Comedians honoured to be part of Rik Mayall festival

It's a bright, sunny day in Worcestershire, but instead of soaking up the sun, people are cramming into the cool, dark room of a pub to watch comedians perform.

For the second year running, the Rik Mayall Comedy Festival is taking over Droitwich Spa, the town where the legendary comedian grew up.

Over the span of nine days and 30 stages, more than 300 performances are taking place, with the festival running until Saturday 6 June.

All of this is in honour of the comedian, actor and writer - star of The Young Ones, Bottom, and Blackadder, to name but a few.

Dawn French, who was Mayall's friend and colleague in Comic Strip, told the BBC: "How we miss him. Anything that celebrates Rik's life is fine by me because what a beauty he was, and what a kind, lovely man - and I have a lot to thank Rik for."

French said her and Jennifer Saunders got a pay rise at Comic Strip because Mayall said in a communal meeting one day: "I think it's about time the girls got paid the same as us."

"That was the first time we found out we weren't being paid the same," she said.

"He was a feminist and he absolutely dragged us up to the same level as them."

When asked what Mayall - who died of a heart attack in 2014 aged 56 - would think of the festival, she laughed: "He had quite a big ego, Rik, so he would have loved that."

As part of the festival, BBC Hereford & Worcester and BBC Upload put on two stages, one on Friday at the Old Cock Inn, and one on Saturday in Droitwich High Street.

All the performers were chosen after sending their work to BBC Upload and have links to the West Midlands.

Rachel Longmore, from Wolverhampton, said becoming a comedian had been a "temporary insanity" that she had carried on ever since.

"It's taken me all over the country, to some of the most random places, and I've also gone to Ireland and Paris, and I'm hoping to go more," she told the BBC.

"Being a Midlands girl you think I never would have got to see these places otherwise."

Longmore never writes her jokes down, which she jokingly compares to Jay-Z, saying "they just pop into my head" and she hopes she remembers them.

Speaking about the festival, Longmore said: "I really enjoyed it, lovely day, lovely crowd - people were laughing so that's something."

Naph Esa is a comedian and security guard from Small Heath in Birmingham, who has toured the country through her work.

Performing at the festival on Friday, Esa said: "It was great, such a good start to the festival. There were so many people in the audience."

Esa also runs a Halal comedy night called HaHa-Lal, which she describes as an inclusive night for everyone, but with no alcohol, Halal food, and family friendly comedy "so everyone can enjoy it".

"I just saw a gap in the market really because a lot of the gigs I do are at pubs so I can't really invite a lot of my friends and family who ask to see the show," she said.

"It's just taken off to be honest, people want more of it."

Lee Comley, from Birmingham, also performed at the festival on Friday, telling the BBC: "It's just been such a lovely atmosphere and I feel so honoured to be a part of it.

"There's something so cathartic about watching good comedy and it's been a really joyous afternoon."

Comley, who is also an actor, writer, and journalist, started comedy after doing a course at the Birmingham Rep theatre for last year called LGBTQTeeHee! - a free course for members of the LGBT+ community from the West Midlands.

"By the end of it I fell in love with it and I've carried it on," he said.

"I'm still very new to it and finding my way, it's just something so joyous about sharing laughs with a bunch of people and sharing your view of the world."

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