As the first talk at our new venue, The Winchester Club, ‘A work-in-progress show’ as former-teacher turned stand-up-comedian Kevin Precious likes to call it, takes a backward glance towards his former profession, and looks ahead to Edinburgh 2023. Expect anecdotes and observations aplenty, as well as the odd polemical interjection regarding the parlous state of the profession.
‘Kevin’s stage charisma and poise set him head and shoulders above the previous acts’ (Times). ‘Instantly recognisable stage presence and boundless wit’ (Leicester Mercury at the Leicester Comedy Festival).
‘Kevin’s stage charisma and poise set him head and shoulders above the previous acts.’ – The Times
More on Kevin
Kevin has had something of a long and varied career in the business of show, making his first tentative foray into the world of entertainment as a teenage bass playing dirt bag in the working men’s clubs in his native city of Hull. Venturing South, he continued his musical adventures in the Big Smoke, playing in all manner of different outfits, the culmination of which saw him perform at the legendary Ronnie Scott’s on a couple of occasions.
He also managed to gain experience playing abroad in places as far flung as New York and Reykjavik, as well as an extensive tour of Japan. In the 1990’s, Kevin set up a ‘Pop Quiz’ in a trendy boozer in Camden, which rapidly became laden with celebrities and culminated in him being asked to organise and compere the NME‘s first national pop quiz. It was these events that would later inspire a move into comedy. Sometime thereafter he took the plunge.
Combining the life of a mature student and comedy, Kevin organized and promoted various events in conjunction with Brighton University. He was also involved in the organisation and compering of two series of ‘House of Fun’ for Meridian TV. Added to this, he MC’d the Sussex heat of the BBC New Acts Competition for four consecutive years. Working full-time as a teacher and head of department (Religious Studies), Kevin continued his comedy pursuits performing full weekends at notable venues such as Rawhide in Liverpool, the Glee in both Birmingham and Cardiff, and the Frog and Bucket in Manchester… as well as renowned London gigs such as the Banana Cabaret and Downstairs at the Kings Head, amongst others.
It was during this time that Kevin co-founded the promotions agency, Barnstormers Comedy. In 2005, Kevin finally went full-time / professional.
To date, he has done paid weekends for Jongleurs, Comedy Cafe, the Stand Edinburgh, and The Laughter Lounge Dublin as well as work for agents such as CKP, the Comedy Company, the Comedy Club and Mirth Control.
In 2008, he compered the ‘Loaded Lafta’ awards presenting awards to none other than Jimmy Carr, Adam Buxton, Paul Kaye, and Harry Enfield, to name but a few.
In 2014, he provided the warm-up for a night dedicated to Dennis Skinner which also featured the author and commentator Owen Jones. He has also performed at a number of European shows in places as diverse as Amsterdam, Maastricht, Budapest, Bucharest and Ibiza.
More recently, Kevin has been performing his one man stand-up comedy show about teaching ‘Not Appropriate’ at a variety of arts centres, theatres, festivals and conferences.
He is currently working on his new show, which he will be bringing to us in advance of the Edinburgh Festival. It combines his experiences as an RE Teacher, and his orientation towards Humanism.
Standard Stuff
Talks are on the last Wednesday of every month, at 7:00 for 7:30, at The Winchester Club in Winchester. Please take a look at the FAQs for more info.
Admission is £5 which also gives you an entry in the book raffle. We take cash and major cards (cards preferred).
The event is in two parts – the talk and then a Q&A after the interval. We encourage you to support the venue by indulging in the available drinks before and during the event.
You are also welcome to join us for the traditional post-talk curry.