A group of  fine art students from the University of Lincoln are this week holding an exhibition at Lincoln High Street’s Arcade shopping centre, as part of the 02 Art Festival.

Students were told to arrange an exhibition and to choose a particular theme as part of their degree coursework. Titled “Globa‘loss’ation”, the exhibition’s key focus is the current economic crisis in the UK and the everyday effects of the recession.

Emma Bostock, Ross Cummings, Lacey Jenney, Flora Mackillop, Paul Stewart (all pictured) and Oliver Bell (not pictured) held an art exhibition with a recession-based theme. Photo: Emma Pearson

The students will be working on individual pieces with the finishing result being presented on Friday, April 30th.

As a result of the economic climate, the increasing amount of closing shops and buildings led to the exhibition’s key theme. The students decided to use a vacant shop as their exhibition centre in order to reflect the idea that Lincoln has been hit hard by the recession and that change is needed.

The six students aim for the exhibition to draw people’s attention to the unused space in Lincoln, and to encourage residents to engage themselves in the community and react to the current economic climate.

Flora Mackillop, a 20-year-old fine art student, says the group wants to make “people aware of what’s happening [in Lincoln] and to generate interest in the shops and to invigorate the area”.

One piece by Lacey Jenney, named “Brick by Brick”, is a sculpture focusing on the fragile nature of our economy, showing it can fall to its knees in seconds. It was created using receipts and is based upon the concept of Jenga.

The exhibition began on April 26th and will end on April 30th at 5pm.

Hugely successful in the 80s and 90s namely for his morning show “Wacaday”, Mallett spoke to The Linc and explained it wasn’t the case of leaving one profession for another:

“It’s not a question of do I do that, and give up the other? It doesn’t work like that. I’ve loved art ever since I took it at school and pursued it as part of my degree, I just take it a bit more seriously now I suppose,” he said.

Click the pictures below for larger versions:

He spoke of how he maintained art as a hobby throughout the time his TV career was flourishing: “When we went on filming trips with “Wacaday” I’d take my paints with me. The crew would love that because as soon I got my paints out they’d think ‘great, it’s time for a cuppa tea and a sticky bun’.”

Mallett is passionate about grasping opportunities as they arise and firmly believes that with things like career changes, “you don’t plan these things. I think you seize the moments and see where they lead.”

When looking at Mallett’s exhibition in the Spencer Coleman Fine Art gallery, his inspiration to paint is clear: “Seasons. You don’t have to go away to be inspired, I think you can look outside the window and be inspired everyday and that’s enough for me.”

Mallett’s acrylic and oil paintings all display a zest for life and a love for the seasons. It is somewhat surprising to learn that the guy who sang “Itsy-bitsy” has a huge talent for something that demands such patience and meticulous attention, but it makes it even more impressive.

He explained that keeping your eyes open and enjoying what you see is key to painting well: “We have seasons that change in England and we have a temperate climate. We have the most spectacular springs of any country in the world.

“We have half the world’s variety of bluebell; they are a native to England. We think that the grass is greener in other countries and that everywhere else has better weather and better seasons. But you have to enjoy what you’ve got.”

On display, the scenes range from poppy fields, to girls in the sea, to Tower Bridge, but all have the same vibrancy that is synonymous with Mallett’s name: “I keep my eyes open and enjoy what I see. I’m not a photographic artist, I paint what I feel about stuff,” he said.

Timmy Mallett’s art exhibition is currently on display at the Spencer Coleman Fine Art gallery in Bailgate until Sunday, March 28th.

Laughing so much it hurts is a common exaggeration used for emphasis, but when comedy sketch group “Pappy’s” played Lincoln Drill Hall on Friday, March 12th, the entire audience were holding their stomachs in tucks of hilarity.

Pappy’s, who consist of Matthew Crosby, Ben Clark and Tom Parry, entered the stage to talk through the night’s proceedings to the audience all seeming very normal. It was around about the time when a minstrel character sang that he’d “tossed off a unicorn” that the night started to become surreal.

