Geoff Whiting was the perfect compere.  I could just leave it at that, without going into the way that he instantly put the audience at ease with a relaxed, friendly, chatty demeanour that creates an atmosphere closer to a gathering of friends than to an audience and performer... but I just did go into all that, so, hey!  It's all true!

The compere's job is a lot harder than it looks.  It's not just about shuffling on stage and saying "Ladies and gentlement, here's the next act..." and shuffling off again, at least not when it's done properly and not when Geoff Whiting does it.  His lack of ego, his audience technique, and, of course, some great material, were a perfect warm-up for the main-billed acts, as though he had already started hoisting up the laughter with a big comedy pulley and gave them a head-start by just handing them the rope.

The only criticism, if you can call it a criticism, is that he felt a bit too good to be "just" a compere and deserved a place on the bill.  Indeed, he does perform in his own right, and that is something that Funny.co.uk is looking forward to getting the chance to see.

(York Grand Opera House - Monday 23/06/2003 - York Comedy Festival Launch Event.  Click here for more details on the 2003 York Comedy Festival )