Matt Reed prepares cheeky treat for rare solo show in Stockton
He’s done gigs naked, in a cave, up a mountain, too ill, and with broken ribs.
And now Sunderland stand-up Matt Reed could well be following in the footsteps of The Calendar Girls after encouraging a string of top comics to post a series of cheeky ‘sensual selfies’ of themselves on Twitter.
Scores of comics including Johnny Vegas, Jack Whitehall, Romesh Ranganathan and Daniel Sloss have all tweeted playful photos after Matt and fellow North East stand-up Lee Kyle set up a ‘sensual comedy’ Twitter account earlier this year.
They quickly reached over 450 followers, with plans for a charity calendar in the offing, and comedy fans at Reed’s solo show at Stockton’s ARC on Saturday 12 April are set for a sneak preview of some of the photo’s already sent in.
Reed, a resident compere at Stockton’s Catch 22, Hartlepool’s Hot Potato and Middlesbrough and Saltburn’s Big Mouth Comedy Clubs, said: “Sensual Comedy was basically a joke started by me and Lee.
“We played football and took some selfies looking all sweaty and horrible – but we were posing as if we were something worth looking at, which made them look all the funnier.
“I posted the pictures on Facebook, they got a lot of likes and raised some smiles, so the next week we did it again.
“We got even more likes, so we started a twitter feed and asked comics to get stuck in and send us some sexy selfies. And, let’s face it, most comics are basically a bunch of total show-offs and exhibitionists, so we got loads of them sending stuff in and loads more likes.
“So, if the amount of followers keeps growing, we’ll do a calendar for charity and have a laugh along the way.”
Looking forward to his one-man show Gin-Credible at the ARC, he said: “The title Gin-Credible means that my stories are all true, despite the fact that gin had a lot to do with them existing in the first place.
“I’ve got a few stories to tell, and I’m looking forward to telling them in front of people who I know are going to love them to bits.
“I’ve also had loads of messages from people asking about the show, and when I said it was story based I got told off. They complained they prefer it when I dip into the crowd and chat to them, so there will be plenty of that as well.
“Whenever I’m at ARC, it always seems like I’m basically one of the crowd who just happens to have got up on stage for a chat. It’s always a great time there, and I intend to properly enjoy it. I’ll also be drinking gin. Lots of gin.”
Matt Reed: Gin-Credible comes to the ARC, Stockton on Saturday 12 April. Tickets are on sale now, priced £10, and are available by calling 01642 525 199 or visiting www.arconline.co.uk