The first half was “a warm up” and a compilation of strange character sketches that were reminiscent of the “Monty Python” madness and the “Whose Line is it Anyway?” improvisation. By far the funniest part in this section was the appearance from Julius Caesar, bellowing Shakespeare above mellow vocals and guitars. This affirmed Parry as the jester of the group and brought both the audience and fellow performer Clark to tears of laughter.

What in some cases can be irritating and unprofessional, Parry’s unpredictability was in fact one of the most enjoyable features to watch. The three of them have a chemistry on stage that allows for unscripted interruptions to become part of the show and see them bounce off each other with sheer spontaneity.

Their supposedly intense “200 sketches in an Hour” attempt begins with a song that they “don’t have time to perform”, which put the whole thing into context. This wasn’t about delivering quick sketches one after the other, this was about quality. Yes it was silly and sometimes rather slapstick, but it neglected any clichés and was full of creativity – rather a change to the satirical and cynical comedy that consumes the genre right now.

The attempt did contain one-off sketches such as a talking iPod and an appearance from Anne Frank’s boyfriend. Though surprisingly a couple of story lines emerged, so the audience got to know certain characters and became excited by their reappearance.

In particular, the lovable but useless dinosaur Dean played by Clark and Parry’s pantomime-like Quaker brought out their random thoughts that they as friends find funny and turn into sketches. However it also highlighted their brilliant use of props, which can be said for the whole show.

Without giving too much away, Pappy’s entertain the audience for every moment they’re on stage. The trio are full of energy and a zest for their profession, which transfers to the audience so that the evening’s content is enjoyed by everybody in the auditorium together.

The group has been touring extensively for years, so the fact that they are not recognised demonstrates the highly competitive industry that they are working in. After speaking with member Matthew Crosby, their survival can be put down to two factors: sheer determination and a passion for comedy.

The aim and challenge with Pappy’s is to try and make their private jokes accessible to large audiences. Each tour is themed with different tasks they must complete set by their unseen benefactor, Pappy, which Crosby says makes them “A bit like Charlie’s Angels, except not as sexy.”

Crosby, who is one third of the group along with Tom Parry and Ben Clark, said that their growing success was never planned but “Is a dream come true”.

“Comedy was always something I loved but it was like wanting to be a rock star – you never have it as your plan A. I watched a lot of comedy on television but could never work out how you go from being silly with your friends to doing it on stage.”

Pappy's have also done a sketch show on popular entertainment channel E4.

But Pappy’s clearly worked out how to be professionals as they have gone from playing the odd show on the London comedy circuit, to performing to more than 7000 fans at Edinburgh’s Pleasance venue.

“We started off doing shows that were us messing around for friends and family and at this time I was doing stand up comedy alone,” Crosby said “So if someone wanted to book me for a gig I would suggest booking Pappy’s.

“That went well so we put together our first Edinburgh show and now we play all over the world.”

That is no exaggeration. Recently they have played gigs like the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, the San Francisco Sketch Festival and the Dublin Comedy Festival. “It’s great being able to say, ‘I’m going to work now…by plane!’ It’s like being famous, except no-one knows who you are.”

Being influenced by classic British comedy like “Monty Python”, Pappy’s humour isn’t always appreciated overseas: “The Australians found us confusing. It took them around 30 minutes to get into it. At first they were just thinking ‘what is this?’ but eventually they enjoyed themselves.”

Crosby has positivity running through his veins, something that helps when things aren’t going to plan: “With sketches, you can’t bail half way through. When you’ve written a show you have to keep going until you wear the audience down. It’s like high altitude training: you just do it until you’re good enough to keep on doing it.”

They appear to have a love-hate relationship with the broadcasting media, seeing it as a publicity tool rather than somewhere they would like to work more in: “The only reason we do TV or radio is to encourage people come and see us live.
“With a TV show, not only do you have to write the script and send it off to producers, but then they have to send it off to their bosses and so on, and you end up having to wait ages to get anything done.”

For a creative group of people, this restriction is frustrating and is precisely what keeps their heart strings attached to the stage: “Theatre is what we love. In TV or radio, you have to justify everything you do and then the more you talk about and analyse it, the less funny it becomes. I just think: ‘That will be funny so let’s do it.”

