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[00:00:32] Hello and welcome to the latest edition of the comedy podcast, You Should Have Been Here Last Week, which is the show presented by myself, Steve Gribbin and fellow comedian Paul Ricketts. Greetings to everybody. I'm just gonna say hello. Hello. You Should Have Been Here Last Week is the podcast that uncouples the velvet VIP rope and peers backstage into the comedy darkness at the ballers, the brawlers, the crawlers, the fixers, the breakers, the troubles.
[00:01:00] The pioneers, the seers, the grafters, the grinders, the imitators and the facilitators that all go to make up this business that we call comedy. And today's very special guest is a man who deserves his own entry in the history of British comedy, the promoter, comedy cheerleader, very disgruntled Liverpool fan, the owner of one of the oldest and most loved comedy clubs in the UK, the man, the legend that is, Mr Dave Vickers.
[00:01:29] Welcome to the show, Dave. Hi, Steve. Hi, Paul. One of the things about the fact that you run this fantastic club is in the place where it is, which is Ballam, which is a funny punchline of its own. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Going back to the 40s where Ballam, Gateway to the South. Gateway to the South, yeah, absolutely. I mean, could you have done it anywhere else but Ballam? Yeah.
[00:01:57] It's just, it has such a strange history and the demography changed. It's such a different place to when we first started. Mm. It's a bit, it's a bit well healed now. It's a strange, it's an odd place to have comedy. Whereas it was much more rough and ready back in the day. It was very rough. It was the old stamping ground of the prostitutes used to sit on that hill, wasn't it? Yeah. Yeah.
[00:02:25] They were on the street corners as I was driving to work and I would try not to catch their eyes. I was looking whether cars were coming either way. Yeah. It was a strange place and really, really rough pub before Banana started. They got a new landlord in who got rid of all the pimps and prostitutes. Yeah. I mean, there's stabbings there. It's, it had a reputation as all over London as being a rough place, but certainly not anymore. Mm.
[00:02:55] When was the first, the first night? I mean, basically just for the benefit of the people who might not know the location, I mean, when, how did it start? How did the Banana Academy start? Well, it didn't start with me. It started with Andy Waring. Let's see. There was, there was a whole group of people. Andy Waring used to hang around with Nick Rev or Mark Steele, Paul Merton.
[00:03:24] And there were so few venues back, back right in the, obviously in the, in the early eighties. So it's very start of the alternative comedy kind of circuit. Um, and because this new landlord had cleared the pub out, they live locally and they thought, or they don't start doing comedy. Um, they thought, you know, get a little venue going. So Andy, who wasn't a comic, started it. Um, I met him a few years later.
[00:03:52] But yeah, I, so I was, I was seeing, um, woman Helen Griffin, wonderful Welsh actor who sadly passed in 2018. Um, so she got a job on the door. I got to know Andy. The rest is kind of history. He did some work for me cause he had a theater background. I was working in theater. We got to know each other. He said, Oh, do you want to come and help me? I'm going to start. I want to, I want to start, um, an actual comedy.
[00:04:19] Not with the, so bananas was already going, but he wanted to start a comedy theater as well. So we started doing that. And then comedy, that standup just started taking off so much. We dropped the comedy theater bit and just did standup. There's loads of disgruntled actors outside. Girl, you bastard. Yeah. What was the comedy theater bit? What was comedy theater? Was it just like funny plays?
[00:04:47] No, no, it was, it was like people doing full length shows. There weren't many people like Tony Allen, Ken Campbell, um, people like that. And certain acts on the circuit who, who actually had, who could do like an hour, but there weren't that many of them back in the, back in the sort of mid late eighties. So after a while we were not just, we're running out of people, but just it really, the whole wave really started.
[00:05:12] So, um, we just went, look, we can do, we can fill, because it was on, it was, it was in the upstairs room. So that's when we first started doing two rooms. Cause it's like, Oh, it's getting so busy. We can just do the standup in both rooms with people alternating. Hmm. So that's how that first started. It just, we were just on the crest of that wave. Do you remember the first night that you were in charge? But the bill, no, I've got no idea. It's all the blur.
