David St John-Comedian

Probably one of the most versatile comedy entertainers in the U.K. today!  Originally from Southampton, but now based near Birmingham in the West Midlands – working across the country. Offering fast-moving stand-up comedy plus impressions, vocals and always adapting his act to suit the type of venue.  Club circuit, hotels, corporate, golf clubs, weddings, holiday centres, cruise work and much more is covered. David’s stage act is a good mix, suitable for all age groups, including topical gags straight out of the morning papers!  With prior information, he can also ‘personalise’ some of the comedy e.g. company product/services,  plus mentioning any ‘characters’ in the audience (diplomatically of course!).

He has an amazing background in showbusiness, having started out as a ten year old rock and roll singer, in his home town of Southampton. This was followed by being lead vocalist and frontman of several pop groups, throughout the Sixties and early Seventies, before going solo in 1972.  You can read all about this on several pages, within this website, as well as getting an insight into those Golden Days of UK music makers – just check out the Site Map for more information. You might be surprised by the amount of webpages, but they cover a very wide spectrum, and strongly linked to what David can actually do in any type of show.

David can work either self-contained and if musicians are available he can also incorporate some 12 string guitar, and excellent blues harmonica into the act, apart from the main comedy content.  David also spent a number of years working on the Thomson Hotel circuits in Tunisia, Greece and Sicily as resident entertainer. He also produced variety shows, using local entertainers as well as visiting imported UK based cabaret acts. 

DAVID ST JOHN

Real variety! Guinness World Record Holder (see below)

If you have had a look through the various pages on this website you will see that David St John can offer much more than the average artiste, as he is able to entertain audiences of all ages and tastes by drawing on many years’ experience.   If not – return to the home page  and go to the Biography link to gain an insight into a lifetime of entertaining people all over the UK and abroad.  Then come on back!

This page will hopefully give you an idea as to what is on offer, should you be looking for a real variety artiste and these are just some of the main options that can be featured on your next show.

COMEDY

David St John’s main act is a fast-moving mainstream comedy show which usually covers a 50-60 minute routine spot (plus encores!)  He supplies his own sound system (PAT-tested+PLI) unless other equipment is being used i.e. in-house or other artistes etc.  David can work either self-contained using quality backing tracks on minidisc or providing  professional musical arrangements (written and arranged by himself) where live musicians are available.

He normally opens with a comedy-themed song which involves the audience before settling down to a mixture of gags plus observations about the venue, location and surrounding area on which he has already done some homework!   David delivers topical jokes based on current news events and can also incorporate material based on a company product or service if appearing at a corporate function or based on the venue’s profile.  In addition, David has some fun by slotting in names of any ‘characters’ as supplied in advance which makes for an interactive show and always done tastefully and diplomatically, so that no offence is taken!  His comedy material is adapted to suit the type of audience- from clean through ‘saucy’ or crank it up if needed!

He also offers a variety of different impressions and normally finishes with a song or two if needed.  If no vocals are needed then David just delivers a good straight stand-up routine adapted for the type of audience.   If live musical backing is provided, then David also uses electric 12 string guitar on a song or two plus additional vocal impressions as well as opening the show with an amazing blues harmonica solo – very rare  these days.  If any children are present, David can also cater for them as with additional suitable jokes, interactive  routines and even a little bit of ‘cod’ magic thus providing real family entertainment.

With his knowledge of many countries and languages David can often surprise any non UK members of an audience by referring to this aspect plus chatting away with a few foreign phrases on top of his existing French and Greek.  In addition, David  can usually make a joke about anything suggested from the audience and offers even more interactive entertainment. David’s amazing background as a TV quiz contestant is also used to good effect, in which his trivia capablities are brought into play with ad-libs etc.

Apart from his solo act, David St John is also the perfect Comedian/Compere for all types of shows and functions and can run the whole event in a smooth professional manner in addition to his own act slotted into the main schedule.  If you are just looking for a competent host then David is the ideal choice to keep everything flowing with any links or fill-ins as needed.

THIS IS YOUR LIFE!

