On January 18^th 2001 The Comedy Cellar Presents put on a show at the magnificent Lawrence Batley Theatre, Queen’s Square, Queen Street, Huddersfield, HD1 2SP (here).

Starting at 8.30pm your £7.50 got you a performance from Phil Davey and one Jimmy Carr.

Jimmy was described (by a reviewer in the Huddersfield Daily Examiner) as:

…an odd-looking middle-class psychotic in a sand-coloured suit who vibrated alarmingly each time he gave out a one-liner.

He had amassed an amazing number of these carefully-crafted gags which he reeled off at a steady rhythm, with just the odd break for heckles

Vibrating alarmingly? Psychotic?

For anyone that has ever suggested that he uses audience plants (more here) – evidence right there that he’s been honing his crowd work craft for 25+ years.

As he’d started in comedy late 1998, he was a little over 2 years into his career at this point, so I doubt the “vibrating” was nerves. And anyone that was serious enough about their career to give up drink for 12 years is unlikely to have been doing anything else…

Still. The review did end with “Good start for 2001”.

Background

At this stage of his career Jimmy had been performing above pubs and “going on stage after strippers” (his words) so there was no tour name.

He was now starting to get more regular bookings and was appearing more in dedicated comedy clubs and slightly bigger rooms.

There is a page (here) about the UK Comedy Circuit and Pubs and Clubs 1998-2001 (here).