Mark Watson

Mark Watson

A former Cambridge Footlighter, Mark Watson first made an impact on the comedy circuit in 2002 when he won the Daily Telegraph Open Mic competition andwas a runner-up in So You Think You're Funny?

He has become known for his Edinburgh shows (2005's 50 Years Before Death And The Awful Prospect Of Enternity was nominated for the Perrier) and his gruelling shows that last more than 24 hours. Perrier's successor, the if.comeddies, awarded the panel award for best capturing the spirit of the fringe, in 2007.

Watson won the Chortle award winner for innovation in 2005, when he was also nominated for best breakthrough act, and was nominated for best compere in 2007.

He is also a novelist, with his debut Bullet Points, published in 2003; has written for TV and in 2007 landed his first radio series, Mark Watson Makes The World Substantially Better.

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Official Website

© Matt Crockett

Comedy Store enters the metaverse

Gigs to be live-streamed in VR

The Comedy Store is swapping its regular Friday-night shows for a new 3D virtual reality experience.

For the next three weeks, the iconic Central London club will host stand-up performances that will be be live-streamed to owners of headsets around the world.

According to VR company Pico, ‘viewers will feel like they are immersed in the show, positioned with an unrivalled view and connection with the comedians’.

People at home will also be can also interact with the performers, using emoji buttons at different points, while the technology will provide a 360-degree view in 8K video quality.

The first 40-minute show, to be streamed from 7pm this Friday, will be hosted by Mark Watson with a line-up comprising Russell KaneKiri Pritchard-McLean and Joshua Bethania. They will also be available on catch-up for about two weeks

Episodes will be available to owners of the £379 Pico 4 and Pico Neo 3 Link headsets developed by ByteDance, the Chinese owners of TikTok – .

Producers Iain Funnell and Yiyun Tang said: ‘We’re looking at lots of different ways we can expand our ever-growing content offering, and this is just one in series of live experiences we have lined up for this year.’

This is not the first time comedy gigs have been broadcast in VR. Last year, Manchester’s Frog and Bucket streamed a gig for Oculus headsets on the Infiniverse platform. Montreal’s Just For Laughs Festival has also experimented with the format and UK-based Australian comic Bec Hill released her 2019 special I’ll Be Bec on the  LIVR platform, following in the footsteps of Lancashire stand-up Freddy Quinne.

Free tickets to be in the live audience are available via SRO Audiences,

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Published: 22 Feb 2023

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Past Shows

Edinburgh Fringe 2001

Far Too Happy


Montreal 2009

Britcom gala 2009


Agent

We do not currently hold contact details for Mark Watson's agent. If you are a comic or agent wanting your details to appear here, for a one-off fee of £59, email steve@chortle.co.uk.

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