Years ending in a 1

Before I get onto my predictions for 2011, a quick thought on years ending in a 1. They have, before now, been quite significant for me.

2001 was the year of The Sitcom Trials, in as much as it was the first year I took that show, any show indeed, to the Edinburgh Fringe. This is something that I've gone on to do 6 times since, with increasing success.

1991 was the first year I edited a magazine, UT, which I devised and wrote a lot of. I also devised the syndicated Big comic and the horror comic Bloody Hell. It was the year I stepped up in the comics business from my first jobbing writer-artist work to starting to create and innovate. It's had its ups and downs since.

1981 was the year I started going out with Hev, to whom I've been married since, and the year I first performed comedy, in our college cabarets, which I also produced. I also directed videos for the first time. I've done a lot of all that since.

1971 I don't really remember much of, though I was there. It's possibly the year I drew my first comic strip or played my first guitar. Let's say it was, shall we?

1961 I remember absolutely nothing of. Which is not surprising as I spent 9 months of it in a womb, only emerging in October. Which reminds me, I have a party to organise later this year.

So, will this Year Ending in a 1 match up to its illustrious predecessors? Let's see.

Kev F

(As I write, the new series of Primeval has just started. This is better, trust me: Primarkeval )

Predictions for 2011

Predictions are a wonderful thing. I've never seen one come true, and never will.

That's the principle by which I wrote my nonsense predictions for last year. Obviously none of mine came true. But, and here lies the problem, none were exactly contradicted. The opposite didn't happen. Again, that never happens. So what will happen this coming year? Before I have a guess, let's have a look at my twaddly fizzibules from this time last year:

- China will invade a bit of Russia. Pointless bare-faced greedy land grab that leads to a major world war.

Of course they didn't. What happened was we learned, via Wikileaks, all the things these countries had been saying about each other for years. Fascinating, and not what anyone predicted happening.

- UK General Election will be won by Conservatives, landslide. BNP get two seats. Labour lose all of Scotland.

Nonsense. Tories won, but in a sense they didn't. BNP didn't get any seats, a victory for me there. And Labour almost held most of Scotland.

- Simon Cowell manages to copyright another TV format from the 1970s, as he has done with New Faces & Opportunity Knocks, and makes even more money. Maybe he revives Love Thy Neighbour

He, rather, extended the success of his current show both in the UK and America.

- The new Dr Who is rubbish and everyone stops watching it

It wasn't rubbish. The viewing figures dropped from previous seasons, but that coud be to do with the time slot. The Christmas episode had higher figures than last year, possibly for the same reason.

- Britain picks a fight with a small country that doesn't deserve it and kills lots of people

Nope, didn't. I'll take credit for that.

- I don't win the lottery, I don't inherit a fortune, and nothing I create makes a surprising amount of money...

I didn't win the lottery, so 100% correct there. Ditto the fortune. Something I created did make a surprising amount of money, namely the Scottish Falsetto Socks. Not a fortune, but better than predicted. However my venue still owe me three and a half thousand pounds which I should have been paid two months ago and that means I don't know what's going to happen about playing there next year. Who saw that coming?

So, what will happen in 2011...?

(to be continued)

The Hogmanay Song by The Socks

Socks Spring Tour 2011

Socks fans, prepare to book your tickets now. Here are the dates of the Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre's Spring Tour 2011, with links to where you can get tickets. Half of the shows haven't put them on sale yet, but a good few have so do please start spreading the word and the Socks will start work on lots of new funny stuff for your pleasure.

Feb 4, 5, 6 - Leicester Comedy Festival
Feb 23 - Flavel Dartmouth
Feb 26 011 - Stafford Gatehouse
Mar 11 - Stroud Subscription Rooms



Mar 12 - Madcap Milton Keynes
Mar 18 - Palace Theatre Redditch
Mar 19 - Glasgow Britannia Panopticon
Mar 24 - Brecon Theatr Breichieniog
Mar 26 – Woodend Barn Banochry
Mar 30 - Bristol Thunderbolt
Apr 1 - Voodoo Rooms Edinburgh
Apr 4 - Leicester Square Theatre, London
Apr 7 - Rondo Bath
Apr 8 - Falkirk Town Hall
April 11 - Leicester Square Theatre, London
Apr 15 - Barnfield Theatre, Exeter
Apr 22 - Eden Court Inverness



Apr 28 - Milford Haven Torch
May 6 - Farnham Maltings(+Ali Cook)
May 7 & 8 - Brighton Komedia
May 12 - The Lowry, Salford Quays
May 13 - Halifax Victoria Theatre
May 14 - Chorley Little Theatre
May 21 - Norwich Fringe
June 22 & 23 - Harrogate Theatre
July 9 - Norden Farm, Maidenhead
July 21 - Eastgate Peebles

Top Of The Socks - 2010 video rundown

The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre made an awful lot of videos in 2010 and I'd like to think the standard is better than ever before, certainly the viewing figures have been healthy. So here, based purely on the amount of viewers they've accrued (remembering these vieweings are accrued over a year, so Ive given special mention to anything only uploaded in recent weeks), is 2010's Top 30. Or, if you will, TOP OF THE SOCKS (imagine the TOTP theme tune of your choice as we run down this little lot):

30 - Socks on The Culture Show
29 - Socks on The One Show
28 - Most Famous Fillum Of All Time (live)

27 - Ai WeiWei at the Tate


26 - Big Brother
25 - Producers vs the Sound Of Music (live)
24 - Zombie Movie
23 - Silent Night (3 weeks ago)

22 - Ga Ga Rasputin (3 weeks ago)


21 - St Patricks Day
20 - Socks On The Pope
19 - The Dying Sock
18 - The Eyjafjallojokul Volcano Song
17 - 50 Travel Gags
16 - Driving In A Winter Wonderland
15 - World Cup WAGS
14 - Coldplay Christmas (1 week ago)
13 - Annotations
12 - Hung Parliament

11 - Always A...


10 - Weeping Angels
9 - 50 Dr Jokes
8 - 50 Pub Jokes
7 - John Cage's 4'33"

6 - Elvis Costello Winter Medley (1 week ago)


5 - iPad
4 - Star Wars (live)
3 - Vuvuzela

2 - Shyte


And at Number One we have our first video of 2010, which comes in 3 parts, each of which would have made the Top 10 on their own. Collectively we give you our take on Doctor Who's End Of Time...



Thanks to all our viewers, and even more to everone who's come to the Socks' live shows in 2010, we look forward to seeing you and making up more nonsense for your pleasure in 2011. A Happy Hogmanay when it comes.

The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre

Review of The Year (a drawing)

My Review of 2010, hope I haven't missed anything.

Kev F
comicfestival.co.uk

Peppa Pig in snow

I just drew a Peppa Pig in the virgin snow of the back garden in Kibworth. How old am I?



Merry Christmas all, love Kev & the Socks

Socks on the Culture Show best of 2010

Look at us, sneaking one final TV appearance into 2010. The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre have a tiny speaking part in The Culture Show's Review of 2010.



Blink and you'll miss it (fast forward on the iPlayer to 58 minutes and 30 seconds in) but there we are, and well done us.

Merry Christmas everyone.