Simon Donald in MS Society benefit

Viz co-founder Simon Donald hopes comedy fans will put their money where their mouth is at his next show on Tyneside.

The Geordie comedian, who leapt from the page to the stage in 2005, is back in the North East for a charity gig at As You Like It, Jesmond, on Sunday 28 July. There will be no door charge, however there is a bucket collection at the end.

And all proceeds from the night, which sees Donald preview his new Edinburgh Fringe show Butch Straight Poof, will go to the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society.

Over 100,000 people in the UK have MS, including Donald himself.

He was diagnosed with a benign form of the disease in November 2009, and has to be seen annually for check-ups.

Simon’s mother also faced a 30-year battle with the condition.

She died in 1994, aged 60.

“My mam was a fundraiser for the MS Society, and me and my brothers always used to chip and help,” Donald explained.

“On and off we’ve helped out all our lives, but after my mam died we didn’t do as much because we didn’t have that direct link with the charity.

“Obviously when I was diagnosed [in 2009] I was back in touch with the MS Society in London.

“The MS Society is something I’ve felt close to all my life, but in recent years I haven’t done as much for them.

“I’m starting now to consciously try to redress that balance – which is why I’ve chosen them for this gig in Newcastle.”

Seymour Mace will also preview his new Fringe show, Marmaduke Spatula’s Fuckin’ Spectacular Cabaret of Sunshine Show, on the same night.

The gig starts at 8pm.

Simon Donald: Butch Straight Poof comes to As You Like It, Jesmond, on Sunday 28 July. Entry is free, however there is a bucket collection at the end for the MS Society. Click to join the Facebook event.