Jumping on the bandwagon... Congratulations Lost Voice Guy

He only went and did it! Lost Voice Guy has won Britain's Got Talent 2018. He's the first comedian to do it, and the first comedian using an iPad. Fantastic news and we couldn't be happier for him.  

When we last spoke with Lost Voice Guy in April we stumbled upon an in-joke, maybe inappropriate joke? With the sad passing of Professor Stephen Hawking in March, we realised there was a gap for a person using a synthesised voice. 

Lost Voice Guy, with Abnormally Funny People 
Soho Theatre, 2012

I think Lee (real name) first worked with Abnormally Funny People in 2012. He is a stand up comedian on the mainstream circuit where he earns his living. He writes his own material and has done multiple one hour, one man, Edinburgh shows. Like all the Abnormally Funny People comedians, he dips in and out to do occasional shows and have fun with us. Abnormally Funny People has always been an ensemble cast but to remind you, we try to have a token non-disabled comedian, to give them a chance. The first was Steve Best, co-founder of Abnormally Funny People. We're all about inclusion. 

Lee has a tendency to cut it fine, be almost late for a show. As a producer, with a packed audience in the venue, waiting for your last act to turn up is stressful. Of course he always made it but there was never time for him to then type out the reason why he was nearly late. 

We introduced improvisation in to our 10th Anniversary show at Edinburgh in 2015. We were taught by the best Lee Simpson (of Improbable Theatre and Comedy Store Players). We decided to play the three headed expert game. It's fast paced, requiring a single, different word said by three different people in succession, trying to keep a coherent sentence going. 
                                                                                                                                        
This is a hard game for anyone, made more interesting when you then have comedian who uses an iPad to speak and has to type his word out as Lost Voice Guy does. He wasn't the only one who found it tricky: Steve Day and Caro Sparks can't hear, Laurence Clark can speak but does so differently with his CP or Jess Thom, with Tourette's meaning she won't stick to one word. Tanyalee Davis used to throw up her short arms in despair. Luckily Juliette Burton was the most excellent interviewer and just about held the show together. 

Abnormally Funny People Edinburgh 2015
L - R Juliette Burton, Lost Voice Guy, Laurence Clark, Tanyalee Davis

And the schmaltzy take away bit of this story? It's about taking a risk. There is no way we should have played that improvisation game. I spoke with Jess (Touretteshero) after one show and suggested we couldn't have picked a harder game for her. She replied that she loved it, only with Abnormally Funny People could she play such an inappropriate game with her being integral and free to enjoy it. 

The photo to the right is a peach. At the left hand end, Juliette is keeping the audience onside, at the other end, Tanyalee is watching, ready to pounce. Laurence is already laughing and the best bit, Lost Voice Guy is corpsing, laughing uncontrollably, as he knows the one word he wants to say but can't get it out quick enough. Because he is corpsing, we have to wait even longer for him to answer. Pure joy!

Disability Training, Abnormally Funny People style

It's what you've been waiting for... It's what the world has been waiting for... It's a disability training video with comedians from Abnormally Funny People giving you the low down.  

Made by the creative and very well respected people at Skill Boosters it's been a lot of brilliant and hard work and now it's ready for you. 

Below is the promo video, hope you enjoy and #laughandlearn (is that even a hashtag?) Transcript available too by clicking this sentence. 

If you want to know more, contact Peter Thorpe, at Skill Boosters 020 3859 4308  peter.thorpe@skillboosters.com 

Farewell to Producer Steve Best!

Steve Best, Co-Founder and Producer of Abnormally Funny People is stepping down from the company in order to focus on his photography career.

Steve has performed with Abnormally Funny People since their first show in 2005, often bravely stepping up as the token non-disabled performer. It is not farewell forever, as Steve will continue to feature as a guest on the show and collaborate on Abnormally Funny projects.

More information about Steve's work as a photographer and Comedian can be found at www.stevebest.com

We wish Steve all the best in his endeavors!

Co-Founder Simon Minty will continue to act as Producer for Abnormally Funny People.

Could you be our next podcast sponsor?

The Abnormally Funny People Show is a monthly podcast discussing all things disability with a splash of comedy. Each month we welcome guests from diverse backgrounds who have a connetion to disability - they might be in entertainrment, journalists, disability advocacates, writers and more. We also have regular guests call in with latest tech and accessibility news along with news from the USA. 

The show has had a successful first eighteen months kindly sponsored by Barclays. We're now looking for a new sponsor to help us continue. It's an opportunity for your organisation to get your name out to an often neglected market as well as support a fun and engaging project. If you’re interested, please contact us at info@abnormallyfunnypeople.com. We would love to hear from you.

Edinburgh: 10 years on!

We returned to the place it all started for us this summer - the Edinburgh Festival Fringe! Check out the fun music video we made to celebrate 10 years of AFP.

Return to Edinburgh!

We're pleased to announce our return to The Edinburgh Festival Fringe this year with our 10th Anniversary Show! Tickets are now available and can be booked online.

Red Nose Day

We wrote, cast and filmed a couple of short skits (about a minute each) for Barclays and Red Nose Day 2015. Watch them here now!