident compére at the Boggery Folk Club in Birmingham in the mid-seventies. There he discovered his talent for comedy, and his inability to sing; the rest, as they say, is history.
A hugely popular stalwart of the British folk club scene, his comedy single Funky Moped shot to the top of the British pop charts in 1975, establishing him as a household name overnight.
The flipside was his take on the legendary Magic Roundabout, a record still sought out today by a whole new generation of fans.
After that he appeared on London Weekend Television’s An Audience With Jasper Carrott, before heading to the BBC for his side-splitting satire Carrott’s Lib.
Canned Carrott came next and was the launchpad for his spin-off sitcom The Detectives, where his co-star was Robert Powell.
And he also appeared as Koko at The Savoy Theatre for a production of The Mikado with the D’Oyly Carte Theatre.
He’s not been seen much on television during the past decade: he had a one-off stand-up show called The One Jasper Carrott on BBC One seven years ago.
But he’s also an award-winner: BBC TV Personality of the Year, a Gold Medal at the New York TV and Film Awards, Midlander of the Year Award, his own ‘Star’ on Birmingham’s Walk of Stars and the British Comedy Awards Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008.
And In recognition of his outstanding work for charity, Jasper Carrott was awarded an OBE in Her Majesty’s New Year’s Honours List in 2003.
However, with typical restraint, Jasper says that his notable achievements are: two gold albums, four silver discs, 1.5 million books and two T-shirts.
Jasper Carrott’s Stand Up & Rock will be at The Hexagon in Reading on Saturday, September 7. Tickets cost £32. For more details, log on to www.readingarts.com or call the box office on 0118 960 6060.
