Following the success of his recent book (Normal Schmormal) and second BBC Radio 4 series (Ashley Blaker: 6.5 Children), comedian Ashley Blaker embarks on his Normal Schmormal stand-up, UK tour this Spring.
Ashley’s aim is simple: to completely change how people talk about parenting children with special needs.
He has six children, three of whom have a Special Education Needs (SEN) diagnosis. Between the children there is autism, Down syndrome, ADHD, speech and language disorders, heart defects, hearing loss, mobility issues, sensory needs and gastroenterological problems. As Ashley says, ‘You know you’ve got a lot going on when Great Ormond Street Hospital give you your own parking space.’ It’s certainly not what anyone would call a ‘normal’ household, but Ashley wouldn’t want it any other way.
Ashley’s story is one which parents, carers and teachers of children with SEN will particularly relate to, but his heartwarming tour, like the book and radio series, will appeal to any parent who believes love and acceptance are the most important building blocks of a happy family.
Ashley Blaker said: ‘Being a parent is tough and raising kids with special needs is even tougher. That’s why I am delighted to share our story with people and hopefully provide some much-needed light relief. Thankfully our kids provide so much comic material this has all taken much less time to write than you might imagine.’
Ashley Blaker is a comedian, writer and father. He has performed two Off-Broadway shows, toured five continents and had several programmes on BBC Radio 4 including his family series Ashley Blaker: 6.5 Children, which has been the number one stand-up show on BBC Sounds.
In 2023, HarperCollins published his debut book ‘Normal Schmormal: My occasionally helpful guide to parenting kids with special needs’. It is a part-comic memoir and part how-to guide and highlights the challenges and rewards of raising a family which doesn’t fit into society’s definition of ‘normal’. It was serialised in the Sunday Times and quickly became a number one bestseller on Amazon. It also led to Ashley working with several major charities including Mencap, Sense and Adoption UK.
As a writer and producer, Ashley has worked with a who’s who of British comedy and was responsible for unleashing Little Britain on an unsuspecting nation.
Ashley Blaker Tour Dates
Tickets and info: www.ashleyblaker.com or www.normalschmormal.com
April 2024:
Friday 12 Guildford, G Live
Saturday 13 Hemel Hempstead, Old Town Hall
Tuesday 16 Radlett, Centre
Saturday 20 Didcot, Cornerstone Arts Centre
Sunday 21 Winchester, Theatre Royal
May 2024:
Thursday 16 Birmingham, MAC
Friday 17 Swindon, Arts Centre
Wednesday 22 Hull, Social
Thursday 23 Salford, Lowry
Sunday 26 Leeds, Carriageworks
June 2024:
Sunday 2 Southend, Palace Theatre
Tuesday 18 Colchester, Arts Centre
Wednesday 19 London, JW3
Sunday 23 Exeter, Phoenix Theatre
Thursday 27 Brighton, Komedia
Saturday 29 Milton Keynes, The Stables
