In 2012, a US remake of Only Fools and Horses was produced. It has recently leaked online.
This is a Trigger warning, for nothing I can say will adequately prepare you for what they did to the beloved British character.
Hey TV/radio producers! If you're booking for a topical comedy show right now, can you PLEASE try and book working-class comedians to talk about the cost of living crisis. Seeing/hearing middle-class comedians joke about it flippantly makes me want to cry.
8 shows left.
This Fringe, I have had 0 sellouts of my solo show. Not got close. I am just hoping we manage to breakeven on the venue.
I have had just 1 review.
No real interest from the industry.
Just throwing this out as a sign of solidarity after a difficult month.
I also won't be hosting MOTD on Saturday. I will be eating 48 bags of Walkers Crisps - one for every goal he scored for England - in solidarity with
@GaryLineker
.
What we need isn't "more left-wing or right-wing" telly programmes. We need more working-class programmes.
Location, Location, Location, but with people renting council houses who are looking for an affordable 3 bed place so their kids can have their own room.
In some really lovely news, yesterday we found out that my Dad is in remission! Just in time for his birthday today! After 9 months where he has had chemo, radiotherapy, blood transfusions and been stuck in doors since January, so it is so brilliant to have some great news
All I have ever wanted to do is write stand-up comedy about important things that I am passionate about, and for it to reach a wide audience.
I have my own Radio 4 series. Dream come true.
..
18 months of extreme job insecurity. Hell, not just job insecurity - it's been 18 months of not knowing whether the lifelong dream has died. That's how it feels as someone working in the arts.
So much love to everyone else who is struggling with all this instability. Take care.
Because we don't have *great* broadband at home, I am traveling in today to record my Radio 4 show in a BBC conference room. (all after covid tests and stuff!)
I have printed this letter out, in case we are stopped on the way. God, it's funny to read this written down:
Imagine getting 3 Christmas Number 1s. Imagine doing that without even being a musician, or having any musical talent.
Imagine then having the arrogance to hit out at anyone challenging you for the Christmas Number 1! The sheer arrogance and entitlement is big Tory energy.
I am very happy and grateful to be one of the lucky 50 who applied. As I am also doing the Laughing Horse Free Fringe, it is the first time in my life that I can do the Edinburgh Fringe without having a massive cloud of money anxiety over me. It's a surreal feeling. Thank you.
I have been sent an e-mail by my exec producer: my show is a pick of the day in The Daily Express, The i, The Guardian, The Daily Mail, The Telegraph and Total TV Guide! Look at me next to Claudia Winkleman! What is going on?!
Tonight. 11pm. BBC Radio 4.
Mad hearing my Grandma talk about coronavirus. She thinks that we have more or less 0 deaths now, and that "the virus deaths are the same number of deaths we'd have anyway due to flu".
The Daily Mail brainwashes people. They see lockdown and 60K deaths, but believe it's nothing.
It kind of blows my mind that I can announce this, as it is one of the huge things that I have dreamed of doing since I first knew I wanted to be a comedian and write my own shows...
I, Tom Mayhew will be coming to the
@sohotheatre
in January.
Soooo......my
@BBCRadio4
show has been recommissioned for a 2nd series!
Thanks everyone for always being great and supportive and lovely. I can't wait to create 4 more great episodes of radio!
(photo by Andy Hollingworth)
Sup
@DailyMail
.
My bro voted for Brexit. So did my Grandparents. My Grandpa is from Middlesbrough - yeah, that ol' Red Wall.
Also, in the show I specifically talk about the fact that I have family who are Tory, who I love dearly.
But hey, great journalism as always!!! Xxx
"fights off"
As if Priti Patel is the victim. As if she is the one who is having to fight.
As if she has fought it off and won.
I've sat writing this tweet for a few minutes, and yeah, that's what the BBC News is sticking with. That's their narrative.
Tonight was incredible. There are a lot of times when I struggle with imposter syndrome doing this, but wow. Got a standing ovation at the Soho Theatre, Jordan Brookes was there, Laura Davis bought me Freddos. What a beautiful night.
Since I was, like, 13, I have dreamed of having my own Radio 4 stand-up show, recorded at the Radio Theatre, with a live audience in the room.
We can't have a live audience because of Covid. We can't use the Radio Theatre for the same reason.
Someone tell me it will be ok.
Right-wing people saying that "cancel culture is killing comedy", while comedians are having their comedy work literally cancelled by a right-wing government's ineptitude.
I will be back, because I know I'm doing comedy that is worthwhile, strong, and needs to be heard. But fuck me, it's insane how this festival has felt like there's an even bigger gap betweens those with massive PRs, and those without. You're either selling out, or struggling.
