Having a laugh? Star reporter wrestles nerves to deliver stand-up routine

It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, always admired those who do it well and always loved to watch, but actually going up on stage to make people laugh was always a dream, never a reality.

That was until I was scrolling down my Facebook feed and saw an advert for an Ultra Events Stand-up Comedy night. This is the same company that puts on white-collar boxing, mixed martial arts and dance events, with the first two not appealing as, funnily enough, I’ve already had my nose broken and didn’t fancy it again and the third as I can’t dance.

• Click here to watch James's comedy routine.

I was, however, interested in the comedy show, where you do eight weeks of training, then do the show, so I signed up even before I knew what the charity was.

Once I found out it was Cancer Research, that sealed the deal as I have a friend with terminal breast cancer, plus I have lost at least three former work colleagues and a couple of friends to the disease, so it was worth any pain on my part to help raise for them.

After an initial meeting to find out what it was all about, including the news that you had to raise at least £50 and sell a minimum of 10 tickets to be able to perform, I started my training journey, every Tuesday for eight sessions, then the big show at Rosie’s on Broad Street in Birmingham on Sunday, June 25.

With each group of trainees for the show, you are provided with free training and a professional comedian to help you work out your routine, teach you the art of comedy and guide you throughout the course to be as ready as you can be for the show.

Our comedian, in this case, was James Cook, a veteran of the Birmingham comedy scene, Edinburgh Festival regular and teacher of dozens of the Ultra Events courses, so we were in good hands.

The first session saw us go through introductions, what different types of comedy there were, and a chance to speak about things we liked and things we hated in a positive way, and built from there, with week two meaning more games and more chances to learn about keys to comedy.

It also gave me a chance to learn about the people on the course and see what they brought to the table in terms of their comedy styles, with some of them already showing themselves to be very funny and others seeming a bit reserved and me wondering what they were doing there.

What helped us was the training being provided by James Cook, who provided a number of activities designed to get us thinking about what we might want to do an act about, ways to do it and what we found funny in a particular situation.

After week three, we were able to start doing performances in front of the group and begin the process of seeing what our potential acts sounded like, then get feedback from our contemporaries and from James Cook, who would tell us what worked, and question bits he didn't get, as well as suggest changes.

I decided to base my own act around being middle-aged and a frustrated sportsman and after bullet pointing some ideas, I got up to perform. Five minutes later, I finished my act and was told that I clearly had presentation experience and while there was stuff to do, the act had potential.

All acts were recorded and sent to us to help us see ourselves in action, as well as listen back to the feedback, which was invaluable over the next five weeks as I took every opportunity to get up and perform my act, including the last four weeks where we had a microphone and speakers.

It was a tough process, but every practice and every week I performed my act helped me craft what I was going to say and do and also persuade me to be the only person not to hold the microphone, but perform it with the microphone on the stand, an homage to Billy Connolly.

I could also see the people on the course who were going to be hits on the day of the show, such as Danny, who told a very funny story about Babestation and falling asleep while calling in, and Scott, who detailed losing his virginity in a Wolverhampton hotel.

Everyone was coming on well with their acts and starting to relax more when on stage and performing, which was handy as the big day was coming fast and there would be 16 of us on the show.

On top of this, there was all the attendant stress of getting fundraising and selling tickets to the show, with the first bit proving easy enough, but a lot of people telling me they couldn't make it to the show on June 25.

I eventually did sell all 10 ticket, having bought them beforehand to ensure I would be able to perform, with my mum attending along with some of my oldest friends and at least one of my work colleagues.

The big day finally arrived and despite battling a cold and sore throat, there wasn't anything short of an act of god that was going to stop me getting up on that stage and performing.

We all arrived and talked about nerves, where we were with our preparations and how we were feeling about seeing our friends and family there, before we were finally told where we were on the running order.

It was a bit of a surprise to find that I was fourth from last, so I'd have a while to wait, but I took it as a compliment that my act had been deemed good enough to be that late in the show.

While, after years of performing as a wrestler, I'd got used to working out a match for whenever I was on the show, it was more of a challenge for me to get up and set for this as the nerves really started kicking in.

However, seeing my friends beforehand made me feel better about myself and I had faith in myself and the material I'd come up with, so I took a deep breath and then, as we all prepared to go out, I said to the group "Remember, they came here to see us".

The big moment came and after hearing my surname pronounced correctly (James had clearly been practicing), I stepped through the door and got to work.

It seemed like no sooner was I up, then I was walking off to rapturous applause, but the time I was up there was exhilarating, with laughs and the right reactions throughout my act and a good feeling all the way through.

It was one of the hardest, weirdest and most difficult thing I have ever done, but was such a rewarding experience, helping me to live out a dream and actually amuse people with my prose, plus raising £560 along the way for a worthy cause.

I have the trophy to prove I did it, plus the photos and video of my performance, and memories that will last a long time.

Would I do it again? Hard to say, but never say never. Would I recommend it to people? Absolutely. There were so many people afterwards who said I did really well and it wasn't something they could do, but what's stopping you?

To find out more and to sign up, go to ultracomedy.co.uk