Tim FitzHigham

Unity Theatre
Tuesday 3rd May 2011

Reviewed by Laura Naylor

In 2005, Tim FitzHigham successfully crossed the English Channel but he didn’t stop there, his journey continued all the way from Folkstone up to Tower Bridge.... And all this in a bathtub! Was this a matter of honour for the self confessed English Eccentric? No. It was for a pint of beer.

FitzHigham - not to be confused with Fitz-Hymen as one BBC reporter mistakenly referred to him - spent the evening gleefully telling the story of how, while out with his friend one night, he drunkenly declared that he would row the Channel in a bath, to which his friend, obviously familiar with the game ‘Prove it!’, replied “Go on then....” And so, he embarked upon an adventure which would, once again, get him into the record books.

You would think that just the act of rowing a bathtub would be problematic enough but we live in bureaucratic times, so of course before he could row the bath he had to go through all the red tape before his journey could be approved. Complete with a shower head for a mast his bathtub or ‘sports boat’ was eventually registered as a British Shipping Vessel and, much to his delight, this was enough to antagonize the French government into taking the time to alter the law to make it illegal to row the Channel in a bath.

A firm favourite at the Fringe, Tim FitzHigham transcends the stereotype of the stand-up comic. His boundless energy and enthusiasm is contagious and whilst he will happily admit that he leads a dull life the truth would appear to be anything but. After all, not everyone can say they’ve got a toilet named after them.

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