Graham Fellows as organist John Shuttleworth at Big Chill in 2007 (Pic: Getty)
In 1992 I took my comedy show, John Shuttleworth's Guide To Stardom, to the Edinburgh Fringe for the first time. The venue was a cramped, airless attic; one of a handful of pop-up stages at the Pleasance Theatre.
It had a reputation for innovative, offbeat comedy. My show was, I like to think, exactly that and my Edinburgh debut turned out to be worth the price of the train ticket from Doncaster and more: I won the Critics Award and almost won the coveted Perrier Award.
It had a reputation for innovative, offbeat comedy. My show was, I like to think, exactly that and my Edinburgh debut turned out to be worth the price of the train ticket from Doncaster and more: I won the Critics Award and almost won the coveted Perrier Award.
Officially, no one knows how the judges scored but I was tipped off that I had lost the award by one vote to Steve Coogan and John Thompson.
No disgrace though, as there were two of them and they performed at least six characters between them.
No disgrace though, as there were two of them and they performed at least six characters between them.
I did only one: versatile singer/organist John Shuttleworth; a bumbling, deluded showbiz wannabe and former security guard in Rotherham with two children, Darren and Karen, a dinner lady wife called Mary and next door neighbour Ken Worthington whose claim to fame was coming last on New Faces in 1973.
That's five characters but, unlike in Coogan and Thompson's show, four remain offstage and are never seen. John likes to dwell on things: "Tony Hatch crucified him! Tony was so angry there was a bit of saliva at the side of his mouth. And I think a bubble appeared, briefly."
That's five characters but, unlike in Coogan and Thompson's show, four remain offstage and are never seen. John likes to dwell on things: "Tony Hatch crucified him! Tony was so angry there was a bit of saliva at the side of his mouth. And I think a bubble appeared, briefly."
I remember Steve Coogan took me to one side and said: "That's great, that bit about Tony Hatch. Nice detail. You're going to go far with this character..."
Coogan is now a Hollywood star, sort of, whereas I am still living in a small town in Lincolnshire.
I'm down the road from Barbara Dickson, admittedly, and I occasionally bump into Emmerdale's Patrick Mower at the leisure centre, so my life is not without glamour but I have never reached the dizzy heights of the fame predicated for me.
I am happy with that. John Shuttleworth started as a cottage industry in the mid-Eighties. I made audio cassettes of John's ditties and musings for friends, with handmade paper labels glued on with a Pritt Stick.
Coogan is now a Hollywood star, sort of, whereas I am still living in a small town in Lincolnshire.
I'm down the road from Barbara Dickson, admittedly, and I occasionally bump into Emmerdale's Patrick Mower at the leisure centre, so my life is not without glamour but I have never reached the dizzy heights of the fame predicated for me.
I am happy with that. John Shuttleworth started as a cottage industry in the mid-Eighties. I made audio cassettes of John's ditties and musings for friends, with handmade paper labels glued on with a Pritt Stick.
CURRENTLY AVAILABLE FROM GONZO
 | The Shuttleworths 5 2CD - £11.99 |
 | Southern Softies DVD - £12.99 |
 | Shuttleworths Series 1 DCD - £11.99 |
 | Open Mind DCD - £11.99 |
 | Radio Shuttleworth 1 DCD - £11.99 |
 | Blue John CD - £9.99 |
 | The Shuttleworths 3 2CD - £11.99 |
 | The Dolby Years CD - £9.99 |
 | Shuttleworths 2 DCD - £11.99 |
 | 4 Rather Tasty Tracks CDS - £3.99 |
 | It's Nice Up North DVD - £12.99 |
 | 500 Bus Stops DVD - £11.99 |
 | The Shuttleworths 4 DCD - £11.99 |
 | The Yamaha Years CD - £9.99 |
 | Radio Shuttleworth 2 DCD - £11.99 |
| The Shuttleworths Specials CD - £9.99 |
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