That’s the philosophy behind Comedy Unleashed, which holds evenings at the Backyard Comedy Club in Bethnal Green, and promotes itself as “the home of free-thinking comedy”. The club is holding stand up shows over three nights which it will film and edit into a single pilot episode. It will then hawk the pilot to TV channels in the hope of greenlighting a series.
The pilot will aim to recreate the atmosphere of the comedy club on TV. It will allow comedians to “take risks” in terms of their material but one of those risks may deem it not suitable to mainstream channels.
“We believe no comedian should need to self-censor. We aim to provide a space where comedians can explore and hone new material in front of an audience who appreciates different points of view.”
“We (Comedy Unleashed) encourage new and up-and-coming comedians to try out new stuff. The current comedy circuit schools emerging comedians into a safe, tramline orthodoxy. Real talent is being wasted. Comedians need an audience which is open-minded to test out ideas without the fear of being misunderstood and labelled.”
Comedy Unleashed’s initiative is to be applauded as there are far too few opportunities for circuit talent to reach a wider audience.