📢 ANNOUCEMENT! 📢
I left my agent recently, so I am on the lookout for new representation. I have had two Radio 4 series, an upcoming second Soho Theatre run, and I'm writing incredibly relevant, important stuff about being skint as hell.
thomas.mayhew
@hotmail
.co.uk
I also applied for the BBC Studios Writers job. I didn't get it.
However: next year, I will be making a Radio 4 show. It is a BBC Studios production. I wrote it.
Basically, don't take one rejection as an indictment of your talent, or your ability to work with a certain company.
I've written a piece about being a working-class comedian for the British Comedy Guide. It talks about how hard it is for comedians from low-income backgrounds to do the Edinburgh Fringe, and how difficult it was for me last year.
#WorkingClassComic
So much respect for all of those in comedy talking about their
#MeToo
experiences at the moment.
I am not ready to write about my story yet. Just know that if you are a male comedian who has had a man in the industry try and take advantage of you, you aren't alone.
Tory MP Lee Anderson today claimed that "poor people use food banks because they can't budget".
He claimed £210k in expenses last year.
His year wage is £81k.
For him to say that anyone else can't budget is an absolute disgrace.
@svnbeaming
@QueerlyAutistic
Retakes also rig the education system against less wealthy students; I was one mark off an A grade in one of my A Levels, but I didn't retake as it would have cost £30 to do so.
Binged
@jackrooke
's Big Boys this weekend.
As a working-class, queer guy who grew up in a Hertfordshire, who has dealt with mental health problems since losing one of my best friends when we were 20...I related a ton to so much of this. It's beautiful, and fucking funny.
4 shiny stars from Chortle! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
"I, Tom Mayhew offers authentic material we can relate too: funny, sharp, intelligent, meaningful and pleasing. Mayhew is a voice that needs to be heard."
#WeAreAllTomMayhew
I, Tom Mayhew: a story of growing up poor and fighting for more.
3 years on benefits.
3 years at Sainsbury's.
27 years on the breadline.
1 month in Edinburgh. Let's do this.
1-25 August
19:30pm
Just the Tonic @ The Mash House
£5 in advance or PWYW
@LarryDeanComedy
So much respect for how sensitively you handled this (even if she might have been bullshitting). Letting your human-side take control, being patient, kind, and waiting until they were gone before going back into comedy mode - that is real skill. Very well played.
The first episode of my
@BBCRadio4
series has been chosen for the Comedy of the Week podcast!
As a lover of radio comedy, seeing my show on a podcast feed a week after Just A Minute - a show that is such a huge part of comedy history - is a genuine honour.
"People on benefits are exactly that: people. We deserve to be treated like it."
I wrote this article for the BBC, inspired by my
@BBCRadio4
series. Shares really appreciated; I want people on benefits to know that I will never stop standing up for them.
Today my Dad had a hospital appointment, and it's been confirmed that he will be starting chemo again next Wednesday.
If you could send good vibes/pray/whatever you think might help, it would be appreciated.
We finally managed to lug all the coins and notes to the bank last week, so we can now reveal that my compilation show at
@edfringe
raised a MASSIVE £2673.04 for
@turn2us_org
!
Thank you again to all the generous audiences, and the great comedians who gave their time for free.
In some exciting news, the first series of my Radio 4 show is going to be repeated!
Starting this Sunday at 00:15, you can tune in and listen to episode 1, and marvel at how it is even more relevant now.
It's important to remember that there are less audience members, less reviewers, and less industry here this year, with everything going on with the economy and the world. So we have to force ourselves to not take it personally.
If anyone fancies inviting me to be on your podcast/YouTube interview series/interview blog or anything like that, I have a Radio 4 series coming up that I would love to talk about! I heard the first rough copy of one of the episodes today, and I am so very proud of this series.
There will be a ridiculous soppy thread tomorrow I suspect, but I've just done my final show. I got a standing ovation at the end. So I did a little cry on stage. Couldn't have wished for a better final show than that. Thank you Edinburgh for being the best.
#WeAreAllTomMayhew
My producer just made me realise that "Tom Mayhew is Benefit Scum" will be in the Radio Times listings next month, and I find that surreal and hilarious.
The final episode of my debut
@BBCRadio4
series goes out tonight!
I am so excited to say that my Dad will also be making his radio debut. I feel like a skint Jack Whitehall!
Tune in at 11pm, on BBC Radio 4. It has been a dream come true to say that this month.
