Cheddar comedian Richard Herring on life as a performer in the coronavirus crisis

Comedian Richard Herring, who grew up in Cheddar, has called for communities to come together to help those who have lost their income due to the coronavirus crisis.

The comic, who was the star of Lee and Herring, Fist of Fun and Time Gentlemen Please, has described how the crisis has had an impact on the stand-up scene, and offered tips on how we can support performers of all genres.

Speaking to Cheddar Nub News, Richard said: "I have lost a lot of live work and had some pretty big gigs in March, but hopefully they will be postponed for another time.

"Luckily my writing and internet work means that I will still be getting an income, but it's a lot tougher for many stand ups whose only work is in clubs.

"Generally speaking the acts you see on TV will be OK, but it's the ones who do the clubs who have been really hit, going from working to having nothing to do overnight.

"I've been encouraging big name acts and regular comedy punters to help out by donating here.

"We all have to come together and look after each other, and there are obviously a lot of people who have lost work. Those in work should be doing all we can to help out in any way we can.

"I have been doing work online for 12 years so know about how to make that work, but these things are open to anyone and it might be time to try out podcasting or other platforms to try and build an audience.

"I've just started doing stuff on Twitch which is seen as a gamers' platform but where the possibilities are fairly limitless. But you can also try making videos and writing stuff in isolation.

"It's not going to work for everyone, though, and I would encourage people who are still waged to think of ways to get the money they are saving now out to the people who have kept them entertained or fed or in coffee or beer in imaginative ways.

"Spread the money around if you are lucky enough to have some, or I fear a lot of the places we've been socialising in, etc, might not be there on our return to normality."

Richard grew up in Cheddar and attended the Kings of Wessex School, where his father was the headmaster and maths teacher. This formed the basis of his 2008 stand-up show The Headmaster's Son.