Their current show, “Pappy’s World Record Attempt: 200 Sketches in an Hour”, sees them trying to do on average one sketch every 18 seconds. “We do tend to mess around, so occasionally a sketch will last three minutes and we’ll have to make up the time somewhere,” Crosby said.

The appeal of the show is to see how and if they do it: “Audiences like to see performers who aren’t just running off a script, to see people trying to do something different and enjoy themselves. That’s what we do in every show.”

The exhibition will feature original works depicting various aspects of life in Lincolnshire’s history.

Amelia Storer,  one of the group of second year students responsible for the work, says that a lot of work took place to allow the exhibition to happen.

She said: “We approached the museum and explained what we wanted to do, and they seemed open to the idea. We had to negotiate spaces where we would be able to exhibit and where we wouldn’t.

“There’s going to be quite a wide range of work displayed. One person is doing 2D work, whilst there will be print work, sculpture, textiles and interactive work as well.”

Ellis Mill, the windmill at the top of the hill, was an inspiration for a couple of students.

Another member of the project, Lorraine McKenna, says that Ellis Mill, which stands in the museum’s property, was particularly inspirational to the project.

She said: “We thought it might be a good idea to consider Lincolnshire culture past and present. The first thought was that Amelia drives past the windmill every day, and that inspired us.We want to involve the community of Lincoln and bring them in to the museum as well.”

Amelia says she will emphasise the county’s industrial history, whilst McKenna says she will focus on feminism’s past in the area. “I’ll be looking at the Land Army, Make Do and Mend and their influence,” said McKenna.

However, their colleage, Tomás McClements, says he intends to use the input of Lincolnshire’s community to shape his creativity.

He said: “I’m going to be getting the local community to come in and give me their memories. Hopefully that’ll allow them to make a personal connection with the museum and the exhibit. I’ll use their input to create some works with text and some sketches as well.”

“Admission is free, and hopefully it’ll raise an awareness of how important museums are,” says McKenna.

The exhibition will take place for a week from April 26.

Yuka Kawai from Tokyo, Gabrielle Goransson and Eva Schjolberg from Norway currently have their collaborative exhibit on at the Hub Gallery in Sleaford, running until the 18th April.

The exhibit is called “Cultex: Textile as a Cross Cultural Language”, where the three fibre designers have been working closely with Professor Leslie Millar from the University of Creative Arts.

From left to right: Gabriella Goransson, Yuka Kawai & Eva Schjolberg. The Cultex designers take a tour of University of Lincoln's School of Art and Design.

The exhibition was first opened on 4th April 2009 by Japan’s Ambassador to Norway, H.E Hisao Yamaguchi at Gallery F15, Jeløya. During this matinee exhibition in Norway, it attracted over 5,000 visitors. The exhibit has since come to the UK and will go on to tour Japan in the latter half of 2010 and through into 2011.

Jane Linsmore, the Learning Officer at the Hub has been thrilled by responses to the trio’s visit: ”On the private viewing night alone we had some fantastic feedback from members of the public and students. They actually said that this was one of the best exhibitions that we’ve had so far. This is really promising because we’ve held some real corkers in the past, but this one has been hot on feedback.

“We see that our link that we are forging with the university is really starting to help this department, and also the learning department. We aim to support all the schools, colleges and universities in our area. We hope that this will be the start of a really good partnership for us to share our understanding and knowledge,” she said.

A collaborative piece from Norwegians Eva Schjolberg and Gabriella Goransson.

We caught up with the three designers when they visited the third-year Art and Design students at Thomas Parker House:

1. Why this medium? Do you think that it communicates more effectively to a wider range of audience, than say another type of art-form?

Yuka: “Maybe the answer is that you can feel and experience. Seeing is no longer the most dominant factor. We hope that when you go, you can just experience it. You can even walk inside the installations.”

2. How important is it, to you all, that the material that you source for your exhibitions, are eco-friendly?

Yuka: “Very important, actually. We have a project, like this, that we’re working on – a collaborative effort from not only myself but also my department at the Tama Art University where I teach, in Tokyo.

