New podcast to celebrate their work

A new podcast is to celebrate some of the forgotten comedy stars of the North East.

The four-part series will look at the careers of Mark Sheridan, Ian Milne playwright  Leonard Barras and Wavis O’Shave.

Sheridan, pictured, was a music hall star from the docks of Hendon, Sunderland, who travelled the world as an actor, singer and comedian at the end of the Victorian era and made the song I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside a hit.

Barrass, who died in 2008 was an author, poet, columnist and playwright who spent his working life as a clerk in Newcastle’s Swan Hunters shipyard and whose 1970s BBC Two comedy, Mother Nature's Bloomer,  starred Roy Kinnear

Milne, originally a draughtsman at Reyrolles in South Shields had the makings of a promising  career but died at the age of 26 in 19450

The enigmatic Wavis O’Shave was a surrealist alternative comic who appeared on cult favourite Channel 4’s The Tube  in the 1980s, and whose albums were favoured by legendary DJ John Peel.

His catchphrase ‘felt nowt', was adopted, with  permission, but a North East comedy cooperative of the same name, which is working on the new podcast, Jesters: Forgotten Stories of North East Comedy, with  Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums.

Its director, stand-up Si Beckwith, said: ‘Part of our ethos is to preserve the rich comedy heritage the North East has and what better than spotlighting some stories that aren’t championed to the level they should be.  

‘Through the podcast and the live show we get to shout about these incredible people, and it’s just a taster of so many great stories we’ll be looking to spotlight further in the future."’

Sarah Younas, a digital producer with the archives service, added:   ‘It is fantastic to work with Felt Nowt to explore the lesser known stories of a range of north east comedians and performers, who have inspired today’s comedy scene. ‘ 

The podcast is being launched with a stand-up gig at  Newcastle’s Discovery Museum on  April 22 featuring local comics Gavin Webster, Lee Kyle and John Gibson – who also appear across the podcast, to be released on the same day.

Published: 1 Apr 2022