Karen Koren: Game for a laugh in Melbourne

Wish I was one of those people who arranged holidays in advance.

As things stand, Easter will soon be here with all the things it entails. It falls on the last weekend of March this year, which is around the time I head off to the Melbourne Comedy Festival.

I haven’t had a chance to think about it yet and I have not had my annual invitation from the organisers either. I don’t want to beg, but I might have to – though it can’t be begging if I create work for a lot of Australian performers at the Fringe and help them on the road to fame and fortune.

For example, I am pleased to see Adam Hills is now presenting shows on television here. His popularity was proved with his show The Last Leg, when he presented the London 2012 Paralympics. He did so well that Channel 4 asked him to host The Last Leg as a sports show for the physically challenged.

Adam only has one foot. As a regular compere on Late’n’Live he frequently took off his false foot and passed it around the audience, or freaked other comics out with his stump. Now, Adam is helping audiences get over their fear of disability, which I admire him for greatly.

On that note, I had better email the Melbourne Comedy Festival. I do not think it would be right for me not to go, as there are so many more performers waiting to be discovered.

It’s much better that new talent is introduced to the UK through Edinburgh Festival Fringe audiences than any other way.