Lockdown laughs Bennett Arron. Bennett has performed at all the major comedy clubs around the UK as well as entertaining audiences in Italy, Australia, The Netherlands, Poland, South Africa and Hong Kong. We got to chat to him about life in lockdown.
1. How have you been keeping occupied during lockdown ?
Well, when all the gigs and corporate events suddenly stopped I had to find another way of making money. I have been a comedy writer for many years and I have had over 30 sitcom episodes produced on TV and radio. So I decided to run online workshops showing people how to write a sitcom from a blank page. I’m pleased to say that each workshop sold out! I’m running one more starting on August 17th. The details are here https://www.bennettarron.com/gigs/
2. Have you taught yourself any new skills or taken up any new hobbies ?
I have written some lockdown-based stand-up material for whenever gigs start again! I have been practicing my juggling – I can now do it with 2 balls instead of 1. I have also written a book to accompany the sitcom workshop, which can also be bought separately. I give 25% of profits from book sales to Parkinson’s and Dementia Charities. The book is available here: https://www.bennettarron.com/books/
3. What about DIY horror stories or lockdown haircut disasters, any stories you want to tell us?
Sadly my own haircut days are a thing of the past…. However, I did cut my son’s hair for him and, even if I say it myself, I did a pretty good job. If gigs don’t start back soon I might open Bennett’s Barber’s.
4. If you had to give up your phone or the internet for the duration of lockdown which would you choose?
My phone. As gigs are cancelled, and I have no friends, it’s become redundant anyway…..
5. If you could be a fly on the wall of someone’s house during lockdown who would you pick and why ?
Donald Trump. Just for the material.
6. One man held a dinner date with someone he had met from a distance. How would romance somebody you’d met from 200 yards away and never spoken to or met properly ?
This is going to sound like I’m simply plugging EVERYTHING! However, the first book I ever wrote is called The Girl From The Discotheque. It’s a true story about a guy who literally bumped into a girl in a disco in the 80’s as she was leaving. He knew nothing about her at all. He became obsessed with her and spent the next 20 years trying to track her down! So that’s pretty romantic.
7. If you could have spent twenty-four hours locked down in your favourite store which store would it be and what would you do to pass the time ?
Any comic book store. Can I ask for 48 hours??
8. Who is the celebrity you would least want to be locked down with and why ?
Piers Morgan. Spending time with someone who ruined people’s careers when he was a newspaper editor only to then have some of those people on his Life Stories programme to ask them “What happened to your career” would be insufferable.
9. Lockdown with Bennett Arron, sum it up in a few sentences ?
The best thing about lockdown is that the whole family is together in the house. The worst thing about lockdown is that the whole family is together in the house.
10. What was the one thing you missed most about normal life during lockdown ?
Gigging and going to the pub. Okay, that’s two things. Then…. gigging in a pub.
For all things Bennett related and what he is up to next head to www.bennettarron.com
