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Jimmy Carr to make York Barbican debut in Terribly Funny show in the autumn

Jimmy Carr: York Barbican debut

JOKER Jimmy Carr is Terribly Funny. Or at least that’s the title the dry-witted British-Irish comedian, presenter and writer has behest on this year’s York-bound travels.

Isleworth-born Carr, 47, has just added a York Barbican date on October 25, in doing so making a crosstown switch for the first time from his regular York stamping ground, the Grand Opera House.

Not that the urbane stand-up putdown specialist is not booked into the Opera House too on his 2020 tour. He is. Carr will be Terribly Funny there first, on June 21.

Arch cynic Carr first played York in 2003 at the inaugural York Comedy Festival and The Other Side Comedy Club at The Basement, City Screen, making his Grand Opera House debut with Public Displays Of Affection in November 2004.

He returned in October 2006 and April 2007 with Gag Reflex; a one-off Repeat Offender in March 2008; two nights of Joke Technician in September 2008, one in April 2009, and a brace of Rapier Wit dates in September 2009, another in March 2010 and yet another two months later.

Jimmy Carr will be Terribly Funny twice over in York

Laughter Therapy brought Carr back for two shows in October 2010 and one the next April; next came four performances of Gagging Order, one in June 2012, two that December, one more in September 2013, and two Funny Business gigs in October 2014. The Best Of, Ultimate, Greatest Hits Tour sent him north in September 2016, October 2016 and June 2017.

His last public appearance in York was as a guest at the York Minster wedding ceremony of pop star Ellie Goulding and North Yorkshire-born art dealer Casper Jopling last August.

Terribly Funny contains jokes about all kinds of terrible things, says Carr: “Terrible things that might have affected you or people you know and love. But they’re just jokes – they are not the terrible things. Having political correctness at a comedy show is like having health and safety at a rodeo. Now you’ve been warned, buy a ticket.”

York Barbican tickets for Carr, the Channel 4 host of The Friday Night Project, 8 Out Of 10 Cats and The Big Fat Quiz Of The Year, are on sale on 0203 356 5441, at yorkbarbican.co.uk or in person from the box office. Grand Opera House tickets, 0844 871 3024 or at atgtickets.com/york.  

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Silver lining guaranteed as Jeff Beck announces York Barbican debut in May

Jeff Beck: playing York Barbican for the first time this spring

GUITAR great Jeff Beck will play York Barbican on May 19 on his nine-date British tour.

Tickets for the two-time Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame inductee and serial Grammy Award winner will go on sale on Friday, February 14 at 10am.

Joining blues, rock and jazz guitarist Beck on tour will be Vinnie Colaiuta on drums, Rhonda Smith on bass and Vanessa Freebairn-Smith on cello.  

Beck’s tour will begin on May 17, taking in a second Yorkshire show at Sheffield City Hall on May 23 and climaxing with a London finale at the Royal Albert Hall on May 26 and 27.

Over the course of a career stretching beyond 50 years, Beck has won eight Grammy awards; been ranked by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time and  been inducted into the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame, both with The Yardbirds and solo.

Beck replaced Eric Clapton as The Yardbirds’ lead guitarist in 1965, going on to form The Jeff Beck Group with Rod Stewart on vocals and Ronnie Wood on bass. So much has followed and, now 75, the Wallington-born guitarist is working on new music for release in 2020 on Rhino/Warner Records.

From Friday, tickets for Beck’s York Barbican debut will be available at yorkbarbican.co.uk and myticket.co.uk, on 0203 356 5441 or in person at the Barbican box office. Sheffield tickets:  sheffieldcityhall.co.uk, myticket.co.uk or 0114 278 9789.