Posted by Jane Hill on Saturday, January 9, 2010,
Experienced comedians mutter darkly about Christmas gigs, how they're full of drunken arses, heckling and making life miserable. I listened, and congratulated myself that my only Christmas gig was the always-lovely That Time of the Month in Newport Pagnell on 20th December. And then I got offered a last-minute open spot on Thursday 16th December - at the Comedy Store in London. You can't say no that. My first open spot there had been delightful, but since Don Ward was having trouble catchin... Continue reading...
Posted by Jane Hill on Tuesday, December 15, 2009,
Here's me looking slightly bemused after winning Beat the Frog (the gong show) at the Frog & Bucket in Preston in November. I hadn't realised that comedians were supposed to pull weird faces. That's the compere Chris Ramsay with me.  Continue reading...
Posted by Jane Hill on Friday, December 11, 2009,
...and often the ones you least expect. I was feeling tired and jaded at the end of a long, busy year. A big half-empty pub in Corby, a cold Thursday night. A man in a white coat with a basket was selling portions of cockles table to table in the pub. There was a table of emo kids & Corby's only student, another of big tattooed men speaking in the peculiar strain of Glaswegian that is such a feature of this Northamptonshire steel town. It could go either way... It went brilliantly. Sion ... Continue reading...
Posted by Jane Hill on Thursday, November 5, 2009,
I've finally got hold of the recording of my performance at the Comedy Store on 8th October, and uploaded to my clips page here on this site. You can also see it on my YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/janehill64. Continue reading...
Posted by Jane Hill on Friday, October 30, 2009,
My dad was a sales rep, and much of his job involved driving. It struck me last night that stand-up comedy and being a sales rep probably have a similar percentage of driving to actually doing the job. Six hours behind the wheel in order to compere a gig in lovely Bradford-on-Avon. Actually, make that five and a half hours, since 30 minutes of the journey time was spent mending the wing mirror on my car that had randomly sheared off on the M6. The shop at Corley Services doesn't sell gaffer... Continue reading...
Posted by Jane Hill on Tuesday, October 20, 2009,
I've been lucky enough to play two of the best comedy clubs in Britain in the past couple of weeks. My first five-minute spot at the Comedy Store in London was my reward for surviving the brutal 'King Gong show earlier this year - and what a difference between the gladiatorial style of the gong show and the brilliant atmosphere on a Thursday night. It was a treat to play to a huge audience of people who wanted to laugh, and my five-minute spot was one of my most enjoyable gigs ever. I hope... Continue reading...
Posted by Jane Hill on Monday, August 31, 2009,
As always it's been an emotional roller coaster, and I'd underestimated how tiring doing two daily shows would be. But I learned a lot, had a great time and took some decent money as well. Murder for Profit and Pleasure, my one-woman show, had good and bad days but towards the end I felt I was really hitting my stride. I tried to stay under the radar and didn't invite critics to come, but I managed a decent three-star review from One4Review that said I was consistently funny but didn't talk ... Continue reading...
Posted by Jane Hill on Friday, August 21, 2009,
We're around halfway through the Fringe now and many people seem to be suffering from midterm blues. It's not unusual to bump into a comedian you know slightly, and they pour out their heart to you about low numbers or a crappy venue or a bad review. Extreme moodswings are a regular part of life at the Edinburgh Fringe. For myself, I think I'm progressing - my Murder show is coming together and I've had some very good ones where I think to myself "I can really do this!" And there are others... Continue reading...
Posted by Jane Hill on Saturday, August 15, 2009,
...and finally the rain arrives with a vengeance. We all knew we were living on borrowed time in the uncharacteristic sunshine. Yesterday the rain started up - relentless and icy, as only Edinburgh Fringe rain can be. On the bright side, it drove the crowds into the free shows. With barely a hint of flyering, I had a packed house of 40+ people for my afternoon show Murder for Profit and Pleasure, and it was the best one yet. I tried out some new stuff, which mostly worked, let the audience... Continue reading...
Posted by Jane Hill on Tuesday, August 11, 2009,
This is my fourth year at the Edinburgh Fringe, and the third as a performer doing at least one daily show, and yet it is still like a shock to the system. There is nothing so exhausting and yet so exhilarating on earth. We're living in the same flat as last year and being our normal dull, domesticated selves - two middle-aged comics who don't drink, eat healthily and like to go to bed at a sensible hour. We're like the rebels of the Edinburgh Fringe, but I seriously don't know how I'd survi... Continue reading...
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