Yes one day the big agents with double barrelled names who ripped off a generation of poster boys (watch out haircut comics) might get shot and then dragged through the streets of Edinburgh along the cobbled streets of the Grassmarket and then through the Pleasance courtyard, people singing and chanting at the street justice of it all, especially those ones that swallowed the promises and got themselves into tens of thousands of pounds of debt. Instead I think they'll just retire gracefully and be wheeled out as old men on documentarys to tell us how Frank Skinner was a genius and how they could see it before anyone else.

Jason Freeman, Dan Freidman, Wara, they're the ones I remember from my time, I'm sure there's a load more from different times as well. What their level of skill as comedians were isn't for me to say really. Also they were starting out just like I was and looking back I was proper bollocks then. What I do remember though is that those three were in a weird way ahead of their time. I was a bloke from Blaydon on Tyne doing jokes (I still am) whereas I remember Freeman doing stuff about wrestling moves and other physical traits (this was the time of Gladiators and Hulk Hogan) stuff that I can see storming nowadays with teenagers shelling out hard earned money to see a good looking skinny bloke doing 'moves' on stage.

Sadly for the aforementioned they missed the boat in terms of mega bucks as did someone like Jeff Green from the suit circuit. Jeff was (and probably still is, he lives in Oz now) a very good comic. I was never bothered about what he did, all that relationship and difference between men and women stuff didn't get me going but nice couples loved it, you know looking at eachother and giggling when he made a pertinent point, 'Oooh you do that Wendy', 'So do you Darren....have you locked the car?'.

With comedy being big business these days, I'm sure Jeff would've had his day as an Arena comic but it wasn't to be. He did do his time on the panel shows but eventually someone younger and more good looking and with a trendier haircut replaced him and in Jeff's day if you were a good looking bloke who was quite funny and on telly, you sold tickets in the hundreds even the tens, not in the thousands.

At least he can walk down the street though. I would see this as a virtue, sadly for a lot of them, this is the opposite of their thoughts. They'd loved to be instantly recognised, be flanked by security and mobbed by photographers. They'd loved to be stopped in Sainsburys and asked where they got the idea for the 'Men like to use the barbecue' routine or the 'Women like woman's things' observation. I've made these titles up but if any haricut boys want them feel free I'll not say that you've ripped me off.

Right I'm off I've got things to do. Halifax tonight, Leeds tomorrow. In the meantime I'm doing my books. Speak tomorrow, enjoy your Friday.

TODAY'S BLOG IS SPONSORED BY THE TIME WHEN 'THE HOOD' WAS THE THING THAT WAS ATTACHED TO YOUR PARKER OR SNORKEL.

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