Ow! A Cobra Bit My Bum! - first comics of term

The first comics of the new school year by kids in my Comic Art Masterclasses, from Mendip Green in Worle to Phillipstown in Gwent to Sandy Lane in Bradford. Yes, this is the fruit of a fair bit of travelling, and what a delightful selection, wouldn't you say?

From the randomness of Clapapasp, a word which was the pure invention of its year 6 creator, to the accidental genius of Oluv in World War 2 - a mis-spelling of Olaf from Frozen, mixed up with the school's history project - these titles were chosen from 180 suggestions, all equally imaginative. Their choices for the celebrity who got to tread on a worm in my demonstration strip were slightly less varied: Simon Cowell (twice), Keith Lemon, Rihanna, Katy Perry and (suggested by a year 3 & 4 class) Mrs Brown the sweary-word drag act. Kids, eh?

An interesting range of class names this week too. In Mendip Green we have Class 14 and 15, both being the first ever year 4 classes in a school which is expanding upwards from being an Infant School, so next year those kids will become the school's first ever year 5s; in Phillipstown, in the valleys, we have Dosbarth Rira and Dosbarth Enfys, whose Welsh translation I'm sure you can work out so I won't insult your intelligence by explaining it here (I've forgotten. I've clearly forgotten.); and in Bradford we have classes named after famous local figures David Hockney and William Edward Forster (there was also a Titus Salt, a Richard Oastler and a JB Priestley, with the kids campaigning to have a class named after Zayn Malik out of One Direction)*.

*(I've just Googled famous people from Bradford and it must be the biggest wellspring of celebrity and influence of any town in the country! Check them out. What other town of a similar size could boast luminaries as varied as Mollie Sugden, Rodney Bewes, Harvey Smith, Dynamo, Harry Corbett, Tasmin Archer, Richard Whitelely, Mortimer Wheeler, Kimberley Walsh, Ricky Wilson, Tony Richardson, George Layton, Fred Hoyle, Gareth Gates, the author who wrote Lassie, a Doctor Who companion, dozens of famous cricketers & footballers, and heaps of inventors and industrialists. Well done Bradford.)



Kev F Sutherland, as well as writing and drawing Pansy Potter in The Beano, runs Comic Art Masterclasses in schools, libraries and art centres - email for details, and follow him on Facebook and Twitter. He's been writing and drawing comics for 25 years, he must know something.  

Vote Socks, new Halloween, Comedy Awards and more

There are two chances to vote for the Socks at the moment, one of which has given me the incentive to re-edit a classic video. Et voila the new version of Halloween, uploaded to Daily Motion* (above), as part of a competition to be part of the Montreux Comedy Festival (about which I know little at the moment, though I did see it on TV in Toulouse earlier this year, from which all I can tell you is that all the comedians were speaking French, so I'm not sure how high our chances are). This clip is also on Youtube. You will notice, if you've got an eye for these things, that it is edited together from two completely different shows. The soundtrack and close up angle comes from Edinburgh in 2010, while the wide shot come from The Rondo in Bath earlier this year. Seamless.

And here we have your opportunity to vote for the Socks' UKIP medley in the British Comedy Awards new comedy video section. We're a bit late to the contest, with literally hundreds of entrants ahead of us in the queue, so we won't get our hopes up. But next year, we'll try and get an entry of quality in early. Do vote, you know it can't hurt.

The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre are on tour... NOW!

Sept 26 - MAC, Belfast Comedy Festival
Oct 10 - Heron Theatre, Beetham Cumbria
Oct 11 - Leamington Royal Spa Centre
Oct 16 - Ormskirk Civic Hall
Oct 31 - Lichfield Garrick Studio 

* Really? I'm the only one who thinks a website called daily motion is funny? Cos the name Plopaday was taken.

UKIP/ Farage medley - Scottish Falsetto Socks live

At last the UKIP Medley / Farage Song (whose name we've never really settled on, obviously) is up on Youtube. Recorded live in Edinburgh, it was my favourite song of the show and the Socks hope you enjoy it.

Here's a version with captions, in case the words aren't clear.

There's also a studio version of it online, if you prefer:



Which means you can now get the feeling of a virtual version of being at the Socks new show, ...And So Am I, (part of it anyway) by watching it in these two or three minute chunks. Though frankly, you were much better off being there. Everything was in focus, for example.

