Sit Down, Pedal, Pedal, Stop And Stand Up
In 2009 I decided to do a big bike ride. I cycled from the southernmost point of the British mainland to the easternmost, then the westernmost and finally the northernmost point. From Lizard Point to Lowestoft Ness to Ardnamurchan to Dunnet Head. It's about 1600 miles.
Initially I was planning it just as a bike ride. It seemed more than enough as it was. But around the same time I'd also started going back to the clubs and doing bits of stand up. When the idea of combining the two was first mooted it was irresistible. The deal I struck with my agent was that I'd allow them to book a tour along the way but only if they accepted certain conditions. Firstly... the route came first. Cycling between the four corners is a big task and I wasn't going to add in any big detours because there was a theatre available in town A or City B. The ride came first. Secondly... I wasn't going to take a day off. I know myself. I know that I need momentum to keep something like that up. If I spent a day off waiting for a venue to come available then I'd find it much, much harder to get on the bike the next day. There had to be a ride each day... and a show each night.
They agreed... and set about the mammoth task of booking things up. It's not tricky. If you look at anyone else's tour poster you'll see that they're playing Aberdeen one night and Portsmouth the next. That's because that's when the venues are available. And as a rule, a venue doesn't want you appearing fifty miles up the road the next day because it can split their audience. They sometimes put clauses in your contract to prevent it.
So finding a venue roughly 50 miles up the road each day was a tough ask. But they did it. I think the shortest ride was just 30 miles and the longest was around 90. But it happened. As well as regular theatres, I performed in a few village halls, a hotel bar, a train carriage and a barn... but it happened.
2009 TOUR: SIT DOWN, PEDAL, PEDAL, STOP AND STAND UP
When |
Where |
Whereabouts |
|---|---|---|
August 30, 2009 |
Grampound (nr Truro) |
Grampound Village Hall |
August 31, 2009 |
Liskeard |
Sterts Theatre |
September 1, 2009 |
Exeter |
Northcott Theatre |
September 2, 2009 |
Taunton |
The Brewhouse |
September 3, 2009 |
Bristol |
Colston Hall |
September 4, 2009 |
Swindon |
Wyvern Theatre |
September 5, 2009 |
High Wycombe |
Wycombe Town Hall |
September 6, 2009 |
Cambridge |
Corn Exchange |
September 7, 2009 |
Ipswich |
Regent Theatre |
September 8, 2009 |
Lowestoft |
Marina Theatre |
September 9, 2009 |
Kings Lynn |
Corn Exchange |
September 10, 2009 |
Peterborough |
The Cresset Theatre |
September 11, 2009 |
Leicester |
The Y Theatre |
September 12, 2009 |
Stoke on Trent |
Victoria Hall |
September 13, 2009 |
Salford |
The Lowry Centre |
September 14, 2009 |
Preston |
The Guildhall |
September 15, 2009 |
Lancaster |
Grand Theatre |
September 16, 2009 |
Kendal |
Brewery Arts Centre |
September 17, 2009 |
Threlkeld, nr Keswick |
Threlkeld Village Hall |
September 18, 2009 |
Carlisle |
The Brickyard |
September 19, 2009 |
Dumfries |
Bridgend Theatre |
September 20, 2009 |
Cumnock |
Town Hall |
September 21, 2009 |
Glasgow |
The Pavilion |
September 22, 2009 |
Dumbarton |
Denny Civic Hall |
September 23, 2009 |
Ardlui |
The Ardlui Hotel |
September 24, 2009 |
Fort William |
Fired Art |
September 25, 2009 |
Ardnamurchan |
The Big Barn, Sonachan Hotel |
September 26, 2009 |
Glenfinnan |
Railway Station Dining Car |
September 27, 2009 |
Fort Augustus |
Fort Augustus Public Hall |
September 28, 2009 |
Inverness |
The Ironworks |
September 29, 2009 |
Dornoch |
Carnegie Hall |
September 30, 2009 |
Lyth |
Lyth Arts Centre |
I had a great time. And I think it's safe to say that when I arrived at Dunnet Head on October 1st that year I was the fittest I've ever been. And the fittest I'll ever be.
The show was well received and lots of venues that weren't on the route asked if they could host the show so I did another tour in the spring of 2010 of the same show. But I didn't cycle between venues. It wasn't really possible and it wasn't really the point. It was never a show about cycling in any case and I didn't do the original bike ride in order to do a tour... I let an existing bike ride become a tour. So the second batch of dates became a conventional tour of the same show... although I kept the same title because I didn't want anyone to come along and buy a ticket thinking it was meant to be a different show.
2010 EXTENDED TOUR: SIT DOWN, PEDAL, PEDAL, STOP AND STAND UP (ONLY WITHOUT THE PEDAL, PEDAL BIT)
When |
Where |
Whereabouts |
|---|---|---|
February 11 |
Preston |
Guildhall |
February 12 |
Sheffield |
City Hall |
February 13 |
Nottingham |
Royal Concert Hall |
February 14 |
Reading |
The Hexagon |
February 15 |
Edinburgh |
Festival Theatre |
February 16 |
Bradford |
St. George's Hall |
February 17 |
Oxford |
New Theatre |
February 18 |
Derby |
Assembly Rooms |
February 19 |
York |
Grand Opera House |
February 20 |
London |
Hammersmith Apollo |
February 24 |
Folkestone |
Leas Cliff Halls |
February 25 |
Southend |
Cliffs Pavilion |
February 26 |
Bournemouth |
Pavilion |
February 27 |
Cambridge |
Corn Exchange |
February 28 |
Tunbridge Wells |
Assembly Theatre |
March 3 |
Portsmouth |
Guildhall |
March 4 |
Plymouth |
Pavilions |
March 5 |
Bedford |
Corn Exchange |
March 6 |
High Wycombe |
The Swan |
March 7 |
Newcastle |
Theatre Royal |
March 10 |
Cheltenham |
Town Hall |
March 11 |
Cardiff |
St. David's Hall |
March 12 |
Birmingham |
Alexandra |
March 13 |
Salford |
The Lowry Centre |
March 14 |
Brighton |
Theatre Royal |
March 17 |
Bolton |
Albert Halls |
March 18 |
Stoke on Trent |
Victoria Hall |
March 19 |
Coventry |
Warwick Arts Centre |
March 20 |
Liverpool |
The Empire |
March 21 |
Blackburn |
King George's Hall |
March 24 |
Aberdeen |
Music Hall |
March 25 |
Glasgow |
Kings Theatre |
March 26 |
Dorking |
Dorking Halls |
March 27 |
Belfast |
Waterfront Hall |
March 28 |
Basingstoke |
The Anvil |
March 30 |
Leicester |
De Montfort Hall |
March 31 |
Llandudno |
Venue Cymru |