Surprise to reward 21 years of good work

The founder of an organisation that uses comedy for social good is to feature in a National Lottery advert this weekend.

Keith Palmer was given a ‘Big Surprise’ by Camelot bosses to honour the work he does with London’s Comedy School, which he founded in 1998.

On a cab ride he encountered a twist on some comedy tropes, such as a chicken crossing the road and a banana slipping on a man, with his reactions captured on hidden camera. 

At the end of his trip, he was greeted by a crowd of supporters, beneficiaries and past alumni of The Comedy School to thank him for his work over the past 21 years. 

He said: ‘I just can’t put this into words, I’m over the moon and completely speechless – probably the first time you’ll ever see me lost for words! 

‘I feel empowered, like I can fly, in fact much like many people who take our courses say they feel afterwards. 

‘When I saw the first comedy skit, the chicken crossing the road, I just passed it off as usual eclectic London; then the banana slipping on a man lying on the pavement followed two minutes later by the mime artists having a tug of war was too much and I thought maybe I was actually hallucinating!

‘So many individuals make up The Comedy School and I want to say a big thank you to you all. You guys and all our supporters are what keeps me going: here’s to another 21 years!’

The footage of his 'Big Surprise’ will air on ITV and STV during an ad break in Britain's Got Talent: The Champions on Saturday, and be seen by around 5 million people.

The Comedy School’s Wellbeing Project, which uses stand-up comedy and improv to help those with mental health difficulties, was previously awarded £120,000 of National Lottery funding.

The charity has also helped with projects tackling the rehabilitation of offenders and knife crime, among others.

Published: 5 Sep 2019