Jason Manford, Jon Richardson and Lucy Beaumont's Blackpool school charity night hailed by audience as 'best comedy gig I've ever been to'

British comedy A-listers performing in a school sports hall on a cold and windy Tuesday night in January, including the opportunity to sing ‘Assembly Bangers’ along with Jason Manford, just as arena and TV audiences have been doing in only recent weeks.

But it was true – and it was a cracking night at Blackpool’s South Shore Academy, which will live long in the memories of the capacity audience of some 800 there, thanks to the generosity of married comedians Jon Richardson and Lucy Beaumont and their fellow performers.

All proceeds from the night, expected to be well into five figures, will be going to families of children at Bright Futures schools in Blackpool, including South Shore, struggling to make ends meet in the current economic crisis, as the gig was the latest staged by Jon and Lucy at schools to give such help in particular areas.

The show came just days before the Richardsons start a new series on Channel 4 and while Jon acted as compere for the night – incorporating some brilliant memories of his own schooldays in Lancaster into his patter – Manford topped the bill with a super set which included schoolday memories of his own, culminating in a grand sing-along of assembly hymns which he has recently recorded to help raise funds for the Trussell Trust.

While the wind whistled outside – as picked up on brilliantly by Jason during his act – the final singalong almost lifted the roof off the sports hall as the audience joined in and then gave the comedy star, along with Jon and Lucy, a standing ovation

Also on the bill were rising star Simon Lomas and comedy magician Alan Hudson, who has appeared on Britain’s Got Talent and performed in Las Vegas – and both were in great form ahead of a second half of the show led off by Lucy and a great comedy turn of her own.

The atmosphere throughout was electric and the evening was consummately well organised – the perfect answer to those January blues in an albeit unlikely, but ultimately ideal. setting