Herts-based, award-winning stand up comedian Philip Simon has launched a children’s joke book based on his well-loved children’s lockdown homeschooling comedy YouTube show, School's Out Comedy Club. All profits from the sale of the book will go to food waste charity, FareShare.
School's Out Comedy Club was created early in lockdown in April 2020 by the founder of the Borehamwood Comedy Club as a way to keep children (and himself) entertained whilst schools and venues were closed. Each episode consisted of jokes sent in by the young viewers themselves, and delivered with aplomb by Philip, mixed in with some of his own child friendly material.
The popularity of the show has led Philip to put all the jokes together in a new children's joke book, with each joke accredited to the child (and a few adults) who sent them in. Profits form the book will raise funds for FareShare, the hunger and food waste charity supporting families and children, which was brought to the attention of many recently following the successful campaign from footballer Marcus Rashford to extend school meal provision to children during the school holidays.
Philip explains: "Schools Out Comedy Club gave me an outlet during the first lockdown to use my love of performing comedy to occupy bored kids up and down the country. It also gave parents a break from their own kids and the pressures of homeschooling. Comedians, actors and others in the arts have suffered massively since March, with very little work and very few outlets for keeping our creative minds sane. Producing this joke book was a way of giving me some purpose, whilst also raising some much needed funds for a charity that has also suffered as a result of COVID-19. Due to the nature of the project, I was especially eager to find a charity that supports children, and knowing that the sale of just one book could provide about 6 meals for children who might otherwise go without is truly amazing."
The book has been illustrated by fellow stand-up comedian Joe Bor. It is being self-published and follows on from Philip's hugely successful crowdfunder, which was part of the Edinburgh Fringe #FringeMakers platform. It will be released on Friday 27th November and will be available in paperback direct from Philip ( https://philipsimon.co.uk/shop) and as an ebook from Amazon ( https://bit.ly/soccbook). The School's Out Comedy Club joke book features approximately 175 jokes, all submitted by fans of the show, along with a selection from Philip himself.
Highlights from the book include:
What type of key opens a banana?
A monkey.
(Jack, 8, St Albans)
What do lawyers wear to court?
Lawsuits.
(Denali, 9, Kaiserslautern, Germany)
A monkey.
(Jack, 8, St Albans)
What do lawyers wear to court?
Lawsuits.
(Denali, 9, Kaiserslautern, Germany)
