Estimated reading time:8 minutes, 48 seconds
Everyone has a story. Angel Comedy started off as a one night a week gig at the Camden Head pub but is now one of London’s most popular places to see stand up, seven nights a week. And it’s free. Now the workaholic MC and Angel Comedy organiser, comedian Barry Ferns, is putting the finishing touches to a second comedy venue at 39 Queen’s Head Street, N1 – and  if it’s successful he’s even willing to change his name. Interview by Nicola Baird
Barry Ferns runs Angel Comedy- seven nights a week of free comedy at the Camden Head near Angel tube. (c) Simon Goss
“I’m a comedy monk,” says Barry Ferns arriving at Euphorium Café, near Islington Green, with his fold up Brompton bike. Even so he knows the staff here – orders a take away cup of green tea  – and then finds a table in their downstairs cellar section to talk about comedy, silence and his new comedy venue for the community.
“The biggest privilege is to do what you want to do,” says Barry. “I’m from a working class community and was the first person in my family to go to university. But I went specifically to St Mary’s University in Twickenham to do comedy gigs. When I left it didn’t occur to me that I could get jobs other than working in Burger King!” And so Barry worked at Burger King for two years to pay the rent, spending much of 12 hour shifts, six days a week thinking of jokes. http://www.stmarys.ac.uk/
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“If you’re a comedian you have to perform – and London has the audiences. As a comedian there’s not really a support structure so you act in isolation,” he says explaining some of the motivation for creating a community comedy hub in Islington at 39 Queen’s Head Street. “The new club is creating something that would have been useful when I was 17. And it brings something transformative into the community. Everybody likes to laugh and lots of people want to be funny.”
Find out more about the new club – and the Kickstarter stretch target – which could see Islington’s next generation of comics get a training space, podcast studio and even a resident curator see https://www.kickstarter.com/
The old-fashioned route into comedy
Barry struck lucky at 17 on his fifth gig – on what he’d told his parents was a trip to London to look at a university – by winning a place at Edinburgh Festival after qualifying for the final of So You Think You’re Funny at the Red Rose, off Seven Sisters Road. He couldn’t afford to get to Scotland so Red Rose gig organiser, Melanie Miller, offered to drive him and let him stay with her family – which is where he met Matt Lucas…
Angel Comedy’s Barry Ferns: “The best times I’ll ever have in my life will be with other people.” (c) brendan foster
That was the first of a regular August trip to Edinburgh which helped jettison Barry on to the comic circuit. Over the years he’s been slated for only one show (which won him the 2013 Malcolm Hardee award) when he wrote fake 5* reviews (“they were funny” he says in defence, “one was even from a sausage dog…”) but Barry is hopefully better known for the annual show he’s performed since 2012 on top of Arthur’s Seat, the 835 foot hill overlooking Edinburgh. In 2014 this won the Spirit of the Fringe Award.
“In my 20s I felt the comedian’s life was bit destructive as a lifestyle,” explains Barry who comes from Dorset. Ditching the Burger King job he went to Galway, to do an MA in Creative Writing, and spent much of his time making and selling humus and cookies at the market. For a while he also gave up comedy in favour of meditation. “In all I’ve done six months of mediation, either as a stretch of a month or 10 days,” says Barry. “What’s most difficult is the loss of distraction. For the first three days there are no emails, no letters through the door, no child or dog that you have to look after, or TV. Distractions are such a comfort. With meditation suddenly you’re alone. But when that fades away the stillness that comes from existing is so powerful.”
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Screen on the Green (c) www.islingtonfacesblog.com
5 places Barry Ferns likes in Islington
I like Euphorium, 79 Upper Street, on Islington Green a lot. I try not to patronise anything too corporate but I value community and I know the staff here.Â
Camden Head is a home for me. We’re keeping Angel Comedy at the Camden Head because it’s got a good comedy room and Anita the manager is great. Really positive.Â
I really like the canal – it changes the feel of Angel in a good way. You feel you could be in the countryside.
I’m a great fan of Candid CafĂ© and the Candid Arts people at 3 Torrens Street, N1.Â
I also like the Screen on the Green – last thing I saw was Lobster, which I absolutely hated! It was technically brilliant but narratively dull.Â
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Barry Ferns: “What we want to do in Islington – our community – is to add to the area. My politics is to be the change you want to see in the world, that line from Gandhi. We want people to be engendering togetherness. And if the Kickstarter campaign is successful you can vote to change my name.” https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/angel-comedy/angel-comedy-club (c) Simon Goss
The big Angel Comedy dream
With the MA over Barry was drawn back to London where he began working for Islington Council at the recycling centre off Holloway Road. Then in 2010 he moved to Camden Council’s recycling team and re-ignited his stand up career. Now, in addition to teaching film making at City Lit, Barry runs a seven night a week comedy club at the Camden Head pub, on Camden Passage, booking 70 comedians a week and then usually comperes the shows.
“I was in the right place at the right time,” admits Barry. “The manager said there was a chance to run a gig. We started on a Thursday, then Thursday and Saturday, and after six months added Sunday night too.” Barry may be caught up in the day-to-day practicalities but he’s proud of the Camden Head’s comedy track record. “It’s a great pub room. Lots of comedy clubs have performed. It was the home of the original Meccano Club and has seen some of the biggest performers including Eddie Izzard, Harry Enfield, Mike Myers, Julian Clary, Paul Merton… all the comedy greats.
With more than 5,000 comedians on his email list and often queues to see the show Barry is crazily busy. Those days of meditative silence are clearly gone – now he claims to practice “everyday mindfulness”. When I look blank he explains, “it’s like recycling, you do it every day.”
It clearly suits Barry. In June Angel Comedy took on a second comedy space at the former pub, on Queen’s Head Street, after raising ÂŁ20,000 in just 10 days. Angel Comedy has many fans – just look at its Facebook page and reviews from Trip Advisor – which may explain why the Kickstarter campaign was such a speedy success and will ensure the new venue can open in mid September. Not only does the venue not yet have a name, Barry has promised he’ll change his name if a stretch Kickstarter campaign can raise £60,000 by end July.
“In the new venue we don’t want to charge people too much for the space. Our business model is to make enough money for sandwiches – and rent,” says Barry with his comedian’s twinkle. “It will support comedians who are brand new, or doing their 50th or 200th gig. It’s a place to learn stage craft. The problem with the London circuit is for a comedian to improve you need a full room, but most comedy clubs don’t book new comedians.”
At the same time as helping comedians develop Barry’s plan is to boost the neighbourhood too.
“It’s a community model. We know there’s so much child poverty in Islington so want to offer free or subsidised workshops.” There are many other plans – workshops and space for all sorts of groups including school students, refugees and care home residents.
It’s a big dream and it’s close to fruition thanks to Barry Fern’s love of stand up. Do check out the Angel Comedy websites, sign up for newsletters, give generously to the collecting bucket etc. See you next in the Angel Comedy queue…
- http://www.barryferns.com/
- @angelcomedy
- Free top drawer comedy at Angel Comedy starts 8pm, seven nights a week at the Camden Head, 2 Camden Passage, N1 (nearest tube Angel). Arrive early to ensure you can see the show, check for comedy style on angelcomedy.co.uk
- Vous ĂŞtes Français ? Rendez-vous Ă la soirĂ©e stand-up consacrĂ©e aux Français le Lundi 20 Juin, 19h30, au 39 Queen’s head street.  https://www.facebook.
com/events/766115120190978/ - Want to perform at Angel Comedy? Email: 5minutesofcomedy@gmail.com
- Read more about how to support Angel Comedy’s new venture at
Over to you
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