Comic’s 550 mile quest without a penny reaches Thame

STAND UP comedian, Damian Kingsley will be knock-knocking on the door of The Stables at The James Figg pub on Sunday, May 8, as his nationwide comedy tour in aid of the homeless charity, Shelter reaches Thame.

Damian chose Thame as one of the 120 stops he plans to make on his 550-mile Knock-Knock tour of the UK, which sees him travel from Land’s End to Edinburgh performing live at venues along the way. He is hoping to get to Edinburgh in time to perform his first, hour-long show at the Fringe in August, having polished his material at gigs along the way.

Every show is free entry with a voluntary donation to Shelter at the end and after performing in Thame, Damian will be heading off to his next destination in Haddenham either on foot or by cadging a lift – he’s not allowed to use any money or public transport on the tour. Luckily the team at The James Figg won’t be seeing him off without making sure he has a hearty meal at the pub and a few glasses of ale to see him on his way.

“It’s great that Damian’s tour is taking in Thame and that he chose us to do one of his charity gigs,” said Suzy Fenlon, assistant manager of The James Figg. “We don’t often get to host comedy – we’re usually more about music – but we’ve got a great crowd here and we’re sure they’ll be a great audience. We can’t wait.

“We hope we’ll get as many regulars and new faces as possible in and that everyone will dig deeply as Damian tells us he’ll be ranking towns by how much they donate to find out which is the most generous and which is tight,” she continued. “We don’t want the last one so we’ll be encouraging everyone to part with their cash on the night and help Damian hit his target,”

Damian set off on his tour on Friday, March 25, with a gig at The Star in St Just near Land’s End in Cornwall. By the time he reaches Thame he will already have 65 planned and probably some impromptu gigs under his belt – he is promising to do extra performances in return for favours along the way.

“I’ve planned the distances between each gig so I should generally be able to get to them on foot. But I’m likely to end up performing on the street and mowing lawns in exchange for the use of a washing machine or somewhere to lay my sleeping bag,” explained Damian.

‘So far, take-up has been really good from venues. Most are country pubs and inns, who are often offering to put me up and provide a meal, but I’m also doing it at other venues like arts theatres and Working Men’s Clubs, mainly in villages and small towns.”

12O NIGHTS, NO MONEY, NO TRANSPORT

Damian had long wanted to help the homeless, but it was a series of upsets in his own life that spurred him into action. “Last year, all around the same time, I split up with my fiancé and lost my job and my flat,” he said. “That certainly made me put things into perspective, and as I suddenly had a lot of free time, I finally made a start on this tour idea that I’d had a couple of years before.”

His target is to raise £7,000 by the end of August, including donations taken at his performances and by supporters along the way.

More details about Damian’s Knock-Knock Comedy Tour and a donation link are on his web site www.damiankingsley.co.uk. To follow the journey and get all the podcasts, blogs and news, join Damian’s mailing list. Follow him on twitter: #TWOKNOCKTOUR

Damian Kingsley’s gig at The Stables is from 8pm – 10pm on Sunday, May 8. The Stables is at The James Figg, 21 Cornmarket, Thame, Oxon, OX9 2BL. Tel: 01844 260 166. www.thejamesfiggthame.co.uk @figgthame