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Original poster

Have you ever been singled out by a stand-up comic?

132 replies

Pickles89 · 03/02/2021 14:49

How did it go? What did they say to you? How did you feel about it? I would totally cringe myself to death I think, with the embarrassment of it!

OP posts:

Ameanstreakamilewide · 03/02/2021 18:11

Yes, Adam Bloom. We went on a couple of dates afterwards!

kennelmaid · 03/02/2021 18:11

My DS was doing his first stand-up at his local comedy club in Nottingham. Before he went on he said to me "I'm going to say 'is anyone from Grimsby?' so shout out and I'll say 'thanks, mum'. Might get a laugh". He started his act and then came to "is anyone from Grimsby?" Before I could open my mouth a man from across the other side of the room shouted out "Yes!" So my DS pointed at him and said "Thanks, mum". It did get a laugh.

iamtheoneandonlyyy · 03/02/2021 18:14

Got up to go to the loo and he pointed s as he shouted 'CYSTITIS!'
It was funnier than it sounds

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Theatre

Monkeytapper · 03/02/2021 18:20

Yes, Steve Coogan singing ‘Ordinary Girl’ as Tony Ferrino over 20 years ago.

hairypaws · 03/02/2021 18:24

Yes, Jimmy Carr. My DH and I were in the front row. He was making a joke about thumbing in a softie. I didn't know what that meant and leant into my husband to ask what it meant. Jimmy asked my DH if he was telling me what it was. When DH confirmed it Jimmy told him he was a legend as I had never experienced that with him . Got lots of laughs all round but was rather embarrassing.

StrandedStarfish · 03/02/2021 18:25

Yes. I was by Sarah Millican. She asked how many words there were for the female downstairs. I gave her a fair few

MyFavouriteIsWhoeverlsQuietest · 03/02/2021 18:25

I was also pulled onto stage once to do an impression of Ronnie Corbett. No idea why as I am female and not an impressionist or outgoing like that. So I was cringing but went on stage and mumbled it's goodnight from him on my knees...cos you know, Ronnie was short. I won a pint.

Was with a bf who was teased by Tim Clark for his tee shirts but bf had no comebacks - that did feel a bit like bullying tbf. Jenny Eclair was booed off when she took the piss out of a popular, pregnant student I was at college with.

ShopTattsyrup · 03/02/2021 18:31

Twice, both at the Edinburgh fringe.

The first was a matinee gig where there were about 5 or 6 of us in the audience, I wasn't so much singled out as it just became a very funny group chat. The comedian even got a roll of sticky labels from the office at the front made us each little name tags so we could get to know each other. It was genuinely a very very funny show in the end.

The second time was a small performer who I had seen before and had tickets to see again at the Fringe. Bumped into him in a cafe queue the morning of the Fringe show and recognised him, told him that I had really enjoyed his show in Cardiff and was looking forward to that nights show. Naturally he spotted me in the small audience that evening, and joked about me being his stalker etc. All good natured and I did bring it on myself!

Santaiscovidfree · 03/02/2021 18:36

It was Ross Noble. Quite nice of him - added to the sentiment the first time I ever saw him live was me and dh's first date a few years previously!

NecklessMumster · 03/02/2021 18:39

I was in a tiny comedy club in Bristol, an old shop with local comedian night. One of them waved me and friend to the front with the promise that he wouldn't pick on me when the show started. Then he did. He asked what I did, I'm a social worker and no way was I admitting to that so I just kept saying 'nothing ' and he kept going on saying 'nothing? really ?' etc etc . Never again. Cheap humour really, so is the going through the handbag stuff.

OhWhatFuckeryIsThisNow · 03/02/2021 18:40

Nothing glamorous but me and dsil got dragged up by a comedian/magician on Holiday in Majorca. The big thing was me blindfolded having a huge snake put around my shoulders. Obviously expecting me to squeal. But I said “blimey that’s a big one, no one I know!” which got a bit of a reaction.

traveller11 · 03/02/2021 18:41

Yep, Russell Howard said I was a human glitter ball and that my (gold sequined) jumper was blinding him. Then suggested my boyfriend (gay best friend) got sunglasses to deal with me.

Was all quite odd, but I guess the lights were reflecting on my clothes in quite a small venue

NoJetter · 03/02/2021 18:41

One comedian repeatedly said how stunningly beautiful I was and how he was amazed I was with my husband because he wasn’t as good looking. I am really quite average looking (and my husband isn’t bad 😂) so assuming it was a piss take and I am quite shy and self conscious so it felt so excruciatingly embarrassing to have everyone turn round and stare and me. It really put me off live stand up comedy.

safariboot · 03/02/2021 18:54

Not me, but a family member at a fairly small Ed Fringe gig. I don't remember the 'comedy', just that it lowered our opinion of the comic in question.

