John Shuttleworth

Radio 4’s lo-fi cabert entertainer is a national institution. The joy of Shuttleworth is the mirth the musical maestro makes out of the minutiae of modern-day mundanity. From songs bemoaning Bounty bars’ cardboard tray being removed, “Mars of Slough, You’ve really done it now…” to meandering anecdotes about his agent, Ken Worthington: “He said I’d got a gig with Billy Joel. Turns out I misheard him. He said ‘Village Hall'”. Struggling with a failing voice, Shuttleworth professionally soldiered on and successfully won over an uncertain audience in the second half. Why Shuttleworth hasn’t been knighted yet is beyond me.

Connaught Theatre, Worthing, 27 April 2013

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