[00:05:39] Um, because it, because it was sort of, because it started off with a comedy theater for me. Uh, it just, I, I've got, I've got no idea. It just, it just all seamlessly went into, um, sort of that, that me being involved in the standup and then Andy taking more of a backseat and then me starting doing the bookings. And then eventually in the early two thousands, um, Andy leaving completely.
[00:06:06] So, uh, yeah, that's, that's kind of how it, how it all kind of began. So what were you doing in theater before you got into? I'm just kind of production management and stuff. And I was doing a big project and they, on Docklands actually, as it was being read, before it was being redeveloped or at the same time. And Andy, like with community theater and Andy came and helped me and just obviously liked the way I worked and we got to know each other. And, and then I was between jobs. He said, do you want to come, do you want to come along and do this?
[00:06:35] And I thought, I'll do that for a few months. Um, sounds like a laugh because in those days you could just go from job to job. So I did it for a few months, obviously turned into less than four decades. It was just, you know, it's like those, you can always do different jobs and it was, it was fun. It was exciting. You know, it was, it was, it was London in the eighties. I'll, I'll, I'll try that for a bit. That seems like a laugh. It was a laugh. Yeah. And it's continued to be a laugh.
[00:07:05] Yeah. I mean, the first time I played, um, it was 1983 and on the bill, I made a note it was Ronnie Golden, uh, Paul Martin, uh, because his, his, um, name wasn't Paul Merton then was it? Because he had to change it. Cause someone else, he joined equity and someone else was called Paul, Paul Martin. He had to change his name. Yeah. You were doing it. Yeah. Cause I know I bumped into you when I was at the where the production manager, the warehouse there in Croydon. Oh my God.
[00:07:35] You did a, you did a gig there. Yeah. So, cause I was, I was quite a fan of comedy anyway. So it was, it was an interesting, it was interesting to get involved in it. Um, yeah. Cause that, that was at that time, the 1983 was a, a, a, one of the first ever television shows that did alternative comedy is called boom, boom, out go the lights. Yeah. Which I think Paul Jackson produced and Ronnie Golden was on there and he did a song called stomping on the cat.
[00:08:01] Which, yeah, you know, I mean, uh, you wouldn't be able to, uh, uh, you know, I don't want to get into, Oh, you couldn't say that now, but I probably could cause he used to go stomping on the cat. Uh, younger, younger viewers are now going, what the anyway, but that's yeah. I was going to go to the most important thing about the venue, which is, uh, there's lots
[00:08:26] of gigs in pubs, uh, loads, but I have to say that the Bedford has the best room in a pub for comedy in the UK. It's by far the best room. Absolutely. I mean, it's, it's iconic. It's beautiful. When you say, when you say, Oh, I run a, I run a comedy club in a room in a pub. People that the number of punters will come in, uh, who bring friends and they'll just walk in and go fucking hell. Yeah.
[00:08:55] It's a beautiful round room with a balcony. So yeah, it's obviously Elizabethan-ish. Yeah. I mean, it's a first time I went there was as a punter and you walk into the room and it's my God King Arthur and the round table must have started here. It's just a ridiculous, ridiculously beautiful room. It is. It's a, it's a, it's a, it's a fabulous space for comedy. Yeah.
[00:09:21] I remember at one point you were doing, uh, downstairs, then the middle tier and then upstairs. Well, that was only very briefly. I think that was in, that was a part of the festival that we did. Cause in 2010 Malone, John Maloney who lives locally said, why don't we do a festival? So we started producing a festival together every year, a comedy festival. I think that was the only time really we used it, but for us it's too, it's just far too
[00:09:49] hectic to run three venues simultaneously. It's just ridiculous. Um, no, two was two, two was enough. Um, yeah. So back in the heyday, we're just, just with that. Yeah. Simultaneous gigs, uh, acts rotating. It was, uh, it was hectic, but, but yeah, fun. It was, it was a fantastic thing to do. Uh, it meant, yeah, people could double up in the same venue rather than schlepping all across town. Do you know, for, for comics, that is the ultimate, isn't it? Cause you don't even just have to go upstairs. Yeah.
