About

What’s worse than being a podgy, swotty, virginal schoolboy?

What if your dad’s the headmaster too?

In 1981 at the Kings of Wessex Upper School in Cheddar in Somerset, this was the nightmare reality for Richard Herring, son of TK “The Kipper” Herring. How on earth did he cope? And what are the psychological repercussions on his adult life, after a childhood filled with the suspicion and mistrust of his peers.

Herring dusts off his old diaries, rekindles memories that might best have been left forgotten and picks the scabs off of wounds that he thought had healed to discover if he can, as he hopes, blame his upbringing for his adult failures.

Along the way Herring attempts to answer such pertinent questions as:

Could playing the solo from “Geno” by Dexy’s Midnight Runners in any way compensate for the dweebishness of being second trumpet in the school band?

Would Joanne Thompson have given him the time of day had she known that in just over a decade he would be presenting Top of the Pops?

Could the belch of the century during the minute’s silence at the Ascension Day service impress his classmates enough to like him and would his father punish him in front of the whole school?

Was he, as he suspected, going to live of life of historical and philosophical import: a sort of better version of Gandhi and Jesus combined? Or would he just end up telling knob jokes for a living?

Has he ever really, truly got over his childhood sweetheart or do the embers of first love burn forever?

In the 1990s Richard Herring was in the prodigious double act, Lee and Herring, who created the cult classic BBC2 shows Fist of Fun and This Morning With Richard Not Judy. More recently he has written and starred in ITV1’s You Can Choose Your Friends, Radio 2’s That Was Then, This Is Now and Radio 4’s Banter. His recent one man shows include Christ on a Bike, Talking Cock, Someone Likes Yoghurt, ménage - un and Oh Fuck, I’m 40!

“One of the strongest shows Herring has produced in his already impressive canon.”
***** Chortle

“Gut-clenchingly funny.” The Sunday Times

“This is a crack comedy set…. Undercutting the heartfelt with the puerile wouldn't impress the headmaster. But it spells fine comedy for the rest of us.” The Guardian.

“Along with some eye-watering, completely unrepeatable passages, Herring delivered an effusively warm and good natured reminiscence on lost youth.” * * * * * Edinburgh Evening News

“Excruciatingly honest…effortlessly engaging.” * * * * Metro

“Sharp and Witty.” * * * * The List

“Hilarious, thought provoking and thoroughly recommended.”
* * * * * Three Weeks

“One of the leading hidden masters of modern British comedy.”
* * * * * British Theatre Guide

“His most enjoyable show yet.” * * * * * One4review.com