Clinton Baptiste

Clinton Baptiste, clairvoyant, psychic, medium and purveyor of the third eye is back on tour in his spectacular sparkling suit and his new show RollerGhoster.  It has everything any Clinton fan would anticipate, with a few new surprises thrown in to keep us all dancing on our celestial toes.  But before we arrive at the pearly gates to sneak a peek around Gods velvety curtains, we are treated to brilliant local comedian Adam Anwar who goes down a storm with this, his home crowd.   Hailing from Farnworth Bolton, he talks our language and effortlessly throws in local references that need no explanation whatsoever.  As we are told about his unique place in the world being born of a Pakistani father and Polish mother, he has us in stitches as he confirms his heritage is UKIPs worst nightmare.  Anwar self mocks and delivers his material like he is chatting to his mates, making his whole set relaxed and intimate.  His material is really unique, personal, and sharp.  He wowed the comedy scene in 2018 by winning Manchester’s ‘Beat the Frog’ competition in his 1st ever gig!  He has gone on to be awarded Leicester Comedy Festival Circuit Breaker 2022 and is definitely one to watch, with his down to earth approach, quick wit, and flawlessly executed humour.

After the interval, Clinton Baptiste almost floats onto stage with his deliciously over the top, sensationally showbiz entrance.  Multi coloured spotlights dance across the stage as he arrives in a larger than life white robe, with arms extended on sticks that he swishes around like angel wings.  He wafts from one side of the stage to the other, without uttering a word, yet whipping this eager audience into a frenzy with his presence alone.  The love in the room is clear and so when Clinton finally squarks out his infamous “Ya alright?” – that’s all it takes to make the venue explode into riotous laughter and applause.  Anticipation is built, there is a palpable fizzing energy and this is clearly a true and dedicated fan base.  He starts out by explaining the trouble’s he’s been having on tour, getting to venues, being mistaken for Pat Butcher on route, and discovering that somebody, possibly his stage hand, has it in for him and is defacing his tour posters across the country with images that suggest he likes to eat his fair share of, how shall we put it?  Meat and two veg!  His vocal gymnastics with that fabulous voice not only ensures that Clinton Baptiste has immediate distinction, but it’s unpredictable arrival at random places in his speech patterns never fail to raise a giggle as it catches you unawares time and time again. 

As Baptiste makes a bedazzled beeline to chat with audience members, he quickly susses out the more vocal ones and gloriously streamlines their heckling into part of his routine.  He is so at home with the quick retorts, the come backs and the battle of the banter that you can be forgiven for thinking he quite relishes these moments of disruption, perhaps even intentionally seeking them out to create even more material for this omniscient character.  Of course, there’s also the gentle innuendo and smut we’ve all come to know and love, whether it be his all-seeing third eye that likes to stand to attention, or him calling out people as a nonce!  And no Clinton Baptiste show would be complete without his infamous greetings of “Namaste, Shalamah, Shackattack” with a few “halloumi’s” and “Chaka Demus & Pliers” thrown in for good measure too.  As he starts to relate to the audience what the spirit world is telling him, we have classic moments of him knowing someone’s name (as they say it) and simply pulling the microphone away from them, down to trying to guess their star sign, and just reeling them all off until he strikes lucky.  This is all interlaced with the remnants of his own experience with a hypnotist that he swears hasn’t worked but sees him bursting into rogue moments of impersonating Benny Hill!  The rapport with the fans is fantastic and even the most nervous succumb to his bizarrely charming spell as he even managed to entice a nervous participant on stage who of course, once there, was looked after and had a brilliant time.  Some fans even came dressed up as Clinton Baptiste themselves and got a great cheer from the audience before the show had even started!  As always, each message he delivers from beyond the grave produces a white feather for the receiver, and in this show we are contacted by a whole host of celebs too, as well as a Victorian child who made her intentions quite clear for one particular audience member.  No one is off limits for Clinton Baptiste, so with references to a vast array of folk from Gregg Wallace to Gary Glitter, the show is sprinkled with one liners, stories that have huge pay offs, to the down right bonkers and even a rogue confetti canon!

The man behind the character is of course the extremely talented Alex Lowe.  Alex Lowe may have begun his journey with Clinton Baptise on Peter Kay’s Phoenix Nights, but he actually started out in showbiz at the tender age of fourteen in the original West End production of Another Country.  He went on to appear in films such as Haunted, Peter’s Friends and Much Ado About Nothing with the likes of Kenneth Brannagh, Hugh Laurie and Emma Thompson.  His comedy skills have led him to perform on shows such as Bremner, Bird and Fortune, The Fast Show, Grass, The 11 O’ Clock Show and he of course also created the brilliant Barry from Watford for Steve Wrights show on Radio 2.  Alex Lowe has written for and worked with some of the most iconic names out there, and so it is no surprise that he has taken this larger than life character of Clinton Baptiste to the next level, where he has grown an army of fans in both this world and the next.  With podcasts, tours, and even his own merchandise, Clinton Baptiste has definitely created a life force in his very own stratosphere!  As an actor, Alex Lowe is to be thoroughly commended to the detail he has embodied into our psychic chum.  There is no mention of the name Alex Lowe amongst the audience tonight, just Clinton Baptiste, for he has truly suspended the disbelief in all of us.  The voice, the costume, the accessories, the back story of his marriage his childhood, his career path, and the mannerisms, the coined phrases and even his breaking points.  We all know how far we can push Clinton before he gets annoyed, before his showbiz armour starts to slip, and it is quite brilliant.  The comic timing, the facial expressions, the delivery, with no fear of a lengthy pause for maximum impact – this is more than a comedy genius, it is an acting one too. 

Don’t be put off if you are new to the world of Baptiste either for you are quickly welcomed into the cult, with details of his life and in jokes being shared and of course we are updated on his marriage to the elderly Maureen, and the benefits of a sex life with an older partner!  And when you are completely hooked into the madcap world of Clinton, you can quench your thirst on his many podcasts.  The thing about RollerGhoster is that you will end up giggling like a naughty school kid.  And once you start, you really can’t stop.  It is ludicrously laudable, brilliantly bonkers, and dances with the devilish side of you that perhaps the spirits would try to steer you clear of, but that is never gonna happen whilst Clint is around!  The humour is a blend of clever, sophisticated and intelligent, right down to schmoozy smut and tongue in cheek (and everywhere else!) humour.  Insults are flung left right and centre, and they don’t discriminate – everyone is fair game, so you might want to hide your shovel hands, your haircut or your whole self, because you never know when it might be your turn to be judged by the spirits.  But just remember, you can’t get mad – it’s not Clinton saying these things after all, so “don’t shoot the messenger!”  There are plenty of further opportunities to catch the Clinton Baptiste RollerGhoster Tour across the North West, so blow off your cobwebs, grab your tickets, and let the spirits guide you to your nearest venue because it is possibly one of the best comedy shows you will see in this world or the next!