“After the harvest of bananas, usually the stem is abandoned but that is all we are using in the project. We use the extracting fibre, from the West Indies where they come from and make a beautiful yarn, in a wool fabric.

“People in South America too, where a lot of the material comes from, are in poverty. So it’s just the garbage that we used and no other material. We actually got in contact with a few plantations and are looking at a way to teach this technique to the people.

“The uses and functions of the final product are very diverse. It can be used as furnishings and clothing too.”

3. How long does it take to make the pieces that you three are exhibiting at the Hub?

Gabrielle: “We started our collaboration in 2008 but it would be perhaps a year since things have taken off. The technical part and thinking behind this takes the most time. The overall process takes a long time. We had to make everything by hand with no machines.”

4. Why should people come to see your exhibitions at the Hub?

Gabrielle: “Because it is fantastic!”

Senior lecturer at the Lincoln School of Art and Design, Maria Manning added:

“And it is inspiring from the students’ perspectives as well. They are all creative individuals and they can learn a lot from it. There are colours, techniques and all kinds of information that they can learn from.

“It’s not frequent enough that we have an opportunity like this. We are very lucky and pleased that we not only have an internationally acclaimed artist visiting us, but three. We feel very lucky indeed.”

Gabriella Goransson's installation, 'Out of Darkness'.

Eva: “Every exhibition that artists make is a kind of offer. It is an opportunity for other people to experience something. You have to ask yourself after, whether it was worth it and whether or not you can take something away from it.

“It is like something I saw the other day on British TV. It was a Spanish opera singer saying that the emotion that one gets from witnessing an art form, is a lot like that of a snow-globe. Everyday life is represented by the a still globe – the snow, sitting at the bottom and doing nothing. But when you see art, everything gets shaken up! You must go and see for yourself.”

If you want to find out more about the artists, read their project journals or anything about the Cultex: Textile as a Cross Cultural Language exhibition, visit the dedicated website.

Poetry may have gone out of fashion in the last few years, but in the first half of the twentieth century poets were celebrities. W.H. Auden, Ted Hughes, and Philip Larkin were all household names.

In populist terms however, John Betjeman towered above them all. In spite of his public school and Oxford background, he was unpretentious and of universal appeal. He was the first real mainstream poet, appearing on countless TV programmes as a social commentator and general raconteur. He was also Poet Laureate from 1972 until his death in 1984.

You may know Betjeman from the statue of him in St Pancras Station (he campaigned tirelessly and successfully against it being pulled down). Or, you may know him from his poem “Slough”, famously printed on the inlay card of the “The Office” DVD box set and fiercely proclaiming “Come friendly bombs and fall on Slough”.

Whilst clearly not having much time for the urban Berkshire landscape, Betjeman was a Lincolnshire lover. Although he lived in Cornwall, he spent much of his time here, travelling through the county to see Larkin, a good friend, in Hull and often staying with friends in Louth, parts of which he compared to Venice.

The Museum of Lincolnshire Life is holding a retrospective of the poet’s Lincolnshire links until 20th February. This fascinating exhibition has original letters from the poet to his friends and finely illustrates the vast range of writing he created. Alongside the countless poems, he wrote books on architecture, interior design, and guide books (he was a writer for Shell Guides).

Of course, the exhibition mainly details Betjeman’s love of the Lincolnshire landscape, with a selection of photographs from the many churches and country houses he visited in the area. There is also a wide selection of all his poetry books for those who wish to sample his writing.

Betjeman was an early vice president of the Lincolnshire Association and even campaigned for Lincolnshire to have its own county flag. It is therefore fitting that Lincoln should hold this exhibition.

Horace Liberty, of the Betjeman Society said: “Betjeman was a champion of the unregarded and much of what he did was to draw our attention to the unregarded, be it churches, landscapes, or Victorian architecture.”

“Betjeman’s Lincolnshire” is at the Museum of Lincolnshire Life on Burton Road until 20 February. Admission is free and the museum is open Monday–Saturday, 10am–4pm.