Absolutely heartbreaking news about Sean Lock. So many comedians have "things" - a unique selling point to sell yourself - but he was just fucking funny. That's all he needed. What a sad loss to the world. Rest in peace.
The decision to cancel Mock the Week last year is made all the more bemusing by the fact that tonight at 10pm, on BBC 2, there is a repeat of an episode from 2021.
If a 2 year old repeat of a topical show is good enough to air, how can they say there is no space for new ones?
Because many artists are in the same boat. Probably the majority.
Personally, I think it's mad to find myself in this situation when my 2nd Radio 4 series ended this very month, but we are all used to things being difficult in an unprecedented way nowadays.
I applied for the BBC Comedy Collective Bursary scheme, but I was unsuccessful. Applying for it did push me to finish episode 1 of my sitcom script, though, so that is something positive!
I'm going to organise a gig opposed to the upcoming cuts to Universal Credit. I'm thinking it would make sense for it to be a virtual gig. If anyone is interested in performing, pop me a DM. Not sure of dates and stuff yet, but will keep people in the loop!
#KeepTheLifeline
Performing stand-up is where I first talked about my sexuality, ever. It is where I first talked about my MeToo experience. It's vital for many, in ways beyond ego/laughs.
It's also the only place where a guy whose family is on benefits can become a fucking king.
#SaveLiveComedy
My show tonight is the opposite of sold out, so you can still get tickets for a show that has received 5 stars from The Edit and 4 stars from Chortle! I would love to have one of those busy Saturdays so I can treat myself to a kebab later.
Even though I know how difficult that is; I've gone from thinking this would be an easy sale off the back of my radio series, to wondering what I am doing in this industry, and whether I should bother ever doing another show. Edinburgh can do that to you.
FRINGE REPORT:
This was my 2nd most successful Fringe in terms of making a profit.
I did some stunts that really captured people's attention, resulting in a nomination for the Malcolm Hardee award.
I am constantly pushing myself as a performer, so I'm really proud of that.
Super brilliant exciting news: I am in the BBC New Comedy Award heats!!! I've just done the X Factor thing and rung my girlfriend and parents to tell them I am through. Really happy. Can't wait
@bbcnewcomedy18
Tom Mayhew is Benefit Scum: My Radio 4 series starts 3rd March 2021 on BBC Radio 4! We are just 2 days away!
Thank you again to Michael
@julings
for helping make this little teaser trailer!
At 11pm on BBC Radio 4, my guest on the final episode of the 2nd series of my show is...my Mum!
Do listen to the show! Then come to my Edinburgh show! Otherwise Mum will be very upset with you...
I really, really, really hope people do this.
Get the song to number 1, so then Laurence Fox can tune in to the Radio 1 chart show, all proud of himself, and then they can play the edited version anyway.
1 hour until broadcast!
I would like to know: what is the "worst" job someone has ever recommended to you?
By worst, I mean a job that you would be completely unsuited to; for example, my JobCentre advisor once suggested I apply to be a make-up assistant at Boots!
#BenefitScum
It's absolutely fine to find Christmas stressful, difficult, fun, uplifting, joyful, lovely, upsetting, whatever you want. I am feeling at least 4 of those at once right now!
Look after yourselves. Somehow, we've made another one. Good job. x
Yesterday, me and my parents were in 3 separate rooms. One light on between the 3 of us.
I was under my covers in bed at 7. Not to sleep, just to stay warm as we didn't have the heating on.
None of this was discussed between us, we just did it. It comes naturally.
@paulsinha
By favouring Pleasance shows - where it is typically very expensive to perform - they are inherently favouring acts from richer backgrounds. Still, I can't wait for the next Guardian article asking "where are the working-class artists?"
So, Edinburgh Fringe 2022 is over. It was a really difficult Fringe for many; speaking from my personal experience, the cost of my accommodation went up by 20% since 2019. If you combine that with lower ticket sales, then it is inevitable that many of us will have had it tough.
So many people waste their lives away getting angry at things they wouldn't have ever seen without social media.
Go outside. Sniff a flower. Drink a cup of tea. Stop being an angry teapot, just waiting to boil every single day over things that do not matter.
If anyone is around in Edinburgh tomorrow, I am filming a little thing for Channel 4 at 10am. They want to film a short set in my venue (Stand 2), so if anyone fancies coming along and being a mini morning audience, I'll happily give you a comp for my show to say thank you!
I have never been on any of those lists. You know, the "top 10 comedians to see" list.
Until now. When someone sent it to me saying "look who is on this!", I was expecting it to be a photo of Jim Davidson to prank me. What a lovely surprise.