In the neon-pink glow of The Gaffe, Bristol’s newest comedy venue, attendees aged 25 to 85 are bustling to their seats for tonight’s sold-out show.
They’re all here for Laughter Lines – an evening of comedy hosted by Age UK Bristol, as part of the charity’s 30th anniversary celebrations. Tonight’s comedians are generously performing for free, and the performance space was kindly gifted by The Gaffe, which means that every penny raised from ticket sales will go directly towards supporting Age UK Bristol’s services. But for the organisers, Laughter Lines is about much more than raising money.
“We’re really keen for this to not just be a fundraiser,” says Kay Libby, Age UK Bristol’s Chief Executive.
“October is our Celebrating Age month, so it’s the perfect time to show that older people still want to have fun, and that maintaining social connections in your 50s and 60s can help you live well in your 70s, 80s and beyond. Later life doesn’t have to be about hiding away at home with a cup of tea if you don’t want it to be.”
You really do meet people from all walks of life at a comedy club, so it’s important to have that reflected on stage.
Age on stage
Celebrating age really is at the heart of tonight’s gig, with 4 out of 5 of its comedians aged 50 and over. The inclusivity of the line-up is something that was particularly important to Dani Johns, Age UK Bristol’s Project Coordinator for their Friends Ageing Better (FAB) department. The FAB team manages a range of social activities for over-50s across the city, but it was Dani’s own experiences in comedy that inspired her to organise Laughter Lines.
“I work at Age UK Bristol part-time and then on the weekend I do stand-up comedy, so this is my two passions colliding,” she explains. “I wanted to host Laughter Lines because comedy is for all ages, but I think age representation in comedy is something that a lot of organisers forget about.
“A comedy promoter might book a line-up with an equal gender split, without realising that everyone is actually under the age of 27. They think they’re being diverse, but they’re not. And you really do meet people from all walks of life at a comedy club, so it’s important to have that reflected on stage.”
As the gig gets underway, the diversity of the line-up’s life experiences is soon highlighted: librarian and comedian Mark Hurman brings literary gags, while the audience laughs at material about Liverpool from the city’s own Ian Murphy. Jo Frank, meanwhile, muses on the allure of mobility scooters, before Jack Campbell manages to mine laughs from his time working at a coronavirus testing centre.
Louise Leigh is at the helm of it all, as the compère for the evening. “The majority of comedians on the scene are young, white, straight, middle-class men,” she tells us. “But if we only have those perspectives it can only be bad for the art form. Stand-up comedy is about saying stuff that only you can say. Nobody else has your magical way of looking at things.”
Older people still want to have fun. Later life doesn’t have to be about hiding away at home with a cup of tea if you don’t want it to be.
Standing up for your dreams
Finding her own comedic perspective is something that came to Louise later than most, when she decided to try out stand-up for the first time in her 40s.
“When I was 16, I dreamed of being the comic actress of my generation – I basically wanted to be Olivia Colman,” she reveals. “But I didn’t do it, and then in my 40s I thought if I don’t try stand-up once then I’ll be sad forever. So, in a classic midlife crisis, I decided to give it a go, and now I’ve been doing stand-up for 10 years.”
Her fellow comic Ian knows the feeling, after getting inspired to start his stand-up career following a big birthday. “I used to be a professional footballer and have done other bits and pieces, but comedy was something I loved from an early age,” he says. “When I turned 50, I admitted to my wife that I’d always wanted to try stand-up. So here I am – I don’t know whether it’s bravery or stupidity!”
Both Ian and Louise are clear that nothing should be a barrier to chasing long-held dreams – least of all getting older.
“You need to think about your 16-year-old self having a conversation with your 80-year-old self,” says Louise. “If you suspect that your younger self would be disappointed and wonder why you never did something you always wanted to, I think you have to consider: what’s stopping you?”
Sharing a laugh
As the gig draws to a close, the benefits of gathering people together this evening aren’t lost on the organisers. Alongside this first Laughter Lines event, Age UK Bristol’s FAB department runs regular activities like telephone clubs, café meet-ups, discos and local history walks.
“It’s so important for people over 50 to have access to events like this because they bring so much joy,” says Dani. “I’ve seen the way that people who come to our FAB activities are transformed, and I don’t think you can put a value on it.
“So I’m very excited to see what we can do with Laughter Lines,” Dani continues. “In the Friends Ageing Better department we’re very much about fun, social interaction, and doing all of the things that can bring community to people and fight against loneliness. And what’s better than having a laugh?”
