London

Next Level Sketch: A Fifth Birthday Celebration Zine

As handed out at our anniversary show – full zine in PDF format below. And remember – our next show is Wednesday 19th February! Read more

February 3, 2025

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jamesofwalsh

in

comedy, London, Next Level Sketch, Sketch Comedy
Save the Observer strike

Today I joined the picket line outside King’s Place, home of the Guardian and Observer, amid a two-day strike in protest of the proposed sale of The Observer to Tortoise Media. “It’s fucking embarrassing it’s got to this point in the first place”, says one old feature writer, who greets me like a friend but… Read more

December 13, 2024

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jamesofwalsh

in

Diary, journalism, London
Spooky Baby: A Next Level Sketch

Cheers once again to Alex and the team at Orca Comedy for expertly filming another sketch from our bulging oeuvre. We’ve had assorted Halloween specials at Hoopla since 2020, and this sketch is one of my favourites because it’s just so winningly stupid. And I think the extra lines added about The Cure and new… Read more

June 19, 2024

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by

jamesofwalsh

in

comedy, Diary, London, Next Level Sketch, Sketch Comedy

Hoopla Impro, June, Katie McLeod, London Bridge, Next Level Sketch, Rob Duncan, Sketch Comedy, The Miller
It was twenty years ago today

I have been informed that London Loves, the Soho-based indie disco I ran with a gaggle of friends, started in June 2004, suddenly quite a long time ago. The definitive history of London Loves has already been written, in the form of Denny’s fanzine article celebrating our 10th anniversary back in 2004. The only thing… Read more

June 8, 2024

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jamesofwalsh

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Diary, London, music

Blur, britpop, Dean Street, indie disco, London, London Loves, pulp, Push Bar, Shed 7
Next Level Sketch with Will Sebag-Montefiore, Jen Zheng, and The Awkward Silence

I dashed off to Istanbul straight after our show, and so didn’t have time for my usual, far-too-long write-up. But I wanted to write down a few things, as it was another fabulous night at Hoopla Impro, with some of my favourite people. Self-criticism corner first: I probably should have prepared better for hosting. I’m… Read more

June 6, 2024

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by

jamesofwalsh

in

comedy, Diary, London, Next Level Sketch, Sketch Comedy

comedy, Hoopla Impro, Jen Zheng, Just These Please, London, Next Level Sketch, Sketch Comedy, the awkward silence, The Miller
Some days you’ve just got to get in a bin

I wrote before about how Next Level Sketch are filming a few sketches, and how I feel about that. Having missed the first batch of filming due to cat commitments, Dan asked me to play the non-speaking role of “furious neighbour” in his sketch about a man who is really, really, really obsessed with the… Read more

May 1, 2024

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jamesofwalsh

in

Diary, London, Next Level Sketch, Sketch Comedy

comedy, London, Next Level Sketch, Sketch Comedy
The Dip, with Lilla Multipass, Freddie Hayes and Maria Telnikoff

A fun evening in the backstreets of Kentish Town, where myself and some other Next Level Sketch luminaries went to a rival comedy night, The Dip, run by our nemesis Chris East. Chris is a lovely host, and always books an interesting, alternative lineup. The venue is a little gem, an eccentric little cafe with… Read more

April 10, 2024

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jamesofwalsh

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cities, comedy, Diary, London

alternative comedy, comedy, Freddie Hayes, The Dip
Review: Paul Merton and Suki Webster’s Improv Show, Comedy Store

Note – a shorter version of this review is in today’s Morning Star newspaper. The Comedy Store is showing its age. The logo is very eighties, as are much of its regular clientele. Most are here to see Paul Merton, him off the telly, who has been doing improv for longer than your correspondent can… Read more

April 6, 2024

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jamesofwalsh

in

comedy, Diary, Improv, London, Morning Star columns, Reviews

comedy store, Improv, London, Paul Merton, Suki Webster
National March for Palestine – London, February 3rd 2024

Read more

February 3, 2024

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jamesofwalsh

in

Diary, London, politics

Gaza, London, March for Palestine, Palestine, Peace, Peace March, Protest
‘We’re not Ant and Dec!’: an interview with Low Effort Sketches

Another interview! Like yesterday’s, this first appeared in my newsletter, which you can subscribe to here. Hi Low Effort Sketches! What’s the most inaccurate name you’ve ever been welcomed to the stage with? (I once introduced “Shelf” as “Sketch”). “Low Effect Sketches” was brutal, but perhaps just as accurate as our real name! How would… Read more

January 23, 2024

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by

jamesofwalsh

in

comedy, Diary, interviews, London, Next Level Sketch, Sketch Comedy

Hoopla Impro, Low Effort Sketches, Next Level Sketch, Sketch Comedy, Sketch Off