[00:10:21] Oh, it must be heaven. Heaven. Yeah. I was going to say, one of the questions we always ask, we have a, of all our guests is, especially people that have been in the business a long time. I mean, how would you say that comedy has changed over the years since you've been promoting and watching it, et cetera? Well, well, obviously, obviously initially, obviously we're, we're part, we're part of the
[00:10:42] whole sort of vanguard of a, of a new alternative comedy movement, which has become much, well, which is now the mainstream. So that's changed massively. And it was, it was primarily, it was not primarily political, but it was, it was very politically charged back in, back in the day. Um, so that's obviously changed an awful lot, the politics of it.
[00:11:09] Um, also it was the only place you could, if you wanted to see a comic, the only place you could really see them was on the stages of a venue. Cause they weren't on, they weren't on telly. Whereas now they absolutely are. It's fantastic. Fill your boots. But yeah, that's it. It's not stand up, but that's, that's fine.
[00:11:34] You know, it's, it's branching off into different, different sorts of a career for, for us, for a standup. But, um, yeah, live standup still. Uh, yeah, I still, I still love it. I think it's, that's, it's fantastic. Um, and as a, on a, on a mixed bill, you never know what's going to happen. Um, yeah, I still, I still think it's, I think, I still think it's fun and dynamic. Not quite the same as it was.
[00:11:58] I mean, the dynamics back in the, back in the eighties, nineties, um, it, it was, it was, it was so raw and exciting. Um, yeah, I said, that's the only way you got to, you could see a comic. So Pete, you'd, you'd pick up time out, whatever, and go, Oh, I'm going to go to that venue. And there weren't that many venues. So, uh, yeah, it was being on the vanguard of a, of a kind of new movement was, and that was where I stayed.
[00:12:27] It was just like, Oh, this is, this is just a fantastic thing to be a part of. And it had, it did, that changed comedy, British comedy or comedy worldwide. It just changed it, you know, the same as it was. So why did you take the decision to have no MC, which a lot of the older clubs, uh, cause it was you and the Bearcats. That, that was already a thing that, that was what was happening. That was Andy more than anything who started it.
[00:12:54] And I just carried on because basically it was like, well, it felt we had pretty comedy savvy crowd. So it felt like if you had four acts, you'd got your money's worth of four acts because obviously you can have a good MC, but you have not so good MC. If you're paying, if you're paying for four acts, then pay for four acts and not somebody who might not work as an MC.
[00:13:19] I know that that's obviously that has lots of flaws in it as a theory, but it generally worked except maybe, maybe in summer, maybe in summer where it was a smaller crowd. It might be difficult for the first act, but you know, uh, so yeah, that, that kind of, it was how it was until a few years ago where we changed. We eventually caught up. It took, it took 40, it took 40 years, but we bit the bullet and got a compare.
[00:13:50] Yeah. Um, is, does it, um, ever surprise you that in, in a way that it wasn't picked up by, cause it's so, as, as, as Paul's mentioned, it's such an iconic venue. It's beautiful. It would have made an ideal place to film it live for telly, wouldn't it really? Um, did anything happen with that? Mark Thomas's comedy product was filmed there. Ah, right. Loads of people. I mean, basically lots of pits. It's been in, it's been in loads of films or TV shows.
[00:14:17] It's the sort of place where somebody comes from TV to see the comedy and goes, Oh, this is an interesting place. We could do some, we could film such and such here. Loads of things have been filmed there. Oh, right. So often without me having any, any idea, people ringing me up because they're bound to have got that idea through coming to the comedy. Um, but that's not my venue per se. I don't, I don't own the venue. Um, so, you know, there's times people rung me up to you.
[00:14:47] Oh, do you, do you know bananas is on? And sometimes actually sometimes, which irks even more, uh, where there's an actual comedy show that's, that's on the TV. Um, but there you go. That's, uh, that's another issue of not running your own, not actually owning the building. Well, that's, that's the other thing. Cause it, there is a claim. Do you claim to be the oldest, uh, comedy club in the same venue?
[00:15:15] Um, well, I, I, I think it's pretty close with us and the bear cat. Yes. Cause, uh, and, and plus the other one is now the downstairs, the King's head have claimed it. Pete Graham has claimed it. Oh, well, that's, did they not move a room from, but was it always downstairs at the King? Anyway, look, it's, it's, it's, it's fine. It's probably, I would probably say. Fight, fight, fight. Cause I want it decided now. Yeah.
