The Comedy Defect

Cally Beaton (Comedian)

Cally Beaton is a keynote speaker, awards host, comedian, business leader, podcaster, writer and entrepreneur. Well-known for being a natural storyteller, full of intelligent, distinctive and insightful material, Cally is one of the UK’s most sought-after names for corporate, broadcasting and live comedy work.

Cally has held senior management positions at some of the biggest media companies in the world. Early in her career she headed an independent television production company that was bought by ITV, and went on to find herself the youngest and only female member of the board. She left to set up an award-winning creative consultancy company, Road Trip Media, and went on to do a ten-year stint as Senior Vice President at the US studio giant ViacomCBS. There, Cally oversaw a multi-million dollar budget for brands including Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central and Paramount. If you want someone to blame for bringing South Park and SpongeBob SquarePants to the world, you need look no further.

It was while working for Comedy Central that Cally was nudged into the sphere of performance after a chance conversation with the late, great Joan Rivers, then 81, and so it was that as a 45 year old single parent, Cally first took to the stage. She quickly cemented her position as one of the most exciting and original new stand-ups in the country, with her unflinching, acerbic and clever brand of comedy. Her television appearances to date include being a regular panellist on BBC2’s QI and The Apprentice: You’re Fired, as well as featuring on: Live At The Apollo, Pointless Celebrities, Richard Osman’s House of Games, Countdown’s Dictionary Corner and The Blame Game.

She is popular with BBC Radio 4 audiences where her appearances include: The Now Show, The Unbelievable Truth, Saturday Live, Museum Of Curiosity, PM and Woman’s Hour. She is also a regular contributor on Radio 5 Live, Times Radio, Scala Radio and BBC London. ​

In 2021, Cally launched Namaste Motherf**kers, the only podcast where the worlds of comedy, self-help and business collide. With the help of celebrity guests and experts, Cally gets to the stories you’ve never heard before – uncovering not your normal life lessons, but some big ones nonetheless, bringing heart and humour into the worlds of work and wellbeing. She is working on a book, incorporating her own insights alongside the life hacks and confessions of her celebrity guests.

Cally has also written for The Guardian and The Financial Times and is one of the country’s most highly-regarded keynote and after-dinner speakers, and an experienced and accomplished awards host.

Instagram/Twitter: @Callybeatoncomedian

 

Otiz Cannelloni (Comedian & Magician)

Otiz Cannelloni combines the illusion of magic and the wit of stand up to produce a hybrid comic creation. With a mind more suited to testing crash helmets, his performance fluctuates between sheer genius and downright stupidity. Just when you suspect he doesn’t have a clue, Cannelloni removes all doubt.

When this man is on stage the dressing room empties, as the rest of the comics rush to watch and learn from his mistakes. It’s taken years of practice to make something so simple look so difficult. 

Despite various television appearances – The Stand Up Show BBC 1, Stuff The White Rabbit BBC 2  - producers are prepared to forgive and forget, mostly forget.

Still, there’s always the alloment - if it stops raining!

 

Voted most popular act to appear at Ludgershall's Comedy Club ever.

 

PRESS QUOTES

 “Master of Mirth and Minimalist Magic …Delightful.”  TIME OUT

 “A magical Wag. Bewitching.”  THE GUARDIAN   

 “Sheer hilarity that clearly no one wanted to see end.”  THE STAGE

 “A laugh a minute.”  THE AGE. MELBOURNE. AUSTRALIA

 “Don’t we have laws against this sort of thing?”  SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST

 “The highlight of the night....the downbeat patter is exemplary, full of self-deprecating asides and splendidly daft one-liners.”  CHORTLE

……………………………………………

“Beautifully understated gags, wonderful English self-deprecation… silly like a supply teacher on his last day.”  MILTON JONES

“Otiz was excellent - the best act of the night.”