David is often booked as a ‘surprise’ entertainer – usually for birthday or anniversary functions and he also offers  additional fun with a customised section played out as an hilarious  “This is Your Life!”  routine.  The client is put in touch with David on a confidential basis and supplies information on the intended ‘target’ prior to the actual event.  David then writes and adapts a humorous script based on the person and details of life history as supplied on the quiet.  His initial appearance as the guest entertainer is then followed up by producing that well known red book, with the theme music from that same show playing in the background.

David then gets the subject to sit on a chair and then regale him/her and the audience with comedy-based slants as well as introducing other surprise guests if needed eg old friends, relatives who may have been hiding away somewhere. He then completes the show with his normal comedy act and has no objection to anybody recording the first part of “This is Your Life” as many people like to keep a record of this special surprise. Naturally – these special customised shows will  incur a slight  extra charge relating to writing up prepared notes prior to the performance.

COMEDY/VOCAL

Another act on offer is a good comedy/vocal show that can be split into two or even three sets, which is more of a casual style and ideal for small intimate venues.  David has a large repertoire of pop songs from the Fifties to the present although the main theme is Sixties/Seventies and covering hits from most of the solo stars and groups from this era.  He mixes this with gags, good chat plus interesting introductions mixed with pop trivia to add more interest to the evening.  Requests are no problem as he can quickly go straight into whatever is asked for and he also gets the crowd singing along as well as a dance spot if required so a real party atmosphere is guaranteed.  Again, David adapts the music and comedy to suit the audience age spread as well as providing suitable background music to cover any breaks.  He can even offer a basic ‘mini-disco’ on top of his own live act and this can be slotted in at anytime to provide a one man show for the whole night.  Musically- covering the mid Fifties through to Sixties/Seventies and later styles of music, according to the audience mix.

This is usually based on using quality minidisc backing tracks although David can also provide an ‘unplugged’ show using 12 string guitar and covering different styles – easy listening/folk/pop/contemporary and much more. He spent several years as lead vocalist with many pop groups during the 60s and 70s so can draw on this experience plus interesting chat and trivia based on the songs and artistes.

David also undertook responsibility as entertainments manager at several top hotels, with the added bonus of being able to speak conversational French and Greek, plus snatches of a few languages, so communication is no trouble with this good all-rounder!  He is experienced in cruising work, around the Caribbean and Mediterranean, with his comedy act, plus hosting onboard quiz nights, having himself been a very successful contestant on several top TV quiz shows – some 34 appearances so far!  Read all about his amazing background as one of the U.K.s most prolific quizzers via Site Map. July 2014- validated in the Guinness Book of World Records, with most TV quiz show appearances!

David has worked for most of the top leisure companies including Butlins, Warners, Haven, Thomson, Airtours etc, and is the ultimate professional – on and offstage. Also, he is the perfect choice  as Comedian/Compere/Host for any type of show, running a very smooth night, adapting to any situation!   David St. John has a variety of different comedy acts and routines, varying the material to suit all types of audience, so you can book him with the utmost confidence. He can also supply a list of established agencies who have booked him over several years, in case a reference is needed.  In addition to a ‘normal’ comedy cabaret spot (50/60 mins) David can also extend his act to cover a full evening with add-on vocals, background music and even a ‘mini-disco’.  This ‘one man show’ is cost effective for smaller venues/tight budgets, and he will adapt the material to suit the occasion/theme eg Xmas shows, St Patricks (Irish style) Remembrance Sunday weekend and much more.  British Legion and Ex Services Clubs also include a mini ‘Last Night Of The Proms’ in amongst military gags, nostalgic music and many more themed segments. Private house bookings are also popular- especially ‘surprise’ appearances and customised where necessary. Masonic functions are also well-suited, and this is just one of many a e-mails from the organiser:

“David was the after dinner entertainer at our recent Lodge Social Weekend held in Dorking. This was an intimate gathering of nearly 50 guests. David’s stories were clean and funny, and which were well supported by a range of songs. What put David a cut above other entertainers was the range of in-depth knowledge he had on every topic that arose. He was a major contributor to our successful event”