[00:15:42] In that case, somebody said to me, um, it wasn't the state, it wasn't the original room at the King's head. Now fine. If it is, look, I'm really not bothered. It's quite close, but I would say the King's head is old, is slightly older than us anyway. Well, you should take that off your website then. That's all. That's all I'm saying. Oh, look, tell you what? I really will. I really will be. Um, yeah, for real in about three weeks. And I apologize, Pete.
[00:16:11] No, Dave, there's no need for you to apologize. It's not you've done it. It's the website for the pub. They've stuck it on there. Oh, have they? Oh, look, the pubs in the past, I'm not, I'm not blaming the current people, but there's been people who've said, you know, the oldest comedy club in the country, but it's like, just stop it. You can't, you can't say that. No. No. No. No. No. No. But that, that, but, that, that.
[00:16:37] Well, yes, say things that will, that from our website, whatever, but don't just make stuff up. We're going to sort this out actually on this show. Yeah. Find out. We've had Peter's got. We've had Pete on, yeah. Yeah, we can talk to the Bearcat, sort that out. Yeah. It's like the music of gangsters, yeah, who sort it out. You've had Pete on. Now, that's nice. I thought I was going to be the first promoter. I was wondering how you were going to make it funny for 30 minutes. Oh, that's all right. We've had Spiky Mike, and if we could do it with him,
[00:17:06] we could do it with anybody. Nice one, thanks. I just want to ask, Dave, I mean, I know this is a silly question, but why was it called Bananas? What was... Why? Oh, God. Whose idea? Was that Andy's idea? It was just... I guess everybody... Nobody thought it would last that long. Right. I think it's a terrible name, but at the same time, I don't... From years ago, I think I was talking to Stuart Lee,
[00:17:36] and I said it was a shit name, and he said, yeah, but rebranding, why rebrand? Everybody knows it. So you're stuck with it. That's how it goes. I think because it was a comedy fruit. Yeah. That's what Andy said. And it was somewhere that it wasn't going to be going for long. Nobody had any foresight into this carrying on for decades. It was just not very well thought out, or rather very briefly thought out. I think it's the best.
[00:18:05] It's the best of the comedy fruits. You could have had raspberry. You could have had cucumber. But, yeah, and also cabaret, because back then, there was all sorts of special acts and, you know, many more singing acts. So, yeah, just stuck with it. But, yeah. I seem to remember I saw Harry Hill there once. I've got to tell you this, because I've told you many times before,
[00:18:35] but one of the best hours of comedy I've ever seen was there at Bananas in the mid-90s, about 96, 97. And the second half was Harry Hill and Al Murray, the pub landlord. Yeah. It was just absolutely... But I do remember Harry Hill going on and on and on about Bananas. He just wouldn't stop. Because in those days, I don't know whether it's still there, there was a giant banana at the back, wasn't there? Stuck onto the wall. Yeah.
[00:19:04] I don't know. It's not still there, is it? No, the refurb took that off, yeah. Yeah, it would have gone off by now, wouldn't it? Yeah. Stink a bit, yeah. Yeah. No, it was brilliant, though. Because of the fact that Bananas changed so much, because I had relatives in Bananas, and it was a completely different place in the 70s and 80s, it just makes me think, as the audience... The audience must have changed,
[00:19:31] as all these people have come in, young professionals. And do you think that the... Because sometimes I think that audiences represent the club, or sometimes the club represents the audience, in terms of the booking. So you book people that the audience will like. Has that changed your booking style over the years? I don't know if I book people the audience will like.
[00:19:59] I would argue most of it's down to me liking them. But, no, of course there's an element to that. And if somebody does a show and the audience likes it, and I don't like them, I do feel obliged to book them again. That seems only fair, because they've had a great gig. I'm dying to ask for names now, but... No, no names, no names.
[00:20:29] Unfortunately, I won't give that away. But I've found it quite difficult sometimes. It's like, oh, they've really stormed it. LAUGHTER Yeah, but this is interesting from our point of view, because, you know, we very rarely get to have this conversation with promoters to hear it from your point of view. It's good. Yeah, but if the audience don't like somebody, and I do, then that's different, because I'm just thinking, well, they don't know comedy. LAUGHTER
[00:20:58] But, you know, about years ago, about years ago, those things, I used to love it when you could have, I could have, like, Stuart Lee on, and half the audience just going, what the fuck's this bloke talking about? And me thinking, this is absolutely, you just don't understand, this is fantastic. Yeah. You know, because people were more naive comedy-wise, and people did just stand and go up and go, what's going on with certain acts? Mm-hmm.