Lincoln’s community radio station, Siren FM, will be showcasing an on-air pantomime with a difference this Christmas, courtesy of Alison Duncombe, the Terry O’Toole theatre administrator.

Duncombe donated her “Cinderella” script for the use of a radio pantomime while a guest on the Graham King show recently.

“I am really excited about this,” says Graham King, the presenter of the theatre radio show. “It’ll be the first time we’ve done anything like this on Siren, so it will be an interesting challenge for all involved.”

The presenters at Siren FM will have to go through an intense twelve-hour audition and recording process that will face them with similar pressures to those which professional pantomime acts must endure.

Operating to an extremely tight deadline, they will receive the scripts in the morning and immediately be trying out for roles, after which they’ll be appointed character parts and given only their lunch hour to revise and practise. “It sounds intense, and it is, but it will be fun and rewarding for all involved to experience the fast-paced movement of theatre,” adds King.

After lunch, there will be a rehearsal where directors Tim Partridge and Sharon Harrison, and executive producer Andrew David, will be involved in creating a lively audio piece that aims to take listeners to pantomime perfection through voice and sound.

“We’re really testing to see what the Siren staff are made of,” says King. “Enjoyment and delivery are what this process is all about and I think the end product will benefit massively from the tight schedule.”

The radio piece will take all the traditions of a stage performance, keeping it as close as possible to the live stage action that pantomime audiences relish.
“We’ll be adding sound effects to liven up the listening, along with the character accents and cross-gender acting that always fares well with pantomime audiences, so we shan’t be disappointing on that level.

“I must admit, a huge factor in choosing ‘Cinderella’ was down to the three dame roles [the stepmother and two ugly sisters] for our male cast members to take on, and the slapping-of-the-thigh moments for the girls to enact playing Prince Charming and Dan Deeny.”

King has performed in Duncombe-scripted plays in the past, saying that they are the “only plays where many years later I can still recall my lines, because they were written so superbly”.

The pressure will be on to ensure a high-standard performance in such a short space of time, but the Siren team seem up for a challenge, hoping that “Cinderella” will be a highly entertaining, and a great success.

“Cinderella” will be aired on Siren FM over the two-week Christmas period, following the auditioning and recording process, and promises to be an ideal substitute for those who can’t make it to the theatre this year.

Kicking off the Lincoln Art Programme was a panel debate at the Greestone Centre, which discussed the relevance of “art-jacking” as a form of live art. The debate went to the core of art-jacking: What is it? Is it art, theatre, or entertainment? Is it political protest or anarchy? The debate left us none the wiser, but perhaps that was the point.

Lincolns art-jacking debate questioned the definition of art. | Photo: Sandip Basu

art-jacking is live art taking place in public arenas. It is similar to street theatre, except that it is unexpected and uninvited. It is performed by artists instead of actors, making it bad theatre, and arguably bad art.

It could take the form of a mock protest in a supermarket, clowns in McDonalds, or actors worshipping mannequins in House of Fraser. It could be political graffiti. Alternatively it could be the Reverend Billy, dressed as an American evangelical preacher and looking like a “cartoon James Brown”. Followed by his “choir” he performs in places such as Leicester Square, apparently decrying the anti-capitalist cause but also just “being” live entertainment.

The debate centred on the question of whether art-jacking alienates or empowers its audience and focussed on the idea of art-jacking as political protest. Hugh Dichmont, an art journalist, and Lawrence Bradby, an artist and curator, argued that art-jacking alienated its spectators.

Meanwhile, Lois Keidan, director of the Live Art Development Agency, and Ana Benlloch, also an artist and curator, argued it empowered them, contending that as political protest, live art engenders discussion and makes people think about current issues. However, is it enough that a spectator is made to think about a political issue, especially when it is dressed up in such quirky style?

Dichmont and Bradby argued convincingly that it wasn’t. In fact, the sight of art students in Tesco shouting slogans, or in John Lewis painting themselves with make up testers is more likely to embarrass and annoy those unwilling spectators.

