RHODcast: Jul 16, 2020

Jigsy – Les Dennis & Tony Staveacre

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The Beatles came from a very special place. The humor of Liverpool – hard-edged and seriously funny – was explored by a generation of comedians in its working mens’ (that is what they were) clubs. “Jigsy” began life as a play, the fruit of years of observation by the writer and BBC arts producer Tony Staveacre (who, fair’s fair, is also my brother-in-law). Modeled closely on Jackie Hamilton, who never really broke into television, Jigsy was brought to life by the Liverpool actor who started in standup, Les Dennis. Eight years later, in the midst of the pandemic, Jigsy is slaying them on YouTube. By happy coincidence Tony Staveacre’s BBC show about Jackie Hamilton, Standing Up for Liverpool gets an outing on BBC Radio 4 Extra on July 18th at 10:30PM.

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