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Friday 26^th February at 7.30pm

JOHNNY CANDON 

 As an experienced stand up, Johnny regularly plays at established UK comedy venues including Jongleurs & The  Comedy Store and is a regular at Robin Ince’s Book Club. Johnny took his first solo show to the Edinburgh  Festival in August 2008.

 ‘By the end…you’ll want to go home with him, meet his wife and baby son, have tea and talk about old times.’ – Three  Weeks (One careless Lady Owner, Edinburgh 2008)

 

STEVE HALL

 Steve Hall joined the stand-up circuit in 2002, where he made the final of the Daily Telegraph Open Mic Award.  The following year, he was runner-up in the BBC New Comedy Awards.

 As well as performing his own stand-up, Hall is also part of the knockabout sketch group We Are Klang alongside  Greg Davies and Marek Larwood, who were nominated for the 2006 comedy award for their third Edinburgh  show.

 Hall made his solo Edinburgh debut in 2008, with the show Vice Captain Loser.

 

With support from John Soffee 

Tickets: £10 full, £8 concessions

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Friday 26^th March at 7.30pm
REX BOYD

Rex Boyd appears at first to be a normal guy talking about normal life in England. Normality soon gives  way to the enthusiastic fervour of a street preacher and the manic physicality of a cross between Lee  Evans and Jim Carrey culminating in an exciting, party-like atmosphere of improvisation, interaction and  quite often thrillingly unpredictable responses.
Rex started doing comedy in his hometown of Kansas City in 1986. A couple of years later he was  working the London alternative comedy scene as well as street performing regularly at Covent Garden.  This was followed by four years globetrotting the festival circuit before finally settling down back in  England where he has been an unusual highlight of the comedy club circuit ever since.  

KATE SMURTHWAITE

Kate Smurthwaite started performing as a comic in early 2004, and 18 months later quit her day-job in finance to  become a pro. She made her solo debut at the Edinburgh Festival in 2006 with the show Adrenaline.  

 

With support from Neil Cole
Tickets: £10 full, £8 concessions 

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Saturday 1^st May at 7.30pm
CHARITY GALA COMEDY EVENING

Tonight's gala comedy night featuring special guest comedians is a very special date in Basingstoke's charity diary.

In January Channel 4's "Come Dine With Me" featured contestants from the town. During the course of the weeks filming Spencer Uren told his fellow diners that his sister had cancer and that, if he won the competition, he would be donating the £1000 prize money to the hospital that was treating her. On the final day, it was Gill who won but she was so moved by Spencer’s pledge that she shared £500 of her winnings with him. Shortly after the filming, Spencer was, himself, diagnosed with cancer.
After a short battle with the disease, sadly Spencer passed away. His fellow contestants, Gill Buley and Gabrielle Hennig, have started a charity to raise money for North Hampshire Hospital, as Spencer had wished.

Tonight's performance will take on a special Come Dine With Me flavour including the chance to purchase a slice of a very special Chocolate Roulade as was made by Gabrielle on the infamous night of her special meal.

Please check the Central Studio website for details nearer the time.

 

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Sunday 30^th May at 7.30pm
NICK WILTY

 Nick is known as the "Globetrotting Comedian" for good reason. He has performed on every continent except   Antarctica (although he did a show in Tierra Del Fuego), and has done shows in all major Festivals, including   Edinburgh, Glastonbury, Auckland, Wellington, Melbourne, Adelaide, Montreal, Vancouver, Edmonton, San   Francisco, New York, Amsterdam, Cape Town & Hong Kong.
 Nick has won several awards, including the Polo Mint Comedy Award, voted by fellow comedians and club   owners in England, and Best International Act in San Francisco.
 "Wilty is cack funny, his routine is a fluffy kitten that bites like a lion". Beat, Melbourne  

 GEOFF WHITING

 Geoff has appeared at the Edinburgh Festival, on television and radio and at every notable comedy club in the UK  including The Comedy Store and Jongleurs nationwide. He is also an established TV warm up and has a  string of   TV credits to his name.  He is also regarded as one of the most hard working comics on the circuit clocking up   over 3,500 gigs (and counting) whilst running the largest comedy club network in the UK.
 "Geoff Whiting takes the stage with consummate ease and works the audience like a miner at the coal face, digging out   nuggets of information to fuel his comedy." Independent on Sunday 

 With Support from Hannah Warman
Tickets: £10 full, £8 concessions

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Please note that acts may be subject to change at short notice.

Compere for all shows – Matthew Baylis

 MC is Basingstoke comedian Matthew Baylis. Although a relative newcomer Matthew has appeared at  over 100 venues around the country from Truro to Tunbridge Wells including short spots at The  Bearcat, The Comedy Store and as a guest at The Edinburgh Festival. He is also a frequent comedy  performer and music compere at festivals throughout the summer months and is regular host at the  Central Studio in Basingstoke.

"… a really good set, I enjoyed it a lot." Reginald D Hunter (Perrier Nominee 2002-2004)

"...very assured and very funny." Zoe Lyons (if.comedy Nominee 2007)

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There are no age restrictions for Central Comedy, but please be advised that there will be adult content and strong language.

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