“His audience interaction is flawless” - The Skinny
Brief Description
An original blend of sharp wit and inventively inspired stories, John performs throughout the UK and is a highly regarded compere. As a member of the Manchester Comedy Store’s resident improv. team ‘ComedySportz’, he’s played internationally in Chicago, Washington, Milwaukee and New York.
John also performs as ‘Danny Pensive’ (see www.dannypensive.co.uk), pushing the envelope of eclectic humour with his passion for creating truly alternative comedy.
In 2008 John debuted his first full Edinburgh show “The 30 Year Itch”, setting himself the challenge of writing a show about growing up with a skin condition. In 2011 He returned to Edinburgh with “Danny Pensive’s Map of Britain”, a show all about people and places which garnered critical success from the press, and a cult following for the character.
As both a straight stand up and a character comedian, John has firmly established himself as one of the most original voices to come out of the North East in recent years.
John has appeared on BBC radio Manchester, and writes a blog for Sci-Fi & Fantasy magazine SFX.
Biography
- “Danny Pensive’s Map of Britain” – Edinburgh 2011
- “The 30 Year Itch” – Edinburgh Debut Show 2008
- City Life Comedian of the Year Finalist – 2006
- So you think you’re Funny Semi-finalist 2004
- ‘Best of British’ Finalist, The Frog & Bucket, Manchester Comedy Festival – 2003
- Manchester Comedy Store ‘King Gong’ ( x3 )
TV and Radio
- BBC 2 – “The Speaker” 2009 (watch the video)
- Cadbury’s Clusters – (TV ad)
- Mrs Buchan – Ipso facto Films for Channel 4.
- The Sam Walker Show, BBC Radio Manchester
Edinburgh Review’s for Danny Pensive’s Map of Britain
“This character comedy is so assured, odd and sweet, that you can easily see the self-‐styled Sunderland simpleton becoming the next score keeper on Shooting Stars. During his whistle-‐ stop recollection of a three-‐year trip around Britain, Pensive highlights with uncanny accuracy and unerring honesty the stupidity of places and people. Catch this comic idiot savant before Vic ‘n’ Bob snap him up”
The List
“From Newquay to Aberdeen, from Swansea to Bridlington, Pensive recalls the things that made the places he has been special and memorable. His audience interaction is flawless, and he has us laughing from start to finish with his songs and little anecdotes. His delivers each word as though it is separate from those around it. His observations are sweet and almost child, and told with such openness that he is impossible to dislike.”
The Skinny
“Taking the audience on a tour of Britain through his eyes, Pensive offers tales of his travels from Dundee way down to Newquay and everywhere in between. He affects a degree of simple-mindedness, but then he slips out some cutting wit, firing out insults like facts he’s looked up on Wikipedia, so then you know that there is more to him than meets the eye. Pensive is a delight to watch, full of amusing observations about British scenery and culture.”
ThreeWeeks
The Speaker Interview
In 2009 John participated in the BBC2 series ‘The Speaker’. Here he is discussing the use of storytelling in stand up comedy.
