Friends of comedian Darren Maskell have organised a tribute gig to the comic, who died earlier this year.

The one-off show – on what would have been his 38th birthday – will raise money to establish new awards in his memory to champion those with similarly unique approaches to comedy.

It is being organised by fellow comic Hatty Ashdown, a friend of Maskell’s who performed an Edinburgh Fringe show with him in 2010.

She said: ‘Darren was a one off prankster prop comedian with a unique voice . The night will be filled with some of his favourite acts and friends. We want the night to be a celebration of Darren, the  alternative and to spread the message of always taking risks.’

Joining her own the bill at Up The Creek in Greenwich, South London, next Tuesday are Lou Sanders, Nick Helm, Sooz Kempner, Luke McQueen Mark Silcox, Marny Godden, Weirdos Comedy and Caroline Mabey.

Maskell started performing stand-up in July 2008,  and staged  a solo  show at the 2013 Edinburgh Fringe entitled A Woodlouse Trapped Underneath A Glass. He was a low-key absurdist, and his trademark routine was to bring out a collection of coat hangers and talk the audience through them.

In 2019, he spent a couple of months in hospital with sepsis and was subsequently diagnosed with a spine infection, which left him housebound. 

Ed Gamble called him ‘a supremely lovely man who was always a joyfully unique and funny presence on the circuit,’ while  John Kearns said: ‘Darren was that rare bird, a comic who - straight from the off - tread his own path and was someone you were always excited to see. No ego, truly irreverent, delicately silly and a laugh  you always wanted to hear when you peddled your own bollocks. He’ll be very missed.’

Tickets for Tuesday’s gig – co-organised by Adam Larter of Weirdos Comedy and comedy photographer Ed Moore – are available here.