“A brilliant showcase for exciting new talent I loved every minute of it.”
Mathew Bowes - Vice President MTV Europe Operations

“One of the best evenings I have ever had I’m coming again.”
Harry Blakey - Executive Director – Cap Gemini

“It was full to capacity, with the audience rolling in the aisles and roaring with laughter and by the end, crying for more.”
Ludlow Advertiser July 2005

“A very professional company, whose hospitality is second to none.”
Nick Revell - comedian and comedy writer for TV, Radio & Jasper Carrot

Patrick Plays it for Laughs

“Patrick Monahan gave a tantalising glimpse of his Edinburgh Festival show as he took Ludlow’s Gob Akimbo Comedy Lounge by storm.

On a night hosted by Brian Damage and Krysstal at the George Hotel, the former Take the Mike winner demonstrated his unrivalled ability to interact with an audience.

Although he has spent many hours developing his new Road Map to Peace show, it is his improvisational skills that mark him out as a genuine comic talent; his banter with a member of the crowd purporting to be Mayor of Ludlow was a constant source of amusement.

The comedian, who describes himself as an Irish-Iranian Geordie, does not use shock tactics or pile on the profanities.

Instead, he gently extracts information from the crowd, teases them a little and delivers well-executed off-the-cuff punch-lines. This approach ensures it never gets boring for the audience or the comic.

Strong support was provided by Australian comic Pam Ford and Doniert McFarlane. It’s difficult to dislike a woman who stuffs chicken fillets down her bra or finishes with an obscene rewrite of a Shania Twain hit.

Equally, it was hard to remain unimpressed when Doniert McFarlane produced a bottle of dog gravy! All acts succeeded in maintaining the momentum on a night that further enhanced the growing reputation of Ludlow’s Comedy Festival.”

Mark Bowen – Ludlow Advertiser July 14, 2005

We need more of best medicine - 01 July 2004

The festival's first ever comedy club, Gob Akimbo, has proved such a success that it could become a monthly event. A number of well-known acts from the comedy circuit came to the Blue Boar in Mill Street and an open evening gave local amateurs a chance to try out their own routines in front of an enthusiast audience. Organiser Jaelith Mahoney is now considering whether to repeat the event as a showcase for new material. "The atmosphere has been electric. Everyone is talking about it," she said "It's been a real breath of fresh air, and I hope we can continue to run it after the festival is over." The Blue Boar was transformed into a colourful venue with a huge laughing mouth and red furry seats, creating an exciting and flamboyant atmosphere. It was full to capacity, with the audience rolling in the aisles and roaring with laughter and, by the end, crying for more. Comedian and compere John Mawer was a master of improvisation, deflecting heckles from the exuberant crowd with witty ripostes and good-humoured banter. Afterwards he said: "It's been lots of fun. The audiences have enjoyed themselves so much that the performers provided a mixture of hilarious takes on various subjects including wry observations on life in Ludlow. "If laughter is the best medicine, let's hope there will be regular repeats of Jaelith's prescription.

Mia Davis - Advertiser

Serious about comedy club's quality - 08 July 2004

LAST week, I was privileged to watch and be involved in some small way with a new event at the Ludlow Festival, The Gob Akimbo Comedy Lounge. The reason for this letter is to give my hearty congratulations to Jaelith Mahoney for organising an excellent event. On the evenings my fiancée and I attended, we found an excellent range of comedic talent on show, our favourite being Stephen Carlin. My own involvement was through Shukers Land Rover which sponsored Thursday night's performance, the night that England got knocked out of the European Cup. With presence of mind, Jaelith delayed that night's performance until full time to allow the football fans among the audience to watch the match. I was also pleased to see that other companies had helped in the success of this event, Nightingales Ltd and Onny Developments Ltd as well as Adnams Brewery. Without local company support, events of this nature would not be available to the people of Ludlow, certainly not with the quality of acts that were seen throughout the week. Once again I would like to congratulate Jaelith on a job well done. I would also like to mention Jaelith's husband who took time off work to spend his evenings recording the acts and the landlord and his team who made everyone so welcome.

Mark Clarke, Sales Manager, Shukers Limited, Ludlow - Advertiser .

Thank you all for your festival help - 02 September 2004

I would like to extend thanks to everyone, especially the sponsors, grant providers, councils, schools, colleges and the media who supported and helped with the new projects which were undertaken by Ludlow Festival this year.

The leisure centre, street festivals and Gob Akimbo comedy were all well received, which is an indication of how much the festival has been appreciated. I hope that we can continue and expand on our achievements in the future and that local organisations will continue to offer financial support and become partners in creating a successful future for these new events.

Mal Salisbury, Ludlow Festival manager,Ludlow - Advertiser.

Looking back at Ludlow Festival's highs and lows - 26 July 2004

"...There were two other successful novelties. The Gob Akimbo Comedy Lounge, at the Blue Boar Inn, allowed professional and amateur stand-up comics to entertain packed houses for a week..."

Advertiser.

Ludlow is the place to gig - 12 August 2004

FOR eight solid days roughly 600 people laughed `til we bent double. The Ludlow Festival Committee took a leap of faith and backed the Gob Akimbo Comedy Lounge to the hilt. It paid off, and I cannot thank them enough along with my sponsors, Nightingales Ltd, Shukers Ltd, Onny Developments Ltd and Adnams. There will be another comedy festival next year and I will be putting on comedy nights before then but no date is planned as yet. Ludlow has experienced comedy chocolate and I would hate to see it turn into a boiled sweet due to over supply. John Mawer, the compere, was comedy gold it will take me all year to find his equal. He showered us throughout with brilliant material leaving us fresh every night. As for our open mic night I could cry I was so proud of all those people who had never attempted comedy before, we were left in fits of laughter, some of you should seriously think about taking it up as a profession. The word is out on the comedy grapevine Ludlow is the place to gig. Many comedians are tired of the London scene where the audiences watch, sitting with arms crossed, waiting to be entertained. Ludlow never failed to be welcoming, the comedians were thrilled to be here and want to come back. If this letter seems late in coming it is because it has taken me a good month and a half to get over the whole week and for good reason it took six months to organise and will again. I do make a pledge though, you will always see rising stars of the comedy world if not the stars themselves at the Gob Akimbo Comedy Lounge watch this space. Three people who I can not fail to mention here because they all took time off work unpaid to make Gob Akimbo a brilliant success, those people are Roy Loveday, Letty Flyn and Juliet Asher you all know how much you mean to me, you now have it in print that you can call in as many favours as you want.

Jaelith Mahoney, Lower Galdeford, Ludlow - Advertiser.