Simon Minty's recent thoughts and more

Disability Arts Cymru event Friday 24th July 2020 I was asked to speak at an event, along with Dr Erin Pritchard, who I believe instigated it, and Tammy Reynolds. There are two paragraphs explaining the topic below and then my response.  Please note - there are references to depression and suicide in this piece.  Dwarfism and the ethics of humour "Why is it that people who are shorter than the ‘average’ person, people born with a variety of conditions under the medical banner of ‘dwarfism’ are so often seen as the butt of the joke, an easy target to make fun of. As children many will experience bullying, some to such an extent that they become suicidal.  Yet, there is an industry that exploits people with dwarfism to act in shows such as Snow White and the Seven  Dwarfs, once being doubly exploited as they were filmed for a TV show about the seven cast members living in a house together as if that’s especially interesting to watch...

Not so much a blog, more to let you know about what I fear might be too many podcasts!  My regular monthly ones, BBC Ouch and The Phil & Simon Show have cracking new shows out. There's also a new one, where I am a guest. This podcast is called WB-40 and I was interviewed by the most excellent Matt Ballantine who was asking how comedy and humour can be used to influence people. I've put links to the shows in the title and links to the individuals by clicking on their name.  If find yourself needing a distraction from Christmas television or want to try out the new headphones someone gave you as a present, take a listen. Let me know what you think.                     BBC Ouch                      Left to Right -  author  Christian Donlan , co host Kate Monaghan                       ...

A little while back the great people at  Skill Boosters  approached me to see if I'd like to make a training video with them. The topic was to be disability,  employment and customer service.  I said I'd be interested, but how about we do it a little differently? I suggested we make it with Abnormally Funny People, the comedy team I'm part of. To my delight, they agreed.  I'm pleased to say after a lot of brilliant, creative, hard work, it is ready.  Below is the promo video. If you want to know more, contact Peter Thorpe, at Skill Boosters 020 3859 4308  peter.thorpe@skillboosters.com  There are dynamic subtitles included and the next sentence is a link to the transcript if you prefer.   Transcript of Skill Boosters disability training video made with Abnormally Funny People 

Thailand  Simon in front of the Golden Buddha at the temple of Wat Traimit, Bangkok I visited Thailand in March after years of hesitation assuming it would be too hard to get around with a mobility scooter, not to mention emotionality tiring if people overreacted to a short man wandering around. Although not easy, access was ok for me and people weren't especially interested. We spent a few days in Bangkok visiting Royal Palaces, street markets and a terrifying rooftop bar! Then we went to Khau Lak for sunshine and beach time. The world is smaller, difference is everywhere and thankfully most people were polite and helpful. A few couldn't resist taking out their phones to take a photo of me and for once, I decided not to try to control this and gradually I started to not even care. The photo to the right was taken with permission, and I don't think I could look more like a tourist if I'd tried. Disability and comedy A new book about disability and comedy h...

A brief update, promoting the two podcasts I co-host. First up, BBC Ouch with my co-host Kate Monaghan. This month was a lot of fun to record, we were in a mischievous mood and our guests joined in. We talk serious stuff though, diets to 'cure' your impairment, ADHD, ADD, chimps with Down Syndrome. OK, that last one wasn't as serious. Secondly, The Phil & Simon Show with my co-host and former business partner, now great friend, Phil Friend. We grapple with the latest disability and wider world issues with varying success. My favourite bit is Phil's reaction when I tell him I'm reading Andrew Neil's book, which finishes around 1997 when Tony Blair becomes Prime Minister. My mum's impartial and piercingly accurate review of this show was 'I see why you call it the PHIL & Simon Show as Phil talks a lot and you try and get a word in.' You can subscribe to both via iTunes or Audioboom. And do leave a comment or get in contact as it's gr...

On 18th July 2016, I had a total hip replacement operation. I had been avoiding surgery for ten years mostly as I knew anaesthetic for people with my form of dwarfism (SEDc) can have complications. I was lucky to find a fantastic surgeon, a top notch anaesthetist and awesome orthopaedic surgical care practitioner. That was nine weeks ago... I now have better mobility and the original pain has gone. It gets better each day. During my rehabilitation I stopped working, however, I did record a couple of podcasts. Forgive my crowing but both shows are a treat! Maybe that's because I was the nice side of the operation and therefore euphoric....or maybe it's the medication. What happens is all sorts of half formed thoughts  fly from my mouth and the lovely people I do the shows with work their magic. I hope you enjoy them. BBC Ouch (59 mins)  Highlights... - losing it with 'I live in a bucket' news story  - when the little voice in your head is Louis Walsh - that some...

