David Farnor | On 23, Apr 2020

Stand-up comics from across the UK are teaming up to live-stream comedy gigs for charity every Saturday night.

The initiative started as a literal joke, when Jake Lea-Wilson set up a virtual pub called The Covid Arms. When Jess, Jake’s sister, asked her friend, Kiri Pritchard-Mclean, if she would do some live comedy, the idea turned into a fundraising drive for food bank operator The Trussell Trust.

More than £13,500 was raised on the first performance, with 3,000 people tuning in. Now, Kiri is hosting a live-streaming gig every Saturday night. The gig starts at 7pm every week, with members of the public able to purchase a ticket for £2 or more. A link to the live-stream is sent out at 5pm, with £10 or more donations nabbing viewers a “front row” seat, which allows them to watch on Zoom and use their microphone and camera to interact with the performers. The money is split between the comedians and The Trussell Trust.

Previous acts have included Sara Pascoe, Suzi Ruffell, Mark Watson, Aisling Bea, Nish Kumar, Tom Allen, Grace Petrie, Rachel Fairburn and Rosie Jones. This weekend, comics include Ross Noble, Rose Matafeo, Danny McLoughlin and Robbie Cavanagh.

For more information, head to comedyatthecovid.co.uk.

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