Porters Park Golf Club.

www.Otizcannelloni.com

Facebook: Otiz Cannelloni

Don Biswas (Comedian)

Don Biswas is one of the gems of the circuit. A politically charged gag merchant who likes to cover a wide range of subjects including his Asian upbringing, his neurodiversity as someone with dyspraxia, ADHD, and ASD and even the most important of topics.. conspiracy theories. Don has gained huge admiration off all corners of the circuit.

Don is now a regular face in comedy clubs across the UK. Alongside that Don recently recorded a comedy special for BBC Radio 4 entitled ‘Neurotopical’ and has appeared on Radio 4’s 13 Million Club, Rosie Jones’s Boxticker as well as UKTV Digitals Rosie Jones’s Disabled Comedy Extravaganza and BBC Onlines Future Food Stars

His unique style has seen him support John Williams on tour, perform in the USA  (Silicon Valley & New York) & Switzerland.

Tick-Tock & Instagram: @Donbiswascomedy

Website: www.DonBiswas.com

Dave Bailey(Comedian)

Dave Bailey is a twice BBC New Comedy Awards Nominated Comedian who combines Observational Storytelling with improv. He has performed at various Comedy Festivals and Comedy Clubs across the UK. Pick of the Brighton Fringe Show (Twice during the Festival) Dave is a natural Comedian with a dry wit, observational material and an effortless improviser.

Twitter @DaveBaileyComic

Damian Kingsley (Comedian)

Damian is a professional stand up comic, although his friends would probably describe him as an unfunny, deluded prick. He did his first few gigs in Japan years ago when he lived in Tokyo, working as an English teacher and translator. He returned to the UK in 2008 and started working regularly on the UK circuit from 2009. Since then he has performed up and down the country, been in several competition finals, run a few gigs and has been at Edinburgh, Leicester and Brighton fringe festivals although his first one-hour solo show, Knock Knock, will be in 2016. He made the leap into full-time comedy in 2015. Style-wise, he mainly does stories and anecdotal material.

COMPETITIONS

WeGotTickets Brighton Fringe New Act Second Place 2012
Last Minute Comedy New Act of the Year Second Place 2012
Henlow New Comedian of the Year Joint Winner 2012
Laughing Horse New Act of the Year Finalist 2011
Up the Creek Best of the Best New Acts Showcase 2011
Bath Comedy Festival New Act of the Year finalist 2009
Newbury Comedy Festival New Act of the Year finalist 2009
Comedy Cafe Weekly New Act Competition winner x 4

REVIEWS

“Well-evoked anecdotal material drawn from his own embarrassments and inadequacies are the mainstay, delivered with a cadence similar to that of observational wunderkind Seann Walsh. The set’s powered by punchlines” – Chortle

“Kingsley made us roar with his witty routines about life, love and general embarrassment, throwing in a few brilliant metaphors and mixing them through his intelligent comedy. ” – Broadway Baby, Edinburgh Fringe 2012

“A considerable talent, with strong anecdotal humour” – Three Weeks, Edinburgh 2011

Craig Deeley (Comedian)

Craig Deeley is a Birmingham-based stand-up who has crafted his art form over the last ten years. Craig's repertoire is one of anecdotal observational comedy, combining humble self-mockery and tapping into the ridiculousness of modern life and everyday occurrences that we all recognise.

Quotes

”Craig had to headline for us - unexpectedly. He did us proud - our audience enjoyed his whole act.” – John Elson, King Knut’s, Peterborough

“Charming Brummie with a nice take on life” - Gay Times

"His easy, confident delivery showed genuine potential. We reckon he's one to watch. " - Last Laugh, Sheffield

"What a revelation - really good - great material" - Cheeky Monkey

"His 15 minutes were over far too quickly" - BBC Birmingham

"Has a natural manner on stage and some very funny observational material. One of the best new stand-ups to emerge in Brum" - Andy White, Bear Tavern

"...even warranted a mention from Mr Carrott." - Karen Bayley, Comedy Junction

Ben Briggs (Comedian)

Ben started stand up comedy in 2008 and quickly established himself as one of the hardest working comedians in the country. In his first year he made it to the final of The Hilarity Bites new act competition and won 2 Fun House Comedy Gong Shows.

