Topic: [The Guardian] Comic Relief’s outlandish origin story – inside Nether Wallop festival (Read 168 times)

« **on:** March 18, 2023, 07:05:15 AM »

Comic Relief’s outlandish origin story – inside Nether Wallop festival

Was this impromptu event – a farmer’s field in Hampshire that hosted comedy talents including Rowan Atkinson, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Billy Connolly and Rik Mayall – where the first seed of Comic Relief was planted?

The year is 1984 and, thanks to a headline in the Sunday Times, the tenacity of a charity entrepreneur and an eagle-eyed vicar, it is the opening evening of the first Nether Wallop international arts festival.

The headline ran in 1982 and sat above an article asking why Edinburgh had a monopoly on arts festivals. It was written by Stephen Pile (author of The Book of Heroic Failures) and his headline was to the effect of “The Edinburgh festival has had its time, why not do a festival in Nether Wallop?” – a village name plucked out of the ether purely for its quirkiness.

Tents in field: Nether Wallop, Hampshire, 29 September 1984

Continue reading...
Source: Comic Relief’s outlandish origin story – inside Nether Wallop festival

Feeds culled from https://www.theguardian.com/uk/rss

Subject / Started by	Replies	Last post
Inside Story Of Niger Flood Disaster Started by flukky-2 Newspaper Board	0 Replies 911 Views	October 16, 2016, 01:00:43 PM by flukky-2
Ondo: Inside story of State Assembly crisis Started by thenation Newspaper Board	0 Replies 1020 Views	November 11, 2018, 01:00:25 PM by thenation
Origin story of El Chapo: Scrappy and 'very poor,' according to one witness Started by PulseNG General News	0 Replies 658 Views	November 27, 2018, 01:04:43 PM by PulseNG
Ogechukwu Obah: Inside Story of Forbes Africa 30Under30 Winner Started by thisday Newspaper Board	0 Replies 1125 Views	July 28, 2019, 01:05:56 PM by thisday
[The Guardian] Revealed: the inside story of the UK's Covid-19 crisis Started by The Guardian Corona Virus	0 Replies 718 Views	April 30, 2020, 07:06:05 PM by The Guardian
[The Guardian] Edinburgh festival kicks off – in pictures Started by The Guardian Corona Virus	0 Replies 825 Views	August 11, 2021, 07:04:30 PM by The Guardian
[The Guardian] Sweet relief: the candyfloss sellers of Mumbai – in pictures Started by The Guardian Corona Virus	0 Replies 323 Views	April 11, 2022, 07:11:41 AM by The Guardian
[The Guardian] Photo North Festival – in pictures Started by The Guardian Corona Virus	0 Replies 580 Views	April 17, 2022, 01:05:26 AM by The Guardian
[The Guardian] Little monsters: a family’s cosplay for London Comic-Con – in pictures Started by The Guardian Corona Virus	0 Replies 397 Views	May 31, 2022, 07:19:12 PM by The Guardian
[The Guardian] Scotland’s Up Helly Aa festival – in pictures Started by The Guardian Corona Virus	0 Replies 323 Views	February 02, 2023, 01:19:10 AM by The Guardian

Topic: [The Guardian] Comic Relief’s outlandish origin story – inside Nether Wallop festival (Read 168 times)

[The Guardian] Comic Relief’s outlandish origin story – inside Nether Wallop festival

Related Topics