[00:21:27] You know, people walking out for a cognito because they were shocked or whatever. Because he nailed it, put a nail in the ball when he started. Oh, what? Yeah, just people were, yeah. So it was interesting. It's fine. Yeah, so obviously I have the privilege of it being, kind of being up to me, and hopefully put bills together that could work, also could work for a mixed audience, especially these days,
[00:21:58] because you've got people who were coming when I, from back in the day, I'd have people turning up going, oh, God, you're still here. And it's like, I remember back in, oh, yeah, I'm. So... I thought you were dead. Yeah. Yeah. There's people coming from the 80s, and also, you know, their children and stuff. So it's... Yeah. That's kind of cool. Yeah. To have people from their 20s to their...
[00:22:26] And there's even people now who'll bring their fairly young kids. So we've almost got three generations. Hmm. I mean, and talking about, you know, you booking things that you like, one of the best nights I ever saw there, and you were there, and it was me, you, Brian, Andy Waring, and about two other people watching Bob Boynton play to a packed audience, who absolutely hated everything he said. But he was absolutely fucking brilliant, wasn't he? Yeah. He was. And there was five of us laughing,
[00:22:56] but it was that horrible thing where we were pissing ourselves, and then the audience were looking at him, and then looking at us like they wanted to kill us. It still... I think it still remains one of the best comedy gigs I've ever seen. Bob was absolutely on fire that night, you know. And you never stopped booking him, did you? No, no. I don't know. Absolutely. Yeah. But then, you know, Kitson used to do that to the audience. He used to alienate the audience just once.
[00:23:25] I love him. Yeah, unfortunately, he's coming back to do one more gig for me, which is really nice. Oh, fantastic. Because I'm such a massive fan of Daniel's. This leads us on to another question, and we always ask this, you know, do you think... You said now that how much enjoyment you still get from watching comedy, and you still love it. I mean, what would you say that the future of comedy is going to be? How do you see it going in the next 10 years or so? God. It's a good one.
[00:23:54] Yeah. Well, there'll still be... I don't know. It's been harder to get bums on seats over the last few years. But that's to do... That's probably to do with the amount of clubs, obviously the amount of TV coverage. TV coverage. I don't know. There's so much on social media that people are doing that...
[00:24:24] Well, you do stuff, Steve. Everybody pretty much does. I don't know if that's watering it down. I mean, there's obviously lots of people who get big on social media without even doing the circuit. But then the circuit can be bypassed. Once upon a time, you kind of had to do the circuit. Now you don't have to do this circuit. You can pretty much go straight to TV, whatever. I don't know. In the next 10 years...
[00:24:58] No, I really... I've got a feeling it'll just continue in this sort of form. More things happening on social media. I'm not sure. I'm hoping it's going to continue in this form because I'm really looking forward to going to other gigs, which I haven't really done because I've been working on Fridays and Saturdays. And it's... It's... Yeah, it's something that... Because this has been my career, I'll actually...
[00:25:28] Once I stop, I don't want to just stop going to comedy. So I'm looking forward to going to other venues. So it better stay something similar for my... Just for me, my entertainment. entertainment. So why are you... I don't know what's the best word. How will you describe what you're doing with the club? Because you're stopping doing it, but the club is going to continue. I'm consigning banana cabaret to history. I'm stopping doing it myself
[00:25:58] because as it takes up... Well, I... Because I'm getting quite old. No, and I just... I just want to break. I really miss the comedy aspect, but running your own business and just doing all the admin and shit like this and the stress of numbers and, you know, and staff, permanent staff. I just want to stop ruining my own business.
[00:26:28] But I don't want to stop going to comedy. I'm sure that it will be... I'll keep in touch with people and just rock up to their gigs every so often. I was just thinking, though, could you help yourself if you go to another comedy club just sat there at the back thinking, I wouldn't do that. They've got this wrong. No, look, mate. I was going to say this is my worst thing. If I can't get over the fact... Because this is what I've always done. We go to other venues. It's like, hmm, is this one better than mine?
