Kate Booth is spending Valentine’s Day with Ed Byrne

Is this the face of romance?
Is this the face of romance?

So, do you have anything nice planned for Valentine’s Day?

Imagine I said that in the voice of your smug colleague (you know the one) who is just waiting to regale you with her romantic plans, “Oh my Colin aaalways makes such a fuss.” Well, blah blah good for Colin, shame about his overriding attachment to beige chinos.

So, do you? BECAUSE I DO! I’m going to see Ed Byrne in Harrogate. You can come too if you like, tickets are on sale here.

I’m kidding, I have absolutely no idea how to hide a big long link behind the word “here.” I just underlined it to make it look good. Try clicking on this instead (and maybe send me tips on how to do clever computermibob things).

If you’re scratching your head thinking ‘the name is familiar, but who is this Ed Byrne?’ then allow me to enlighten you. He is the Irish comedian with long hair and glasses that you keep seeing on Mock the Week and he sounds an awful lot like the voice of the Carphone Warehouse adverts (he is the voice, Wiki says).

In lieu of me writing a proper mini-biography for him, because Three Men and A Baby is on right now and I am captivated by Tom Selleck’s moustache, here are some fun facts brought to you in bullet point form: (No, they bloody well won’t be! We are a bullet free zone. You have been censored Ed.)

He went to Strathclyde University to study horticulture, but dropped out to pursue a career in stand-up comedy – what a different life he could have led!

He gets very cross about the mis-use of the word ironic in pop song format – see his witty slating of Alanis Morissette’s single, Ironic.

His first TV appearances included Blind Date and the role of “teenager” on Father Ted – and he is now a regular on shows such as Never Mind the Buzzcocks, 8 Out of 10 Cats, and Have I Got News for You.

Two people fainted at his Brighton gig – the reports say fainted, it may have been a swoon.

He can make biscotti and did so on the Celebrity Great Sports Relief Bake Off – you can find the recipe on his website if you’re at a loose end and fancy something crunchy.

He. Is. Funny.

This is his fourth tour, it’s called Roaring Fourties and is about him embracing middle age with “ferocity”, despite having been a “miserable old git” since he was 23. I will report back after the gig, and if you’re going, then let me know what you think of it!

[Thanks Ed for putting links where links should be, but not for deleting my snazzy bullet points.]