Kiwi comedian pulls in British stars for Christchurch fundraiser

There is no laughing for Jarred Christmas when he was woken in the middle of the night by a phone call from home. Photo / Supplied

Like many London-based Kiwis, Jarred Christmas feared the worst when his father telephoned him in the middle of the night on that fateful day six weeks ago.

After the Dallington-born comedian had come to terms with the terrible devastation that had befallen his hometown, he resolved to do something positive, recruiting some of his numerous high profile friends in the British comedy scene such as Russell Howard and Stewart Lee to participate in Stand Up for Christchurch, a benefit show at the prestigious Lyric Theatre in the heart of the West End on Monday April 11.

"You just know it's going to be bad when your parents call you at two in the morning," recalls Christmas, who first moved to London in late 2000.

"I then spent the rest of the night watching all the images and it was really gut wrenching."

While Christmas's mother and father now live in Alice Springs, his brother was in Christchurch when the earthquake struck. "He came through it fine but we couldn't get through to him for a while," he says. "It was really frustrating because I was so far away and I didn't know what I could do to help out."

Fortunately, 4 Kiwis Walk Into a Bar, the monthly comedy night that Christmas has hosted at Chiswick pub The George IV for the past eight years, was scheduled for only two days later.

"I decided to use the show to fundraise for Christchurch," he says. "The response was incredible. We sold out, got 200 people and raised about $2500. That felt good but at the same time it wasn't even a drop in the ocean of what is needed. I spoke to a couple of mates and we came up with the idea of putting on this big show."

Christmas teamed up with Emma Deakin from London-based Kiwi theatre group Shaky Isles and former Skits actor Mike Sengelow, who runs acting cooperative Silvercube.

"Between us we managed to get a great deal on the venue and I then set about pulling in as many favours as I could to get a decent line-up," he says. "It was amazing how responsive people have been because every comic who is on the line-up has got some kind of connection to New Zealand."

Indeed most of the bill including Russell Howard and Terry Alderton has toured the country at some point as part of the annual International Comedy Festival.

"One of Russell's mates is a Kiwi who has spent a lot of time in Christchurch so for him it was like 'I'm doing this for a friend but I'm also doing this because of all the good times I've had in New Zealand," says Christmas.

"I was down there last year with Terry Alderton as we did a show together. He kept getting blown away by just how friendly people were like when you go into a shop and just having someone chat with you."

Miles Jupp (Never Mind the Buzzcocks) has also enjoyed his time in the country. "My wife and I spent time in the South Island last year with our young son," he says. "It's a very special place. We love all of New Zealand and its people."

From gigs at Bush Hall and the Vibe Bar to a charity rugby match, several benefit events for Christchurch have already been held in London. But Stand Up is the most ambitious yet and Christmas hopes to raise around £20,000 (NZ$42,000) by selling out the 900-seat theatre.

He is also aiming to reach a different audience. "The amount of stuff that has happened over here already has been incredible and the Kiwis over here have really stepped up," he says.

"But there hasn't been anything yet that appeals directly to the British. That's why it was great that we could get together this line-up of amazing British comics, to draw in British people who not only know that they're getting a night of great comedy and they're also donating a fair chunk of money."

Christmas is familiar with the generosity of the British comedy community having taken part in Let's Dance for Comic Relief during last month's Red Nose Day children's telethon, for which he "dressed up as Madonna and sung Hung Up."

Screened to 10 million people on BBC One, it exposed him to his largest television audience yet following his regular stints on panel shows Mock the Week, 8 Out of 10 Cats and Argumental and his role as a brash Australian advertising executive in last year's BBC Two sitcom The Persuasionists.

"I've slowly been breaking into the TV side of things but I've mainly been live stuff," says Christmas, who thrived on playing a character from the other side of the Tasman.

"It was good fun playing an Aussie. They didn't care about my accent; they just wanted to use my ordinary voice."

He admits that Stand Up for Christchurch represents his toughest challenge to date.

"It's been an incredibly huge logistic exercise," he says. "I didn't really know what I was getting into it as it's a task that would have been really daunting if only one person had taken it on. So it's been great having people like Emma and Mike involved, who are as enthusiastic as I am and really know what they're doing. The response so far has been really brilliant."