[00:26:57] Or how many people have they got in? Hmm, how are they doing that? How's that set up? They're not good. Yeah, I wouldn't do that. So, yeah, if I can't just watch the comedy, I might just have to knock it on their head. But, yeah, I'm terrible. I'm really good at assessing how many people are in a room. Oh, no! Oh, no! This should use you to assess how many people are in demonstrations. 6,000.
[00:27:28] I only work in hundreds. I mean, it's a shame, because I thought it would have been a grim finish between you, Pete Graham, and what's-his-name at the podcast. Yes! Will the name pass over? Will the name pass over? No, no, I'm... That's... It's gone. Well, my cousin, you know, I just wanted to stop. And, you know, it's not my venue to gift or anything like that. My kids don't want to do it. So, it's just... Yeah, I'm just... I'm stopping.
[00:27:58] And I kind of quite like the idea of consigning it to history. Because as one comic said to me, you know, if somebody else had the name, you'd be looking all the time to go, oh, is it doing better or worse? It would be a winder, by the way. So, I can't... I just... You know, it's been around a long time, so it actually feels like quite nice to be a part of the history of the sort of alternative comedy circuit and comedy circuit, British comedy circuit, for over four decades. It's cool. Dear God. Yeah, it's a long time, isn't it?
[00:28:28] It is, yeah. Well, mate, you were there before I was. Oh, shit, that reminds me. I've got to tell you one of my favourite... I did say that... About recording stuff, but I did a Radio 4 thing there once. Produced... It's called 4 at the... Oh, God. 4 on the floor or something. And we recorded a show there, and it was like live comedy, but Boopie Graffo got really pissed and was wandering around the gallery during the recording of a live radio show,
[00:28:57] shouting at the axe, You're fucking shit, you are. Anyway, he got thrown... They had bouncers to throw him out. And this recording had to be stopped. He's going, I'm only having a laugh. Oh, dear. Anyway, sorry. I digress. There's been a lot of nights that you've done. Is there any sort of ones that come back to you? Oh, fuck, I knew you'd ask this. I've been trying to think about it. No, I mean, it's all a bit of a blur
[00:29:25] because there's so many bits... It's not just single nights. It's... There's so many... There was a real heyday where it was, you know, people were getting on course. It was just so... Oh, it was such a buzz. And so, I don't know. No, there's certain... There's no... Nothing that I can remember per se. There's certain, like, full-length shows that people did,
[00:29:55] like one of Tim Vines for our Ballam Comedy Festival where I've never seen just so many people who kind of can hardly breathe. It's just so infectious what Tim does. Yeah. And when it gets to 40 minutes and people just losing their shit and not being able to control themselves and hardly being able to breathe, it was fantastic to see a whole audience just the ridiculousness of what Tim does. To see an audience that helpless
[00:30:25] with laughter, it was just... Just astonishing. That's what we're there for. Yeah. I suppose, yeah, another one. Actually, I wasn't even here for this one, which was... Which was Keith Dover wandering out into the audience and hitting a bloke because he was being a twat. LAUGHTER I miss... I miss that. But that was meant to have been a really exciting night. I bet it was. LAUGHTER Fantastic.
[00:30:54] So, one final question. Yeah. Any advice that you would give to the new people who are going to take over that venue? No. No, because they don't know what they're doing. Yeah. No, I've just done what I've done and it's Banana Cabaret and that's... That's it now. Um... I don't even... I don't know them anyway. And I take it you're not going to be nipping in?
[00:31:24] Not there. I'll go to other venues. You could turn up in disguise, pissed and just stand there. Oh, I might go back to the pub. You know, it'd be weird... It'd be weird to go back to the comedy. Yeah. I might go back to the pub to see... To do stuff. You know, I know people up in Ballam and stuff. Yeah. And Jimmy, who works for me, might go and watch the football with him or something like that. Yeah. And Ross, who's a resident compare. But I feel too weird to go back to the actual comedy venue. But I'm looking forward to going to venues.