His likeable stage presence and sharp material has made him in demand as an act and compere up and down the country and saw him reach the Final of the Midlands Comedian of the Year Award in 2011. Open and honest in his material he has progressed onto paid 15's and 20's and is a solid compere for any club.

2015 saw Ben reach the Final of the English Comedian of the Year Competition held in The Udderbelly at The South Bank in London.

Ben has appeared at the Birmingham, Nottingham, Edinburgh and Leicester Comedy Festivals and debuted his first hour show, 'Solo Traveller' in 2012 at the Leicester Comedy Festival to a sell out audience and great reviews. In 2013 Ben was back at Dave's Leicester Comedy Festival with another sell out show, 'All Growed Up' and returned in 2014 with a new hour long show, 'the evolution of me (whoever that is) and 2015 with a new hour 'its not all about you' which both sold out.

Quotes -
- 'Inherently appealing style' - Steve Bennett - Chortle
- 'Absolutely stormed it' - Juice Comedy
- 'Good Jokes. Great Comfortable performer' - Midlands Comedian of the Year Final
- 'Quick witted and well constructed jokes' - Speak Easy Comedy
- 'Ben Briggs goes first and storms it' - The Gag Factory
- 'a very strong and confident performer, with great material, which he delivers excellently'
Creative Cows Comedy
- 'one of the best new acts i've seen for a long time. Great material and full of lively winning charm' - Ship of Fools Comedy and HaHaHarborough

Midlands Comedy Awards 2015 - Best Act - Nominated
English Comedian of the Year 2015 - Finalist
Midlands Comedy Awards 2014 - Best Act - Nominated
Midlands Comedian of the Year 2011 - Finalist
Fun House Comedy Champion of Champions 2009 - Finalist
Fun House Comedy Gong Show Winner x 2 - 2008
Hilarity Bites New Act 2008 - Finalist

Jamie Oliphant (Comedian)

Jamie has been up and down the country delighting audiences with his easy charm and quirky wit. After doing his critically acclaimed first hour at Edinburgh in 2019, a unique teacher’s perspective from the front line of a North West London high school – he sold out 2 shows at Vault festival and is currently working on his follow up show. 

“Sharp observations and a keen eye for the absurb”- Jen Brister

“Put everything down, take a deep breath and go see Jamie Oliphant” – Deadline News

Nicole Harris (Comedian)

Nicole specialises in a unique blend of improv and written material, creating a show that you won’t want to miss.  She is like the Kinder Egg of comedians.  You don’t know quite what you’ll get but it will definitely be a great surprise.

 

Nicole was the first woman to win Jewish Comedian of the Year in 2016 and has since gone on to be a finalist in the New Act of The Year competition in 2019 performing at the Hackney Empire.  In the same year Nicole was selected to host the prestigious AAA Stand Up Late show at the Gilded Balloon and is making a name for herself as ‘one to watch’ on the comedy circuit.

 

“Taking Laughter to the Next Level” (Jewish Chronicle)

“Works a room like no other” (Fulham Comedy Club)

“Can’t explain the amazing energy Nicole creates in a room..needs to be seen” (Pear Face Comedy Club)

Ali Woods (Comedian)

ALI WOODS

Hackney Empire New Act of the Year 2020

BBC New Comedian of the Year 2018 Nominee

Leicester Square New Comedian of the Year 2017 Runner Up 

Yellow Comedy Young Comedian of the Year 2017 Finalist

 

"In a world full of wannabes, Woods is the real deal"

London Evening Standard

 

"wins over the crowd with his vigour... a club-ready comic"

Chortle

 

"More show than bro, Ali is a new and original voice in comedy, and a much needed one given the current climate; check him out!"

Dane Baptiste

 

@aliwoodsgigs