Ambition fulfilled

OK, so I know I'm a "Me! Me! Look at Me!" type person on occasion, after all anyone who puts themselves on stage needs that feeling of validation, but I recently achieved something I always wanted to do.

I did a gig at The Comedy Store, London.

Although, theoretically anyone can ring up and get an open spot, the Store does have a filtering system, and when they are charging £15 quid a show, they can't afford to have duds. I didn't really have a plan to do it, as such, but the gig came about as a results of the City Life final in October and arrangements were made for me to jump the (9 month) queue and do the gig.

So, on Friday 28th January, I did the midnight show. I arranged a couple of London gigs around it (Wimbledon earlier the same evening, Piccadilly Circus for the Saturday) but the focus was on that 10 minutes.

The other comics on the bill were Jim Jeffries (a wonderfully laconic Aussie with a fine line in filth), the musicality of Rainer Hersch and Canadian Craig Campbell, who was just superb. All held together by MC Mickey Hutton, who coincedentally enough was on "Never Mind the Buzzcocks" the following week. Originally one of my favourite acts - Dara O'Briain - was down to do the gig, but he had other commitments.

Didn't really know what to expect, with a midnight show, the crowd would be well oiled. But it turned out to be a lovely, lovely gig. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd score it about 8.5, which is as much as I could hope for.

Backstage was weird, I've now had my pre-gig poo in the same toilet as Paul Merton, Eddie Izzard and Rich Hall. And Jo Brand, but I try not to think about that too much. Although maybe they had to replace it after her, I dunno.

The dressing room has a notice board with pictures of comics, with mainly abusive photocaptions. Above the door to the stage, some wag has got the huge pic of Jim Carrey as God from "Bruce Almighty", pointing to the door. Backstage is nothing like as posh as the Store in Manchester, tiny dressing room, no locks or anything. The other comics were really nice and welcoming, interested in me and where I had played, that sort of thing - really helped relax the nerves - though you could have played me with a violin bow, the way I was feeling. One thing I do regret is not taking a picture of the lineup board, my name up there with the other acts.

When it came to it, the time on stage just flew by, I enjoyed myself immensely. No heckles, but was called "sick" by one punter after some Laura Sadler material. I swiftly countered with "you are six and a half minutes late fella, should have shouted that when I did the one about Harold Shipman."

All in all, if I never do anything else, at least I can say I earned a spot at the Comedy Store in London.