John Henshall, General Manager of TravelMaster, is one of four brave faces taking to the stage for this year’s Chuckles for Charity in aid of Sheffield Hospitals Charity. We caught up with him ahead of the big night at the Steamworks on Thursday 12 March to talk nerves, nursery staff and being a girl dad.
What made you sign up for Chuckles for Charity?
They put a call out and I’d spoken to Phil, Sam and Mark who did it last year. They all said the same thing – if you get the chance, do it. I don’t really want to run a marathon or jump out of a plane. This felt outside my comfort zone, but not too far out. It’s scary – but hopefully not life-threatening. There’s also a personal reason. My mother-in-law’s had treatment at the Hallamshire, the Northern General and Weston Park. She’s seen some incredible specialists. You don’t get top researchers just from core NHS funding – the charity makes a real difference. It felt like a good way of giving something back.
You’re used to public speaking. How different is stand-up?
Very different. When I’m presenting at a transport conference, I’m stood in front of graphs. People aren’t really looking at me – they’re looking at the data. With stand-up, it’s just you, a microphone and ten minutes to hold a room. Public speaking and stand-up are not the same thing at all.
What’s the training process been like?
We’ve had fortnightly two-hour sessions with Anthony J Brown. It’s been part writing workshop, part performance coaching. We’ve done exercises around punchlines, wordplay, structure – things you just don’t think about. And then there are the practical bits. What do you do with the microphone stand? Do you hold the mic? How do you signal you’re coming to the end? He gives you the tools.
How prepared are you?
I came to the second session with about 500 stories and tried to piece them into a routine. We’ve workshopped it every week and now it’s down to small tweaks so it flows properly when I say it out loud. I think Martin probably had his written on day one. I’m probably second most prepared. But we’re all feeling relatively confident now.
Can you give us a hint about your set?
I’m talking about being a girl dad. I’ve got two daughters – two and seven – so it’s about those early years when your house looks like a jumble sale. The lack of sleep. Bedtime stories. The things your kids say. The differences between the conversations you have with parents of boys versus girls. It’s all pretty universal stuff. My eldest might disown me at some point, but she won’t see it for a few years.
What’s made you most nervous so far?
When my wife said the nursery staff were thinking of coming as a night out. I assumed it would be business people in the audience. When it becomes people who know you in real life, that’s when it feels real.
There’s a strong line-up this year. Does that help?
Definitely. The line-up includes Safiya Saeed, Dominic Ng from Bauer Media and Martin Havenhand of Switched On Solutions Group. They’ve all got their own networks and followings. Last year there were eight comedians. This year there are four, so it should feel tighter and more balanced.
What surprised you most about doing it?
The fundraising and ticket push.If you’re doing a 10K, you focus on training. With this, you’re trying to write a comedy set while also raising money, selling tickets and, in my case, writing board papers and preparing conference presentations. It’s been really fun – but there’s more to it than just being funny on the night.
Would you recommend it?
Absolutely. The group from last year still meet up. It’s a proper shared experience. And how many times do you get the chance to do something like this?
Support Sheffield Hospitals Charity by donating via his JustGiving page here – all funds go directly to the charity and will also help him hit his personal target. Grab your tickets here – and save yourself the scroll by selecting John’s option at the top of the page.
“Hopefully see you there,” says John, “even if it’s just to watch me make a tit of myself.”
