'In an industry infested with sharks, narcissists and psychopaths, he was that rare breed – a really nice bloke'

Tributes have been paid to comedy promoter Alistair Greaves following his unexpected death last week.

The prolific producer behind Burning Duck Comedy in Yorkshire, who is believed to have been in his 40s, passed away on January 8, but his death has just been announced.

Originally from Middlesbrough, he started his comedy career on the North East open mic circuit – but he spent the last decade running gigs and booking national tours into venues including The Crescent community venue and Theatre41 in York and the Hyde Park Book Club in Leeds. He also co-ran The Verve in Leeds where he helped newer acts find their feet. 

Greaves also performed as his alter-ego Peter Bread with a PowerPoint presentation of the ‘York Toast Walk’, a silly parody of York’s notable Ghost Walk.

Away from comedy, he was an enthusiastic vegan and gardener, posting regular updates from his allotment on Instagram and was politically active, canvassing for the Labour Party and then more recently for the Green Party.

Joe Coates of The Crescent, broke the news of Greaves’ death on the venue’s Facebook page, writing: ‘With a genuine love for an oddball sense of humour, Al brought a widely eclectic programme of artists to York and Leeds over an eleven-year period, from its initial home in the upstairs room of The Black Swan, to The Basement in The City Screen Picturehouse before finding more permanent regular homes here at The Crescent and Theatre41 on Monkgate.

‘Al was a brilliant promoter, open-minded and art focused. Working on his events would often involve long conversations about a new sound on his synthesizer, the layout of his allotment, a fab new vegan restaurant in town, or highly enthusiastic (and often very silly!) new ideas for hosting live comedy.

‘Al was also keenly engaged in politics. He was a member of the Labour Party and more recently the Green Party with whom Al helped with fundraising and canvassing. He was considered and principled, but above all loved to engage in conversation with others, a beautiful humanist.

‘We will all miss him very much. Our thoughts are with his friends and family.’

Others paying tribute included comedian Anna Thomas, who said: ‘Al was such a lovely, gentle, silly man - I so adored being in his company. Chatting to Al would always leave me inspired to do more as he was so blooming proactive - not just in comedy, but also in politics and the environment. It was just in his nature to want to make the world a better place, and goodness me, did he do that.'

Fellow comic Sean Morley said: 'Al had a lot of time for people. His confidence and enthusiasm helped me so much, and his influence can still be felt in all the people he encouraged. Al believed the world could be both kinder and sillier and, for those that knew him, it was. He will be missed.'

Red Redmond posted on social media: ‘Al was the closest comedy promoter I worked with. We messaged most weeks. He was a really genuine, honest and kind man. He didn’t do it for the money. He worked hard because he loved stand-up comedy. I will miss his stories about London agents, York city council and his beloved allotment. A true unsung hero of the northern comedy circuit. RIP.’

Matthew Highton added: ‘He was such a lovely, wonderful person. He loved alternative comedy and went out of his way to showcase so many incredible people at his nights. 

‘I loved it when Al walked into a room. Watching him on stage was a delight. Never boring.  One of the most inventive, original, unusual comics I've ever seen.  Always exciting to see what was in his bag.'

Fellow promoters also paid tribute. Toby Jones wrote: ‘In an industry infested with sharks, narcissists and psychopaths, Al Greaves was that incredibly rare breed - a really nice bloke. 

‘He loved both comedy and comedians, the stranger the better was his cup of tea. Yet he seemed his most happiest when discussing his allotment and the pleasure it brought to him. The world needs more Al Greaves, not less.’

Notable acts Greaves promoted included Paul Foot, Rob Delaney, Simon Munnery and Josie Long. He also worked closely with Great Yorkshire Fringe and ran his own comedy festival: Woodsduck at The Black Swan in York. 

He was also helped set up the Yorkshire Comedy Forum which  sought to improve accessibility and cooperation in grassroots comedy circles. Co-founder Philip Smith said: ‘He was one of a kind and the world is a bit more shit without him.’

More recently he had started to record music again, which he described as ‘sort of lo-fi bedroom hip-hop’. Some of his old recordings are still on Soundcloud including this project where he focussed on making music that could be used in movie soundtracks.

The cause of his death has not been disclosed.

Published: 17 Jan 2025