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Mark Watson's 'Request Stops Tour' coming to a town near you in 2011/ 2012 - tickets available now

Posted: 12 years ago
Mark Watson

Disenchanted millions up and down the country can often be heard bemoaning the fact that "Beyoncé never plays Didcot". If Mrs Jay-Z did go to Didcot, whilst there may be room at the power station or that field next to the vets near Tesco, the reality is that towns like Didcot just don't have the muscle to attract the big names of world pop.

Comedians are a slightly different proposition, since they rarely need more than a decent size play house and a nearby pay-and-display to sustain a gig. Even the big, off-the-telly names of the comedy circuit will happily bring the funny to Didcot or Littlehampton or Clitheroe provided they can fit it into the tour.

Whilst we have one London, a big Manchester and a couple of Birminghams, the nation is in fact awash with Littlehamptons and Didcots. This is where most people live. And the majority of them never have a high profile telly comic drop by. Mark Watson is doing his best to change all that.

His 'Request Stops' tour, the first half of which took place earlier this year, seeks to redress the balance just a little, having used his popular blog to invite requests from towns and cities off the regular circuit. The result is a national tour that zigzags across the UK and Ireland, taking trips to a few 'traditional' locations, such as Belfast, Swindon and Aberdeen, alongside the paths-less-trodden to Wexford, Aberdare, Wellingborough, Aldershot and Millom (in Cumbria).

The autumn leg of Mark Watson's Request Stops tour continues in Kilkenny in Ireland (tomorrow), moving onto Wexford, Belfast, Bordon (Hampshire), Llandudno, Runcorn, Winchester, Barnstable, Jersey and many more, before the final two shows of the tour at the Norwich Playhouse on 27th and 28th January 2012.

We have tickets for all dates available to buy now, with prices generally ranging from £15 to £17.50 depending on venue (around €20 for the Ireland dates). The summer leg of the tour sold out nearly every night so don't delay, it might be a long wait before a top comedian returns to Millom.

Stewart Darkin