Only joking

One of Ricky Gervais’ favourite stand-up comics leads the line-up for August’s Laughter Factory tour.

Adam Bloom is one of three UK funnymen - alongside John Fothergill and Matt Rees - performing six UAE dates beginning on Thursday, August 7 in JBR, Dubai.

Adam had aspirations to become a comedian from the age of 10. He came to prominence in the mid-1990s, beginning at the Edinburgh Festival then heading on to comedy festivals in Montreal and Melbourne.

His assorted television work has included Never Mind the Buzzcocks, The Stand-Up Show and The Jack Docherty Show.

“He has been one of my favourite comedians for about 10 years,” Gervais has said before of Bloom. “He not only has brilliant lines but an intense and fragile honesty.”

Newcastle native John Fothergill, who shares his name with an 18^th century English botanist, hails from Newcastle - and his warm Geordie wit has seen him support Little Britain and Ed Byrne on tour.

Like Adam, he has performed around the planet as a comedian - but only after his rock and roll dream faded. John was once part of a band called One Hand One Heart, who were managed by Jimi Hendrix’s impresario, Chas Chandler.

Welsh entertainer Matt Rees is an up-and-coming name on the comedy circuit, who has been picking up awards aplenty in the last few years and in 2012 was named a ‘comedian to watch’ by The Times newspaper.