Once you’ve enjoyed some of the best veterinary science in the lecture halls and discovered the latest industry innovations in the Exhibition, you’ll be ready to let your hair down…
You’re having a laugh aren’t you? Well you will be if you make sure you’ve got your Party Night ticket for the Saturday of Congress. You’ll be treated to a double whammy of fun this year, with your cult comedy host Stephen Grant turning on the laughing gas with a short set, before introducing you to one of the most popular names on the comedy circuit…
Jason Manford
In 1999, at the Buzz Comedy Club in Manchester, fate stepped in to turn Jason Manford from a 17-year-old glass collector into a professional comic. When a performer didn’t arrive for their set one evening, Jason stepped in – an event which marked the beginning of his comedy career. Just six gigs later he was winning comedy awards and today he’s a TV panel show stalwart, providing the laughs as one of the captains on 8 out of 10 Cats. Even if you don’t recognise his face, you’ll know what he sounds like, as he can currently be heard as one of the voices in the BBC comedy sketch show, Walk on the Wild Side and for the Churchill Insurance adverts.
Jason Manford joke:
About tipping when dining out:
'You can’t give an adult a pound, you may as well say ‘there you go mate, get yourself some sweets’.
Fred MacAuley
Stephen Grant and Jason Manford will also be joined by the revered comic Fred MacAuley. A career in accountancy might not be the most auspicious start for a comic, but if you need a sense of humour anywhere it is amongst sales ledgers and audit trails. Fred MacAuley eventually gave up number crunching for punch lines in 1993, initially earning his spurs as a warm-up man for Have I got News for You and Rory Bremner. After his award winning radio show in Scotland and performances on shows like QI, Mock the Week, and They Think It’s all Over, Fred’s been rewarded with his own mainstream comedy programme as host on I Guess That’s Why They call It The News on Radio Four.
Have a drink on us
In between the comedy and the music you’ll be able to indulge in some nice nibbles from the Party Night buffet and get yourself some drinks. Don’t forget to use your drink tickets earlier in the evening during Happy Hour, when your drink ticket is worth double!
The Proclaimers
Twin brothers Craig and Charlie Reid will lead the Party Night musical frivolities. As The Proclaimers, they have enjoyed huge success across the globe with emotional, honest, witty, sing-along raucousness that entertains fans across the generations..
Sound beginnings
After building a strong following in Scotland, in January 1987 they made a now seminal appearance on Channel 4’s The Tube, performing Letter From America. Singing in regional accents about Scotland – they were a far cry from the mid-Eighties playlist staples of Rick Astley and Sinitta. Voted NME Readers’ Best New Band that year, they toured the UK extensively and Letter From America, produced by Gerry Rafferty, went Top 3.
Resurgence
In 2007 they topped the UK singles chart again with a rousing new rendition of their classic anthem I’m Going to Be (500 Miles), a collaboration with comedians Peter Kay and Matt Lucas for Comic Relief, raising over a million pounds in the process. EMI re-launched their 2002 “Best Of” collection, re-entering the Album Charts at number 5.
Matt Lucas is a huge fan and in the sleeve notes of their “Best Of” compilation he writes: ‘I find it hard to put into words quite how the music of The Proclaimers makes me feel. It makes me laugh. It makes me cry. It just makes me generally euphoric’.
Book your tickets online now >>. Alternatively telephone +44 (0)1452 726720 or email congress@bsava.com