They argued that this type of art as protest can also be dangerously counter-productive, putting people off an otherwise valuable cause. It is patronising to take a serious issue and turn it into a frivolous and ephemeral showpiece. Artists need to stop pretending their art has value as political commentary and remember that the only value it has is intrinsic. Art as protest is poor and unconvincing — art for the sake of art is preferable.

Bradby gave the most valid criticism: as it is unexpected, the spectator has no frame of reference in which to “view” the art, and if art has no context then it has no meaning.

In art-jacking the audience is not aware the art is taking place, and so they can’t engage with it. Ultimately it is like amateur dramatics: the artists have great fun themselves, but at the expense of everybody else. Artists need to realise that just because they say something is art, it doesn’t mean it is.

The Lincoln Drill Hall is set to hold a day-long contemporary art event, which will also be spilling out onto the city’s streets.

To be held on October 31st, “Impostor” by Nottingham-based group Exit Here is an event where everyone is invited to solve a mystery.

Originally set in The Drill Hall (known as Head Quarters), the story begins with an experiment which goes horribly wrong. People who choose to join in will be trained and given motivational exercises to aid them in finding the Impostor. The team then has just under four hours to go out onto the streets of Lincoln and question the public, reporting sightings or leads of the Impostor back to HQ for analysis.

However, if the team does not capture the Impostor when the allocated time is up, the mystery remains at large.

Exit Here are known for holding events requiring public participation and active engagement by developing fictional characters and scenarios. Impostor is the group’s fourth public participation event, with its predecessors – CAPA Phase 1.0, The Show Must Go On? and My Work is Heavier than Yours — even visiting Bath Art Fringe Festival in 2008.

It’s free to join in with the event, and starts at 12pm at Lincoln Drill Hall. For more information about the event visit Exit Here’s website www.exithere.co.uk.

The film is split into three parts. The first follows Tanyth Berkeley around her home town of New York City. She photographs subjects in their natural surroundings, such as in the park or along the street. She chooses people with extreme looks, attempting to find the beauty behind the façade. Her photos are tender yet also striking, creating an interesting biography of life in the city.

Rose and Olive (Ashley MacLean and Traci Matlock) in People*Love*Photos. Photo: Amadelio Film

The second part follows Ashley MacLean and Traci Matlock, who photograph under their pseudonyms of Rose and Olive, as they photograph around their ranch in Houston, Texas. Their photography is highly sexualised, and the models are photographed in various states of undress, in the forest or on the gravel street, asleep or, strangely, eating vegetables.

At one point the artists take shots of each other cracking raw eggs against each other whilst half naked. Their photographs become more shocking as the violence of sexuality is portrayed: we see fingers covered in blood, buttocks and thighs covered in thick bruises as underwear is crudely pulled away.

Traci and Ashley aim to show the joy of the physical body, as well as the vulnerability inherent in nakedness. Their art is shocking and treads a fine line between being artistic and pornographic.

The final subject of the film is Elinor Carucci, an Israeli-born photographer now resident in New York City. She is the most modest artist in the film, photographing herself, her children, and her parents. Her aim is to show motherhood through her own muted eyes and to challenge ideas of shock and disgust often formed by perceptions of motherhood.

We are treated to photos of her body two days after giving birth, complete with sagging stomach and the stitches covering the scars left from the caesarean section. There is the breastfeeding of her twins. There is a photo of an open toilet full of the artist’s own menstrual blood, and slightly disturbing shots of her sitting semi-naked on her bed next to her father. However, the photos remain sensual rather than gratuitous and reveal a real joy in the concept of motherhood.

People *Love* Photos is only interesting to a point and is difficult to watch. It’s boring even when it is shocking, and at times watching it is like wading through treacle. On the positive side it has a haunting piano soundtrack giving it a mysterious atmosphere. However it is also amateurish, the camerawork sometimes jarring and the sound often muffled. As a film it tries too hard to be artistic and not hard enough to be professional. It’s too specialised to have mainstream appeal and ultimately will only be of interest to artists and students of photography.

View the trailer

Critically-acclaimed stand-up comedian Daniel Kitson will bring his hilarious and thought-provoking new show to the Lincoln Performing Arts Centre.

