Sarah Keyworth Archives - The Real Chrisparkle

What a remarkable ascent up the greasy pole of comedy success Sarah Keyworth has achieved over the last couple of years! It was only last September that we saw them at the Charles Bradlaugh pub in Northampton. Now they are taking their successful Edinburgh show on tour around the country, including a sold-out date at the London Palladium next February! That’s some achievement, and fully deserved for what must be one of the most assured comedians on the scene.

But first, our support act was Louise Atkinson, a bright and boisterous stage presence who grabs our attention from the start. Instantly likeable, she blames her behaviour on the fact that she lives by herself and so needs to talk to people whenever she can. She engaged the services of front row ex-policeman Stuart to alert her when she might trip over her microphone wire or potentially split her trousers; he was to shout Bollock! if it was to happen; she didn’t, but he did. She describes herself as the Yorkshire Shakira – it’s all in the hips – and has some brilliant material about the way people look, and much more besides. She offered us an alternative ending to her show – we opted for a mind blowing way of showing passive aggression in a text. Very funny throughout, we’d look to see her doing a full show if the opportunity arises!

As soon as Sarah Keyworth walks out on stage, you know you’re in for a good time, because they’re just so amazingly reassuring to the audience. They were obviously very well brought up in a very nice family, because their innate politeness just shines through, both in the pre-prepared material and any off-the-cuff interaction with the audience. If they talk to you, it’s always thank you for coming and lovely to meet you and it is a genuinely welcoming feeling; you never get the sense that it’s put on just for the show. That makes their brilliant routine about the pitfalls of managing a lesbian foursome even more hilarious, because you can just imagine them trying to be the perfect host, making sure everyone has all their needs attended to.

At the heart of My Eyes Are Up Here is the story of the elective surgery that Sarah Keyworth had last year to have a double mastectomy. This is never something that anyone would undertake lightly. It seems that ever since they were a child, Sarah has rebelled against anything girly, including wearing the horrible dress that constituted their first school uniform. Their hero – as far as an ideal body look was concerned – was their older brother Tom, and you can tell they are genuinely thrilled to be looking more like him than ever before.

Although there is a serious element to the show, it is also crammed with heaps of fun and the laughs come thick and fast. They have a brilliant positive spin that they put on any negative comments received by online trolls, plus a moment or two to celebrate good men which is nothing if not inclusive, and a wonderful account of inviting a male stripper to a hen do in a Devon caravan. Much of their material reverts to their relationship with their mother, who sounds like a most remarkable woman, and there’s an amazing feelgood ending to the show which makes everyone go home feeling happy.

Sarah Keyworth’s My Eyes Are Up Here UK and Ireland tour continues through till March 2025, but with many venues already sold out; and don’t even think of trying to come to the Palladium.

It’s back for another big dollop of laughter at the Charles Bradlaugh, courtesy of those nice people at the Comedy Crate. It’s always exciting when all the acts are new to us, because the evening becomes a smorgasbord of unexpected delights. Our host for the evening was Alex Farrow, a smart super-confident chap who quickly gains a terrific rapport with the audience, and quickly elicited the fact that we were all rich beyond the dreams of avarice – well, it may have seemed that way at least.But there can’t be that many people who have access to two yachts! Very quick witted, he bounced off all the comedy nuggets that the audience gave him, and kept the show moving at an enjoyably fast pace. I made a note in my brain that we must catch his full solo show one day.

First up was Steve Hall, whose material is firmly based on his family life with his no-nonsense wife and two delightful children, who have discovered the art of homemade tattoos.There are lots of very recognisable family-based comic observations, many of which are illustrated with pictures including life from his own childhood as well as his own kids. If this sounds a little cosy, it’s peppered with many surprisingly sharp moments and there’s lots of big laugh-out-loud punchlines. An excellent start to the evening.

Next came Kathryn Mather who has wisely moved on from being a children’s entertainer. She has a nicely awkward stage persona and an excellent use of self-deprecation, talking about her lack of success with men and some entertaining stories about trying to attract the opposite sex. We hear about her (slightly predictable) encounter with the Dreamboys, and the perils of speed dating. From the sound of the laughter there was lots for women to recognise, if not quite so much for the guys. But she went down very well with the audience.

Our headliner act, and someone whose career we will definitely follow with interest, was Sarah Keyworth, a naturally funny comedian who mines comedy gold from her appearance and sexuality in an effortlessly hilarious way. She delivered not only the best pronouns gag out there, but also the best definition of non-binary, which had us all in hysterics. She has a marvellous running thread about being in a lesbian foursome, including the obligations one would feel about being the perfect host whilst entertaining three other women, and a brilliant sequence about inviting a male stripper to a hen party in a caravan in Devon. She completely blew us away with her superb audience interaction – occasionally checking in with second-row John to make sure it was going ok – and pinpoint perfect material. Another excellent night of comedy.