[00:31:54] I mean, I've been to the Fort. Stephen Grant's venue at the Fort in Brighton. Obviously, I live down around here. And I'm looking forward to going there because I've never been there because I've worked weekends. Can I just ask one quick question at the end? I just want to know... I know this is a weird one. How many acts would you estimate have played Banana Cabaret? God. So 40 years,
[00:32:23] 52 weeks a year, 4 acts. It's a lot. Yeah. But duplicates don't count. Yeah, of course. It's not different for... It would be nice. That falls down then, doesn't it? Yeah. I reckon it must be about 20,000. I've got to go and think, well, how many of you... If you count as one, you've done a lot of them. Yeah, that takes a thousand off. Just you. Something like that. And I've got my four. Take them off.
[00:32:54] Including the night the bloke threatened to stab me and you had to walk me to the tube station. Oh, fuck yeah. Yeah. He said, I'm going to cut you. I'm going to fucking cut you. It wouldn't be one of our podcasts without you telling the story about some bloke wanting to inflict violence on you. I don't know what it is. It's the theme of your life. It's not my fault. Well, you're the only consistent person in these stories. Yeah. I'm the common denominator. Yeah.
[00:33:24] I think we're going to finish up. Well, thank you for being on our podcast. Yeah. That was brilliant. See you soon. Cheers. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. So, that was Dave Vickers. Dave. And there's, yeah, we've sort of had a little bit of a theme with people chucking comedy in for the last couple of podcasts. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Of course. And we asked them, you know, what do you think about the future of comedy? And they go, well, how do I know? I'm just giving it all up.
[00:33:54] Yeah. I couldn't give a fucking shit. Yeah, it was great. I mean, it was very nice to talk to him. And we wish him well. I think he's served. He's done his time. 40 years. Long enough. What do you think people should get when they retire from, like, promoters should get when they retire from comedy? Like, it used to be a clock, didn't it? Or a watch. Hmm. Or what should promoters get? I don't know. They should get a final full house, because that's the one thing
[00:34:23] that would make them really happy. They just basically see every seat is full and people cheering around the block. Yeah. And they go, thank you so much. It's the most perfect present you could ever give me. Either that or a sculpture with their actual bum on the seat, well, that made of stone, so they can put it in there. Or a red light. Well, that's got different connotations, especially in Ballum. Yes, well, not anymore. Given the history. Yeah, not anymore. Red light means probably sort of hypnotherapist these days.
[00:34:56] Yeah. That used to be the stomping ground of Cynthia Payne, didn't it? Really? The famous... No, she was more Stretton. She was up the hill a bit. Oh, right. Up the hill. Up the hill and round the bend. Yeah. That was Dave Vickers, anyway. We thoroughly enjoyed that. And we say RIP Bananas Cabaret 1983 to 2026. Yes. And we will get to the bottom of the oldest comedy club in the UK. In the same building.
[00:35:26] It won't be Bananas Cabaret anymore because it's done. So now we're down to just two contestants. Yeah. The Bearcat and Downstairs at the King's Head. And we're going to get someone on from the Bearcat, hear their story. Yeah. Get James on. Yeah, I think I will. James, if you're watching or listening, come on to our podcast. Yeah, we're going to get you on. I'll send him a message. I'll ask him. Yeah. Because we need to know. The country needs to know. It's vital.
[00:35:56] If you've enjoyed this wonderful podcast, please tell your friends, your neighbours, your relatives. Yes. Small cats. Yeah. They're big cats. Yeah. Don't tell your goldfish. You won't remember. No. Tell your elephants. Don't never forget. Of course. In the corner of the room. We never talk about that. In the corner of the room. Yeah. Yeah.
[00:36:25] Tell everybody you know, basically. Tell everyone. Yeah. And subscribe. Buy us a coffee. There's an option just so you just send me money directly. I might not spend it on coffee. Which I could do with now. People might notice that my voice is particularly gravelly today. Gravelly. Yeah. Went out on the lash last night. Yay. So you're lucky that I'm here.
[00:36:54] But I think it's about time we say goodbye. Bye. Goodbye, bananas. Goodbye, bananas. Yeah. Goodbye. Goodbye, bananas. Goodbye. Goodbye.
[00:37:23] This podcast is part of Podomedy. The UK's podcast comedy network. Why not laugh at what else we've got? Visit www.podomedy.com you