She Isn't an Energy Saver

Here's a boredom doodle courtesy of my brainhole.

How Many Japanese Businessmen Can You Fit On A Train?...

...Dead or Alive?

Well that's it, it's official. Humanity is officially too ill to survive. And to think I get narked being in town on a Saturday.

The Weekly Wound Up: The BNP on Question Time - Could it be a Good Thing?

This Thursday the British public will be able to witness the spectacle of BNP leader and overall moron Nick Griffin, appearing on BBC's flagship debate show Question Time. The fact that the Beeb have given the go ahead for Griffin's appearance has, in itself, created a widespread debate over their decision and the consequences that it might have on the public. Opposition for the decision has been far reaching and from all areas of the political spectrum, from the far left to the mainstream parties. Cabinet members such as Welsh Secretary Peter Hain have even labelled the BBC's decision as 'illegal' due to the parties illegitimate admissions policy and many BBC employees have threatened to take part in the protests set to take place against their own organisation.

Like most rational and sane human beings I think the BNP are deplorable on every level and I loathe every ignorant and morally bereft principle they stand for, however I believe they do have a right to be on the show and more so that a greater good can come of this.

On a technical level, the BBCs remit is and always has been, to remain politically neutral. The sheer brilliance of the organisation lies in that fact; it is the reason why the BBC is respected and renowned across the
globe for its media coverage and that is precisely because of its unwavering neutrality and lack of bias. So it is unsurprising that this neutrality has allowed the BNP the opportunity to appear on the show, when
other fringe parties such as UKIP and The Green Party have already made several appearances. The BNP are a similar size to these parties and has two elected MEPS, however unfortunate that fact is, it does make the BBCs decision on the matter understandable.

As far as the BBC is concerned, it is not their place to make moral and political judgements on our behalf, that is what separates it from such horribly partisan news channels such as the FOX News Network. It is the fact that the BNP has two democratically elected MEPs that justifies their place on the show and rather than blaming the BBC for their appearance, the public should look to themselves and ask the more important question, how did they get these votes in the first place? Thus making them eligible in to appear on the show.

The far right have been as popular as they have ever been, the only reason that the BNP are now gaining seats is because of the complete apathy of the majority. This is why I think something good may come out of this appearance, because the reasonable majority need to be woken up and re-ignited to politics and if ever there is a good reason to, this is it.

The middle brow spectators seemed frightened that this TV appearence will act as a platform for further recruitment and would rather quietly brush such troublesome parties under the carpet, holding their hands over their eyes, humming a tune while they pretend the fascists don't exist. This is what is wrong with the political situation as it stands, that people are switched off and choose to ignore it. These parties unfortunately do exist and rather than acting as a platform for the BNP, I think it will highlight and expose their foul and wretched views to the reasonable majority and make them realise that we cannot take anything for granted.

I hope the viewing figures this Thursday are massive, and then maybe the good people will see what evil exists when they choose to do nothing.

Popcorn, Popcorn! Get your Popcorn!

I'm typing this through bleary eyes today after another cracking time at Popcorn Comedy at London's Roxy Bar & Screen last night, concluding our month of Popcorn-related fun. As ever, the films were excellent, particularly Birdboxstudio's 'Pub' which bucked the trend and gave everyone a hot slice of traditional animation amongst the more surreal entries.

As you may well know, we were asked to bring Popcorn Comedy to Birmingham recently to spread the potent mix of funny videos and live performances about the place like a particularly amusing rash. I think it's safe to say it was a success!

The Electric Cinema is a fantastic venue and really provides the perfect atmosphere for films to shine. Funny or Die hit the right notes with their Dawson Brothers-scripted Too Much Minerals sketch, and Rocket Sausage's CGI-brows went down a treat too. Misery Bear achieved his usual 'awww'-factor and Swatrick Payze's Funny Fish Finger Friends was a personal favourite. Another Funny or Die entry, Photocopier, looked great too and gave off more short film vibes than out-and-out comedy which changed the pace nicely.

We gave a new film its first airing too, which was both exhilarating and mildly terrifying. We're interested to see how that goes down on YouTube, as we peered through the cracks in our fingers on the night!

Because of the cosy, cinema setting people were a little quiet at first, so Doc Brown really had to work for those laughs. Luckily he was excellent and I can't wait to see more from him in the future. His 'Slang 101' rap was a highlight, and his gangsta-rap video about equestrian dressage is just awesome.

Sensing a conservative audience, Holly Walsh came out all guns blazing and used her energy and natural banter to rouse them. She's a very funny lady and I'm sure you'll be seeing a lot more of her on the tellybox very soon.

I have to say a big thanks to several people, including the Electric Cinema for being such a good venue and the staff for making it all work, Hello Digital for sponsoring the night, Birmingham Comedy Festival's Dave Freak for his continuing support, Holly Walsh and Doc Brown for coming up and doing a great job on stage, the filmmakers for submitting their lovely films, the people for coming to watch and Jon Petrie for giving us the opportunity to give it a go and helping everything run as smoothly as possible.