The latest  BBC Ouch  show is out. It's about comedy, mental health, pony tales, doing activities that your impairment suggests you shouldn't and me and  Kate Monaghan-Cocker  making quips.  Mighty fine guest include  Laurence Clark   Harriet Dyer  and  Jack Binstead  who are fun and funny . Hope you like it. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p040388d In the studio BBC Ouch show L-R Laurence Clark, Kate Monaghan-Cocker, Jack Binstead, Harriet Dyer

The latest BBC Ouch show is out! It sees the return of the brilliant and un-PC game, Vegetable, Vegetable, Vegetable where co-host Kate Monaghan-Coker,  @katiekatetweets   our guests and I try and guess the callers 'disability' against the clock.  We interview BAFTA nominated actor Ruth Madeley @ruth_madeley from the brilliant BBC television drama  Don’t Take My Baby and classical pianist Nicolas McCarthy  @ NMcCarthyPiano  who has one hand and plays us a tune or two on the grand piano (again, brilliantly) in the studio. Ruth and Nicholas tell us of their made up responses whe n someone asks 'how did you become disabled?' The team from Stay Up Late @stayuplateuk  call in and tell us about their gig buddy project.  You can download, stream or subscribe via iTunes.  BBC Ouch site BBC Ouch iTunes Host Kate watches on as Nichols plays piano in the studio

It seemed inevitable that one day there would be a podcast of Phil Friend and me chatting about all things disability. Phil and I have been having such conversations for nearly twenty years, until now, unrecorded, whilst working, travelling or just hanging out together. We have different backgrounds, we are different generations, have divergent politics and different comfort zones. We both share a commitment and passion for equality, fairness and inclusion of disabled people and have spent many years working to achieve it or at least some progress. The great thing about our discussions are that we know one another so well and respect each other so don't have to pull any punches now. Sometimes we're considered, sometimes we shoot from the hip. We can make each other laugh and still, after all this time, make the others jaw drop with a single comment. There's two shows out already. We'll continue to make a show each month until we run out of things to say. Which mea...

Not entirely sure how this is happening but I find myself acting as a conduit a lot these days. It might be arranging the line up for comedians with Abnormally Funny People, or getting actors who have disabilities to help make a training video and now, it seems I'm becoming a recruitment agency. Below are some cracking jobs with the BBC, all in the comedy department. At the time of writing the deadlines for two are tight, today and tomorrow. Or you could apply for the bigger role of commissioning editor of comedy and have a little more time and hopefully become a big cheese in the funny world. Good luck if you go for any of them. P.S. I've also added a request from Channel 4, via Disability Rights UK who are looking for people to help promote their Paralympics coverage. Info at the bottom of this and deadline is midnight on 7th April. Rehearsals for Abnormally Funny People Edinburgh show with Laurence Clark, Gareth Berliner and Don Biswas Commissioning Editor, ...

I was invited to speak at the fantastic Names Not Numbers conference earlier this week. There were some big hitters in attendance from journalism and cultural commentary. I was part of the 'Provocations' section which was a treat as it gave me plenty of space to raise difficult subjects. I asked 'Is it ok to laugh at a disabled person?' and talked about how disability and comedy has evolved since we started Abnormally Funny People. And I got to say it all in church, St James's, Piccadilly. I was preaching to the unconverted. Simon Minty speaking at St James's, Piccadilly Side view of Simon speaking at St James's, Piccadilly

On New Years Day 2016, Baroness Jane Campbell was the guest editor of the BBC Radio 4 Today programme. She chose some interesting items including a revealing debate with Matthew Parris about assisted suicide / right to die, reform of the House of Lords and a colourful history of one of Jane's former assistants. I got to have a chat with stand up Jack Carroll (Britain's Got Talent, Trollied) about comedy and disability too.  Listen again link below for a limited time or download the podcast now and listen at your leisure. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06sp65d Simon Minty in BBC studio 

Below is a link to an article I wrote for BBC Ouch which appeared on the BBC News website about disability and comedy today, ten years after we did our first show. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-ouch-33904621 Juliette Burton hosting improvisation with Lost Voice Guy, Laurence Clark and Tanyalee Davis

This is a joy of a podcast. We receive the highs and lows and the funniest moments of our month long run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August 2015. We returned for our 10th birthday with the biggest line up we've ever had. http://www.abnormallyfunnypeople.com/Episode14 Steve Best, Laurence Clark, Steve Day and Simon Minty

As part of Abnormally Funny People, we wrote, cast and filmed a couple of short skits (about a minute each). Hope you enjoy them. Links Open Sketch One  on Barclays Accessible Player Open Sketch Two  on Barclays Accessible Player Watch here

Submitted by Simon on 19th Dec 2014 - 12:12 Steve Best, my co-host of the Abnormally Funny People Show, and I join fellow comedians Paul Carter, Tanyalee Davis and Chris McCausland to record a very special edition of the podcast. There's also stand up from BBC New Comedy Award 2014 winner Lost Voice Guy. Take a listen and if you like it, subscribe so you'll get the new show every month. http://www.abnormallyfunnypeople.com/podcast Steve Best and Simon Minty hosting at the O2 Paul Carter, Tanyalee Davis, Chris McCausland

I was interviewed by Mary O'Hara from The Guardian. We talked about my work, about disability both personally and professionally and about the employment of disabled people. This was all linked to the new podcast I co-host as part of Abnormally Funny People. Click the link below to read the full article: http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/sep/10/simon-minty-disablism-comedy-abnormally-funny-people-changing-attitudes