The latest Phil Evans column from the South Wales Evening Post

The latest Phil Evans column from the South Wales Evening Post.
Comedian Phil Evans is from Ammanford. He is known as the man who puts the ‘cwtsh’ into comedy.
www.philevans.co.uk

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It’s over:

That’s it then! Summer is over.
Barbecues will be consigned to the garden shed until next June and the Factor 20 will make way for The X Factor.
Well, maybe not in my house....
You probably noticed we’ve just had the last Bank Holiday of the summer. It seems like we had over a dozen this year.
I’ve never known a summer so jam-packed . . .
By the way, Jeremy Corbyn, there’s no such expression as ram-packed - with music festivals, comedy festivals, literary festivals, food festivals, cider festivals and family fun days. They were like London ‘buses - bright red and no standing on the upper deck.
Just kidding!
If you missed one, there were at least three following on right behind it.
Even the dampest, muddiest festival featuring music acts that hadn’t had a hit since ...since....err...Bob Geldof had one, attracted massive crowds.
How do festival followers find the time to attend?
Don’t they have lawns to mow; hedges to trim; windows to clean; cats to de-flea?
And...dare I mention...work to go to?
In January, I think half the adult population of the U.K. took a look at their diaries for June, July and August and said “It’ll be difficult and it’ll take some organising, but I just might be able to squeeze in a couple of days work around my holidays and all the festivals!”
Call me an old curmudgeon....no, call me a young-ish curmudgeon...but I’ve always worked since I left school.
Like many of you I’ve had low-paid, boring jobs I loathed getting up in the morning for.
However, I stuck to them because I was taught work came first.
Yes, there was always a little left for ‘weekend leisure pursuits’ (a few pints and maybe the pictures), but now the U.K. ‘night time economy’ is worth a staggering £80 Billion.
That’s a phenomenal amount of money spent in pubs and clubs by a vast number of people of working age, seven nights a week.
You can’t be out drinking ‘til three on a Tuesday morning and then get up for work, so how do they pay for their hangover?
As so many vacuous TV shows and magazines feature celebrities out on the town at parties and premieres, it feels we live in an era when having ‘fun’ is considered a higher priority than working.
You know, on second thoughts, maybe I am an old curmudgeon.

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Welsh comedy:

Hopefully, many of you reading this would have relaxed and enjoyed some quality family time over the bank holiday, which is what bank holidays were designed for I'm sure.
This was my initial plan too, but on this occasion a few demands have been placed on me as I am in the middle of learning and fine tuning a new Welsh comedy routine which is to be recorded for S4C in October.
Performing Welsh comedy is not something that I have fully embraced over the years and if I'm being honest, not something that comes easy to me. This is something that takes more effort, practice and energy.
It's like starting the comedy treadmill all over again, which could be the main reason that I've not done as much in this field previously.
But one thing is for sure – there are many new, up and coming truly talented performers working their way into the Welsh comedy arena and S4C are embracing the opportunity and thankfully providing a platform to showcase this home grown talent.
Keeping the language alive by spreading the magic of humour has to be good news and a huge step in the right direction.
Ardderchog!

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Edinburgh comedy festival:

So, the Edinburgh comedy festival, the biggest and best in the world has drawn to a close with thousands of performers now suffering from post festival blues.
Yes there is such a thing. It comes on quite quickly following a solid month of late nights, early mornings and adrenaline pumped performances, from talented performers from all corners of the world.
Many performers took on the Edinburgh comedy festival challenge to gain valuable exposure, experience and to escape the reality of everyday life, whilst taking on great financial risk as very few performers make enough money during the demanding run to cover the cost of being part of the action.
If you have ever been to this event you would have experienced the amazing welcome, magic and varied entertainment that only Edinburgh can offer, however, if you haven't been I would highly recommend that you add this event to your bucket list immediately.
This is a must see experience for any age, background and taste.
Yes, there is something for everyone. Go on, plan it now. Make a date in the diary for a visit in August 2017 – you can thank me later.

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You can follow Phil Evans on Twitter @philevanswales and www.philevans.co.uk