The Perrier Award winner will take to the stage at the venue on the University of Lincoln’s Brayford campus on Wednesday 4 November.

Daniel Kitson’s performances have won over audiences and critics alike, with the Evening Standard calling him “utterly hilarious” and The Guardian declaring “Kitson’s about as good as it gets”.

His new show, We are gathered here, tackles the weighty subject of the meaning of life – and the need for all of us to “find something important in an ocean of twaddle”.

Daniel Kitson’s show, We are gathered here, takes place at the Lincoln Performing Arts Centre on the University of Lincoln’s Brayford campus on Wednesday 4 November. Doors are at 7.30pm and the show starts at 8pm.

Tickets cost £10 and are available from the Engine Shed and LPAC Box Office, open Monday to Friday from 10am-4pm.

Lincoln’s Comedy Festival is back this year, with some of the headliners already announced.

Starting October 6th, a host of comedians will appear at the Engine Shed and Lincoln Performing Arts Centre, including Stewart Lee, Milton Jones and Collins and Herring recording a special live podcast. The podcast will be available from iTunes after the show.

Stewart Lee, the “41st best man in standup”, according to Channel 4, has been a comedian since the beginning of the decade, three books and three DVDs on the shelves, as well as embarking on countless tours and recently his own BBC six-part comedy — ‘Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle’.

He is possibly most well know for his tour, “90s Comedians”, where he discusses religious implications of the controversial ‘Jerry Springer – The Opera’ show.

Milton Jones is best known for his work on radio programs, such as BBC Radio 4, style of comedy- one liners involving puns. In 1996, he won the Perrier Comedy Award for ‘Best Newcomer’.

Tickets are on sale now from HMV or the Engine Shed. This is an over 16s event only.

Lincoln Book Festival was opened with a colourful picture presentation from the BBC’s Frank Gardner.

Mr. Gardner, the BBC’s Security Correspondent, visited Lincoln’s Drill Hall to talk about the reasons behind his second book, ‘Far Horizons’.

However, rather than just take quotes from his book, he bought with him a picture presentation, captivating the audience with his photos of various countries he had visited after his accident.

The incident occured while reporting in Saudi Arabia, where he was shot and consequently lost the use of both of his legs.

“I’m not bitter about the people who did this to me” he said when reflecting on the accident “I’m not going to waste my time on them. We know what happened- six people attacked us, it was an opportunist attack. Six people drove past, happened to see a couple of white “infadels” (in their eyes) and saw it as an opportunity to drive them out of holy Arabia.

“Five of those people are now dead, the other is in prison, he is possibly going to be executed. I’m not going to worry about them. You have to move on.”

Mr. Gardner also added that the main aim of the new book is to talk about his achievements after the accident, rather than dwell on it again.

You can listen to Frank Gardner’s talk about ‘Far Horizons’ and his travels by clicking on the below audio file:

Author insert a music with WS Audio Player.
(Download) this music.

Welsh comedian Rhod Gilbert is booked to visit the Engine Shed.

The star of The Royal Variety Preformance, Live at the Apollo and Micheal McIntyre’s Comedy Show will arrive at the Engine Shed on November 3rd, with his tour ‘Rhod Gilbert and the Cat that Looked Like Nicholas Lyndhurst’, named so to annoy someone in Canterbury.

He was the winner of Time Out’s Comic of the Year, Breakthrough Act, and Best Show awards in 2008.

Mr Gilbert is also infamous for his scuffle with a shop assistant over ‘duvet tog-rating systems’ last year and going mad over a mince pie.

Victoria Simpson, events and marketing manager at the Engine Shed, said: ‘Rhod Gilbert is without doubt the hottest new property on the British comedy scene. Audiences and critics have been bowled over by his performances over the past year. We know that there’s a big appetite for comedy around Lincoln with the success of last year’s comedy festival and this is a great chance to see a performer destined for stardom.’

Tickets for Rhod Gilbert & the Cat that Looked Like Nicholas Lyndhurst are priced £15. They are available from the Engine Shed Box Office. Doors open 7.15 pm, for over 16s only.

To find out more on Rhod Gilbert check out his website.