ILoveMyBernina · 03/02/2021 18:56

Yes. Several times.
Sister's Hen party. By a comedian basing his act on Norman Wisdom. Can't remember very much about it but his act involved him being on a stage and balancing on a ladder. I had to go on stage to "foot his ladder". I was seventeen and mortified.
Another time I was on a former boyfriend's staff christmas party at a medieval banquet and found myself on stage with my head in a guillotine.
Third time I was in a bar on holiday. Second rate DJ/comedian directed some joke at me. I was older and wiser by then and managed to knock him off his stride with my reply. He soon moved onto somebody else.
I must have one of those faces.

MerylStropp · 03/02/2021 19:07

I was once at a Lenny Henry gig as a student, though not in the front row. He did his Theophilus P. Wildebeeste character and picked on some poor girl who played along and (rumour has it) received a bottle of wine as a token of appreciation for her embarrassment!

Much more recently we went to see Foil, Arms and Hog - who are absolutely brilliant and their interaction with the front row is utterly hilarious ... not offensive in the least, just very funny and good natured. Will try and get a front-row seat next time we go to one of their shows.

Puffinhead · 03/02/2021 19:16

@TheNationsFavourite

It happens to my DH quite a bit, he must have that sort of face. He enjoys it, can respond without being too much of a knob.

We had front row seats for Jason Byrne years ago, and he was late getting back from London so we made our own ways there. It was packed out and I was questioned as to why the seat next to me was vacant. Lots of jokes about my imaginary fiance. We were getting married 3 weeks later and I had to admit that this was going to be outdoors on the side of a loch in Scotland in November. Cue much hilarity. Lots of improv about a beachside winter wedding etc.

He arrived in the foyer half an hour in and the stewards addressed him by name, as they'd been listening to the set. He didn't dare walk into the theatre whilst the comedian was still on the stage.

When he finally made his entrance during the interval.

Later on, he was called up to the stage with 2 other chaps to stand in a line whilst Jason Byrne produced increasingly large beaters to play their testicle regions like a glockenspiel. The final set were the size of a spacehoppers. It was funny, you had to be there really.

Your poor DH! I’ve seen Jason Byrne twice and he was very, very funny. Thankfully, the first time I was sat nearer the back but the second time I went (different theatre) the ushers asked us to fill up the front rows first - and we’d got there early thinking we could nab a seat towards the back!

We ended up being right in the middle towards the front, directly in his eye line. I spent the whole time on edge!! The thought of being singled out actually makes me feel physically sick (I’m a chronic blusher).

DoomPoodle · 03/02/2021 19:18

I saw Jo Brand many, many years ago and she went along the front row, where I was sat and made a joke about each person, she got to me, gave a grin and left me alone. I was so relieved!
I went to a private "do" with a group of friends where there was an awful racist comedian, and we heckled him until he left.

SuburbanCrofter · 03/02/2021 19:26

Not a comedian, but DS and I did get pulled into a morris dance once! They needed a 'maiden' for the dance, I told them that ship had clearly sailed but they danced round me anyway. They later sent me a picture of us that was taken for their newsletter

frumpety · 03/02/2021 19:31

Yes, I did a sort of prolonged 'will I fall or won't I ?' trip up and nearly spilt all the drinks I was carrying onto the table where we were sitting, managed to save 2/3rds of the drinks through sheer good luck, the comedian noticed and commented, quite good natured though.

Tempusfudgeit · 03/02/2021 19:40

Rich Hall made up a song on the spot and sang it to me. Best evening of my life

Original poster

Pickles89 · 03/02/2021 19:52

@hairypaws You've going to have to enlighten me on that one! What does it mean?

OP posts:

BeaSmithers · 03/02/2021 20:02

I took my son to a comedy club when he was 16. I was 42. The comedian picked on us for something, and then asked how long we'd been together. My son was mortified 😂😂

Wearethetwirl · 03/02/2021 20:23

Twice.

Once at a comedy festival. My friend and I are both Asian and we sat at the back of a near empty venue. The compère asked me and my friend to move up and sit near the front. My friend politely declined and then the compère replied "well we won't be racist like Bernard Manning!" My friend shook her head again and he said " We won't pick on you and make racist jokes I promise!"

Second at the Edinburgh festival, only 6 people at the gig. Comedian asked me what I did for a living. I was working on an ITV soap but did not want to mention it, in case he thought I was there talent spotting or in a professional capacity, so I just said "I write". He got really angry and said "why bother?" and started complaining to other audience members that "she didn't bother replying properly" . It was weird how offended this guy got. Later on, he told off my friend for spending time on her phone. She was tweeting about the show.

His set was all about what a nice misunderstood guy he was, in fact he seemed hideously insecure.

On a personal note I knew Daliso Chaponda (from BGT fame) before he was on the show. A genuinely lovely kind guy.

hairypaws · 03/02/2021 20:26

@pickles89 it's basically when a guy isn't quite ready but tries anyway

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