One-Sinha-lifetime? For me and my friend, it’s the second time

Me (right) and my good friend Jack (left) with Paul Sinha

It was a stunning sunny Saturday afternoon when my friend and I met up at the Polish Social Centre in Bury, Greater Manchester, where we watched three comedy acts; Big Lou, Rod Woodward, and of course, the Sinhaman.

Your first reaction to reading this may have been something along the lines of “what do you mean Paul Sinha was performing stand-up? He’s a super clever quizzer on a game show; he’s Stephen Fry, not Jimmy Carr!” well, I am here to tell you that you are wrong. In fact — he was a comedian long before first appearing on The Chase.

Your next question may be “what brings him to a small town in the north of England?” that’s a question I am still somewhat uncertain on, but I know that he is friends with Dr Kevin Jones, and I presume it is that which brings the quizzing legend up north.

I had met Paul last year, as he was doing another comedy show in Ramsbottom. I spoke to him, and ended up in a bar with him and his husband, Oliver Levy, for close to three hours afterward (he likes a dry white wine if you ever find yourself at a bar with him).

The night before his show, I messaged him via Instagram to see if I could get a recorded comment from him on the day. He viewed my message, requested to follow me, but never responded. I was uncertain on how to react to this, but I decided to say no more and wait until the show itself.

Between the comedy acts was a fifteen-minute interval, Paul was the third and final act of the night, and during the break between Woodward and Sinha, Dr Kevin Jones takes the microphone from the stage and says “is there a journalist from Ramsbottom who wishes to speak to Paul here? If you are, then come up here”. I was astounded; if I was going to get a comment from Paul, I’d expect it would be after the show had ended, and I’d worry that I would be mithering him by asking again, but he’d actually read my message!

After trying to clear my head (I was six pints deep) I walk over to Paul, I shake his hand, feign sobriety, and explain my university project to him — which is why I wanted a comment from him in the first place — and asked him if he remembered me from last year. I didn’t expect him to, and he didn’t, at least not entirely, he said he “vaguely recalled” it. He mentioned that he had read my message and tried to reply but — bless him — said he didn’t quite understand Instagram.

Regardless, I get my interview clip from him. He was incredibly lovely and happy to give me a comment. I had asked him something along the lines of ‘what is the importance of community events and entertainment when raising money for a charity?’ and he told me ‘as a professional comedian, I find it important to do things that aren’t just for — well — me, and while I am a very busy man and cannot do it all the time, I am very passionate about making people laugh to raise money for a good cause, so I think it is very important’.

It certainly speaks a lot about his character that he travels from his house all the way in London for one night to support a small annual charity event here in the north, especially considering — as he mentioned — that he is a particularly busy man, with a career in both comedy and quizzing.

As for the comedy acts themselves, I had never heard of Big Lou or Rod Woodward, but I’d be more than happy to watch them again. Big Lou is reminiscent of Roy Chubby Brown, who I have previously watched in Manchester, to me in terms of comedy style, but perhaps a little bit tamer. Woodward was more his own style, maybe hints of Jimmy Carr, but he was a wonderful storyteller and is spot on with accents and impressions. Sinha’s style of comedy is something I would label as “self-deprecating”, as a lot of the jokes centre around certain embarrassing moments he has experienced, or people making negative jabs at him online; he’s a comedian who is absolutely fine with being the butt of the joke. It is at this point where I’d love to include one of my favourite jokes from Paul, but I will refrain due to how explicit they can be.

Dr Kevin Jones presented the night, and has a few comedy chops of his own. Self-entitled as the “funniest doctor of medicine”, the way he introduced the comics, and himself, was with humorous remarks and dry witticisms.

The venue itself was a lovely little place. I had never been to the Polish Social Centre, but my mother has been a few times, and my grandmother was presented with an award there in the early 80’s, so it is to my understanding that it is a very popular place for events. I can see why, considering that there’s not exactly a great number of choices in Bury.

Overall — the show was very enjoyable, and I will certainly consider returning next year even if Paul Sinha isn’t performing. And if I DO see him agajn? Well, I just hope he remembers me next time.