There were undoubtedly times when we had dark thoughts like: "Will the venue be OK?", "Will people come?" and "What if it all goes tits up and we look stupid?" Fortunately, none of those fears were founded and I'm sure everyone had a good night.

As one of the organisers I am hyper-critical of everything that went on, so the observations below are probably not indicative of the views of joe-public in the audience. But still, here's some other thoughts I think need airing.

Taking an established night to a new city is not easy. Promotion was tricky as many central venues wouldn't allow posters for out-of-house events. Listings websites also seemed slow to update given our admittedly short notice and the region's print media showed little-to-no interest in providing any coverage, a fact that I am still slightly disappointed by. Reaching the city's students is something to work on too.

Big shout out to BBC Radio though who interviewed Holly and Doc before the show, and Who's Laughing Now?, Animation Forum WM, and Created in Birmingham for the previews. Cheers!

Hyper-criticism aside, everyone seemed to really enjoy the night, we've proved to another city how unique Popcorn Comedy is, and we can't wait to bring an even better Popcorn Comedy night to Birmingham soon!

The next Popcorn Comedy night is at The Roxy Bar & Screen in London on 5 November. Check the website for more details and sign-up for updates here.

Stool Peril

Ian broke out a pen and showed the white board who's boss the other day. Here's a nice iconic fancy that I cleaned up... I call him Hamish Giffins. What do you christen him?

Coming soon!... Double Stool Peril!

How to be Halloween Fabulous

Everyone likes to dress up now and again. Some people prefer to keep their dressing-up habits private, and that's fine. But once every year, thanks to a frankly ludicrous American tradition, we're given the opportunity to go all out and dress as something fanciful. Yes, it's Halloween. My only problems with Halloween are that a) It doesn't mean anything, b) Most people can't be bothered, and c) When people do bother, it's always the same old costume every time.

Admittedly, some people do put the effort in, but they're in the minority. To help, I have come up with some dressing-up ideas to inspire you this Halloween. Feel free to steal, improve or ignore these suggestions.

1. The Traditional
You know the ones. Dracula, Frankenstein, witch... the classics. But be warned, even proven costumes can go very, very wrong. Firstly, all you Dracula fans. Please don't go half-arsed with your costume. If you're going to be the Prince of Darkness, make sure you look the part. Slick that hair back, get a decent cape (preferably with red lining) and work on that Romanian accent.

Also, Frankenstein. Firstly, you're Frankenstein's monster, not Frankenstein. Unless you go as a mad professor called Frankenstein, then a tip of the hat is in order.

2. The Topical
Probably the most annoying costume, but potentially the best. Mix a topical figure into a classic and you could be onto a winner. Last year everyone was dressed as Amy Winehouse mixed with the bride of Frankenstein ('s monster). That was boring after the first one, so be inventive. Don't go as Michael Jackson. I know a guy that went as a Zombie Rick Astley to a party. That was pretty good.

Or you could think of something slightly off the beaten track, like say, going as Bubbles the monkey. Think about it. A lost monkey, that once belonged to MJ, that is now alone, roaming the streets, rabidly looking for it's dead master, is creepy as hell.

3. The Controversial
This is a spin-off from the Topical and can go either way. Either you get away with it and it's funny, or you are the single most offensive person in the room, and possibly the world.

These are often inspired by things in the news. The most extreme suggestion I've ever heard was to dress as Baby P. But that's too fucked up. You might get away with a Jade Goody, but only just. Kerry Katona is still alive, so by all accounts, is fair game. Any over-enthusiasm for the drink at the bash will then only add to your adopted persona saving yourself much embarrassment.

4. The Reference

One for the geeks. Go as a retro movie character or something so obscure, you have to explain your costume to EVERYONE. I'm not even going to suggest anything here because there are geekier people than me out there that would put my ideas to shame. Leave some ideas in the comments for us.

5. The Gore
This is a niche, but an effective one. If you fail to come up with a cohesive costume, just crack out the fake blood and get creative. I want to see gashes in heads, bones sticking out, missing fingers, anything as long as it looks like you've been fed through a threshing machine and survived. Always impressive, but remember, EVERYONE will know how long it's taken you to put your masterpiece together. Highly uncool.

So there you go. I hope that helped. Get a party together and embrace the dressing-up box. Everyone should have one.

A Little Lie Down

As a little treat, here are Robert Popper's silly phone calls that he introduced live at the last Popcorn Comedy. If you don't already know, Popper's alter-ego is Robin Cooper, author of the utterly brilliant Timewaster Letters books. The first clip is a phone call to Sky TV maintenance guy. He's very patient. Have a listen.



The next two vids are Popper doing his '65% good' (his words) impression of Margaret Thatcher calling the House of Lords about her lost bag. Enjoy.





If you get a call from Maggie Thatcher, I'd advise you ask if it's Robert Popper first. It'll save you a lot of time.