From Chester to Melbourne: Jeff Green's Comedy Journey
In this episode, Danny Hurst sits down to chat with British comedian and author Jeff Green. He was raised in Chester and found his comedy feet in Manchester and London. He now lives and performs in Australia. Jeff worked hard and found fame; it was not unusual for him to do 5 shows a night. He once played The Rovers Return and learned his craft alongside Suzy Eddie Izzard.
Danny and Jeff swap stories, including dying at the Bearcat and performing while IRA bombs were going off.
If you can´t get enough of these podcasts, head to https://www.patreon.com/DannyHurst to access my exclusive, member-only, fun-filled and fact-packed history-related videos.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
In the 80s, Australians and New Zealanders came to the UK bought a 2nd hand camper and toured the UK. Jeff learnt how to do stand up alongside Suzy Eddie Izzard. For 20 years, Jeff did up to 5 gigs a night. Jeff won Comedy Store New Comic of the Year. For some gigs, comics had to walk through the audience to get to the stage, being heckled all the way. Comedy is in the blood in the UK, so many members of the public have a quick wit. When a comedian is funny between jokes they are usually very successful. The best comics take risks and break the mould. Many of them also don´t care and say what they want if they think it is funny. Being a comic in Australia is tough, every gig is an overnighter. The audience is calmer but easily offended. Australians like stories rather than one-liners Irish comics had it really rough during the 80s and 90s.BEST MOMENTS
“I was getting standing ovations in London and being booed in Melbourne.””
“I was at Eddie´s first ever gig when he performed in a dress.”
“We've got our own Susan Boyle in Dave Jones.”
“You'd probably make the same money in 89 that you're that you're making in 2025.”
“That's the beauty of comedy, you've got everyone in it, from top heart consultants to forklift truck drivers.”
“Australian audiences are a lot softer than British audiences.”
“I made a lot of mistakes in London; I clearly pissed a lot of people off.”
“He said “it´s a homage Jeff”, which is a posh way of saying “I´ve stolen it”
EPISODE RESOURCES
https://www.facebook.com/@comedianjeffgreen
https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Jeff-Green/author/B0034PJJFA
HOST BIO
Historian, performer, and mentor Danny Hurst has been engaging audiences for many years, whether as a lecturer, stand-up comic or intervention teacher with young offenders and excluded secondary students. Having worked with some of the most difficult people in the UK, he is a natural storyteller and entertainer, whilst purveying the most fascinating information that you didn't know you didn't know. A writer and host of pub quizzes across London, he has travelled extensively and speaks several languages. He has been a consultant for exhibitions at the Imperial War Museum and Natural History Museum in London as well as presenting accelerated learning seminars across the UK. With a wide range of knowledge ranging from motor mechanics to opera to breeding carnivorous plants, he believes learning is the most effective when it's fun. Uniquely delivered, this is history without the boring bits, told the way only Danny Hurst can.
CONTACT AND SOCIALS
https://instagram.com/dannyjhurst
facebook.com/danny.hurst.9638
Unusual Histories
"History is a nightmare from which I am trying to awake." James Joyce.
That was me at school as well. Ironically, I ended up becoming a historian. The Unusual Histories podcast is all about the history you don't learn at school, nor indeed anywhere else.
Discover things that you didn't know that you didn't know; fascinating historical luminaries and their vices and addictions, the other numerous sides of every story...
We start with the Monopoly Series, in which we explore how the game came to be, the real-life connection between the cheapest and most expensive properties, the history of each location, how proportionate the values were then and are today, what the hell a "community chest" is and whether free parking really does exist anywhere in London.
If you love history; or indeed if you hate history, this is the podcast for you…
Where can you listen?