Scottish Independence, Yes or No?
The Pros of Scottish Independence
Ignorant about Politics
Mumford & Sock
European Elections
Oh What A Lovely War On Terror
... more still to come.

The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre are on tour... NOW!

Sept 26 - MAC, Belfast Comedy Festival
Oct 10 - Heron Theatre, Beetham Cumbria
Oct 11 - Leamington Royal Spa Centre
Oct 16 - Ormskirk Civic Hall
Oct 31 - Lichfield Garrick Studio 

Socks t-shirts post-Edinburgh sale - get em while they're hot!

A satisfied customer, yesterday.

Attention Socks fans - the 2014 Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre t-shirt is now available at a post-Edinburgh reduced price. It's a classic and every one must go.

Now only £12 a shirt plus postage, all you need to do is Paypal your payment, tell us your size, and the shirts (already printed, so no waiting) will be on their way.

That logo in its full classic glory. 

This year's shirt design (above) is our "classic" pose which has not been available on a t-shirt until this summer. And this year's shirt is back to top quality (some Socks In Space shirts suffered a small problem with the logo on the front, which won't be happening again!).

The shirts now cost £12 (UK pounds) or $20 (US dollars) each.
Postage is £3 to the UK, $10 to the US.
(So that's £15 total from UK, $30 total from US)

To be sure of getting the size you want, order your shirt now, paying by PayPal to sockpuppets@sitcomtrials.co.uk and telling us the following:

1) Size shirt you want (see sizes below), and quantity. (Only add one lot of postage per order).
2) Your full mailing address

Include the above details with your payment.

Sizes available are:
MALE S (36/38"), M (40"), L (42"), XL (46"), XXL
(50"), XXXL (54")
LADYFIT S (UK size 10), M (UK size 12), L (UK
size 14/16)

All shirts are black with the full colour Socks logo on the chest. The printed full colour image is approx 8" round. Any queries, email sockpuppets@sitcomtrials.co.uk

The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre are on tour... NOW!

Sept 26 - MAC, Belfast Comedy Festival
Oct 10 - Heron Theatre, Beetham Cumbria
Oct 11 - Leamington Royal Spa Centre
Oct 16 - Ormskirk Civic Hall
Oct 31 - Lichfield Garrick Studio 

Pansy Potter Ski Jump - behind the scene of this week's Beano

Pansy Potter is back again in this week's Beano and this week she's ski-jumping. Though the version you'll see in print is quite different from the original first draft script, which you can see above. Both good, and this one is an exclusive glimpse just for your pleasure.
 



Kev F Sutherland, as well as writing and drawing Pansy Potter in The Beano, runs Comic Art Masterclasses in schools, libraries and art centres - email for details, and follow him on Facebook and Twitter. He's been writing and drawing comics for 25 years, he must know something.

Elvis Ate My Homework - new comics by kids

Here are the last few comics from Comic Art Masterclasses held during the Edinburgh Fringe, at libraries in Corstorphine, Drumbrae, Kirkliston and South Queensferry , and a couple from the classes at Porthcawl Pavilion, as seen on TV last week.


The celebrities they chose for my far-famed "treads on a worm" routine were Boris Johnson, Ed Sheeran, Olly Murs, David Tennant, and 2 unknown. And of course I rattled off a few more flipcharts while I was at it, some of which I remembered to take a photo of.

Kev F Sutherland, as well as writing and drawing Pansy Potter in The Beano, runs Comic Art Masterclasses in schools, libraries and art centres - email for details, and follow him on Facebook and Twitter. He's been writing and drawing comics for 25 years, he must know something.  

Socks do the Ice Bucket Challenge

You know a summer silly-season meme is coming to an end when the Socks finally get round to doing it. And they've just got round to doing the ALS/MND Ice Bucket Challenge.

In a few months time we'll all be watching the Big Fat Quiz Of The Year and this will come up as one of those questions with its own ready-made compilation of celebrity clips, and no-one but no-one will be able to remember what ALS stood for, if indeed they ever knew*.



The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre are on tour... NOW!

Sept 26 - MAC, Belfast Comedy Festival
Oct 10 - Heron Theatre, Beetham Cumbria
Oct 11 - Leamington Royal Spa Centre
Oct 16 - Ormskirk Civic Hall
Oct 31 - Lichfield Garrick Studio

* It stands for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (in this country we call it Motor Neurone Disease).