Now into its incredible 15th year, the annual event at the iconic Comedy Store in south-west London was once again organised and hosted by comedy writer, sports presenter and Lily supporter Kevin Day. The sold-out crowd poured into the venue, eager to be entertained by our famous five comics, who didn’t disappoint.
Our hilarious host gently reminded us that he’d been present at every previous Lily Comedy Night, before toeing the line by avoiding (almost) all mention of war, Brexit and the Royal Family, but still finding plenty of ways to make us laugh.
The disappointment of losing Joe Pasquale to sickness was soon swept away by the appearance of his replacement, new dad Seann Walsh. He chatted London life, Tube escalators and Matt Hancock in the jungle before heading straight back to the nursery.
The up-and-coming Abigail Carter-Simpson and her ukelele followed, strumming through her musical ex-boyfriend attack on all her love-life disasters from gay Sam to Clive who made her feel alive.
After the break came the much-anticipated Romesh Ranganathan who apparently isn’t sure about charity gigs or charity people… we forgave him as he shared with us his misgivings about marriage, and reflected on the time his brand new Yeezys got run over by a wheelchair at Chessington World of Adventures.
The biggest cheer of the night was saved for the zany Terry Alderton and his alter ego. From chicken pole vaulting to translucent people to why you shouldn’t feed toffees to dogs… the laughs kept coming until our cheeks hurt and our sides ached.
It was fantastic to see so many loyal Lily families, fundraisers and supporters in the audience, as well as some new faces enjoying their first time at the event. The Lily team were kept busy fielding queries from people wanting to volunteer, sign up for fundraising events, or support the charity in other ways. All in all it was a very successful night, raising not only plenty of laughs but also awareness, and funds to help support families affected by mitochondrial disease.
A huge thank you to everyone who helped to make it such a special night – we hope to see you again next year for more fun and fundraising!
