Paul Merton – New Theatre, Oxford
September 23, 2010
Tuesday 11th May 2010
I’d been looking forward to a trip to Oxford to see Paul Merton, one of my comedy heroes. I’d even had contact with his PR team and booked train tickets in advance. Surely, nothing was going to stop me from going.
Unfortunately, Nottingham Forest were playing the 2nd leg of the Championship Play-Off Semi-Final at home to Blackpool. I considered recording it and switching off every possible type of communication, but I knew deep down I wouldn’t be able to focus. So I had no alternative but to give the tickets away to a friend.
By the end of the evening, the pain was threefold. Firstly, the words ‘David Cameron is the new Prime Minister’ flashed across the screen and covered most of the pitch. Secondly, Forest lost at home to Blackpool, amazingly the fourth time we’d lost to them in one season. And thirdly, Paul Merton’s Impro Chums was excellent and my friend still talks about how amazing the evening was.
Oh the pain of improvising…