Milton Jones plays to cattle

Milton Jones has performed a stand-up routine for a field of cows, in a publicity stunt for cheese.

The gig in the Herfordshire farm was presented as an experiment in whether the animals can laugh, organised by the makers of Laughing Cow.

The Mock The Week star told jokes such as: ‘So you cows say you’re vegetarians – but how come you all wear leather, eh?’ and ‘Went to one of those farmers markets the other day – bought two farmers…’

Jones said: ‘Writing comedy for cows was very different to my day job but a comedian plays to his audience, so I wrote a raft of new material to really get under their hides.

‘It went a lot better than I thought it would. I think I made them laugh. I enjoyed it.’

Cow expert Bruce Woodacre monitored the cows’ reaction – and although to the untrained eye they might have appeared indifferent, he claimed that they were somehow reacting to the English wordplay. ‘That one is showing clear signs of amusement,’ he said singling out one of the herd.

Although he conceded that cows don’t laugh like humans he pointed to, ‘the position of its ears, its’ rate of breathing, things like that, which could well be interpreted as laughter’.

He also claimed one of the cows was a heckler who ‘doesn’t think Milton is funny at all’.

Jones is taking part in Chortle’s seminar on getting started in comedy at the Soho Theatre on Wednesday, ahead of a gig at the Hammersmith Apollo on Saturday.

Published: 23 May 2011