THE ORGANISERS of the Rik Mayall Comedy Festival say they are ‘incredibly proud’ that renowned comedian, TV writer and actor, Ben Elton has agreed to be the patron of the event.
The inaugural festival will run from May 31 to June 7 next year and the plan is to have different forms of comedy being staged at a variety of different venues throughout the town.
These will include established comedians and new talent, screenings, comedy plays and music.
And an exhibition will take place of memorabilia, photographs and costumes associated with Rik, who grew up in Droitwich and performed many times at the Norbury Theatre. It is believed the first time he trod the boards was at the Norbury in a production of Waiting for Godot directed by his father John Mayall.
As well as making appearances on the stage, Rik and his brother also helped behind the scenes with the lighting for some performances.
Announcing the news on the Rik Mayall Comedy Festival Facebook page, the organisers said: “Ben is also a multi-award-winning novelist, playwright, television writer, screenwriter, lyricist, and director of theatre, film and TV.
“As a close friend and collaborator to Rik Mayall, we couldn’t be happier that Ben is endorsing the festival.”
Ben first met Rik at University, going on to create iconic comedy creations together from the Young Ones to Blackadder, and much more in-between.
In a video message which can be viewed here on the event’s Facebook page, Ben, who is currently on tour, spoke about Rik and the festival and said: “I’m so proud to be the patron of the Droitwich Spa Comedy Festival – get yourself down to Droitwich Spa next summer – I’ll see you in 2025.”
Visit: facebook.com/rikmayallcomedyfestival and instagram.com/rikmayallcomedyfestival for more.
