Three thugs pounce

Comic Karl Minns is in hospital after being beaten up on the way home from a gig.

Two men pounced after he left the Norwich Playhouse in the early hours of Friday morning, following a performance as half of The Nimmo Twins double act.

Without warning, one of them punched him in the face. He fell to the ground and was then repeatedly kicked in the face. He suffered a fractured skull and a broken arm as he tried to shield himself. But the thugs stole no money

Performances of the show, Normal For Norfolk 11: Bat Out Of Hellesdon, this weekend have been cancelled as the 37-year-old recovers in hospital.

In a statement, the theatre said: ‘Karl Minns was beaten up last night and is in hospital. At the moment we don't know about shows beyond Saturday.’ The show was scheduled to run until December 22.

In an interview with the Norwich Evening News on Saturday, Minns said: 'I feel terrible that I'll be letting down so many people, and I am determined to get back on stage as soon as possible - hopefully next week.

'The consultant told me that I was lucky not to have lost the sight in my eye, and I am going to have to wear a cast on my arm for six weeks.

'With nine more shows in the run, it's obviously very bad news and I am hoping that I'll be well enough to perform again next week.

'My face isn't the big problem - I've never been pretty - but the fact that my arm is in a cast is going to make all the costume changes unbelievably difficult.'

Minns has been performing with Owen Evans as The Nimmo Twins since 1997, when they made their debut at the Edinburgh Festival. Three years later, they had their own Radio 4 series, and have gone on to become local comedy heroes in their native Norfolk, with their Christmas shows becoming a tradition at the Norwich Playhouse.

In 2001, Minns tried his hand at stand-up, winning the Daily Telegraph Open Mic Award. p>He is not the first comic to be attacked travelling home after a gig. Last year, Bruce Devlin suffered a fractured jaw after he was battered unconscious by teenage thugs in Edinburgh.

Published: 14 Dec 2007