Our own Charlie Shakespeare was at the Dabbers Social Bingo venue for the the Dabbers Comedy Caller Final on Sunday, 7th July and was on the spot as the drama unfolded.
Right Place, Right Time
We revealed the finalists in a post last week, but due to an appendix related emergency weekend Lil Wenker had to pull out of the contest. In her place her friend Dru Cripps duly re-entered the competition as a Wild Card entry, having been knocked out in the heats, and in a ‘you couldn’t make it up’ scenario, went on to win the whole thing!
The Dabbers Comedy Caller contest in run in association with The British Comedy Guid and sponsored by Malibu. Dru walked away with a £1,000 prize and a 12 month contract with Dabbers as their top caller. This gives him the unique opportunity to ‘reinvent, transform and revamp the sought-after and glorious position of Bingo Caller’.
The Winning Act
Dru really had a unique take on calling the numbers and this, together with his persona as an ‘old skool 90’s raver’, complete with low-slung balloon pants that he was very lucky not to lose completely, stole the show.
The act involved arriving on stage using a mime routine to a soundtrack of big dance beats and when he started the bingo calling incorporating a loop station, improvisational beatboxing and dance moves – all whilst timing the plucking of the the balls from the bingo machine and occasionally stopping to lift those baggy pants!
Dru secured the most audience votes to win the contest overall, but there was also a judging panel of industry experts who voted supposed ex-government minister who recently lost her seat Babs Romance as their winner, securing a 12-month supply of Malibu for her trouble.
Dabbers Founder Jonny Unknown commented, “What a finale show – So much energy from the audience and four brilliant contestants competing! The best act won on the day, but gosh it wouldn’t be Dabbers without some last minute twists and drama” Post show Dru Cripp has offered a share of the prize money with friend and fellow finalist Lil Wenker whom he replaced in the contest.
About Dru Cripps
Dru Cripps is 24 and from Oswestry Shropshire . As with other past winners of the Dabbers Comedy Caller contest he intends heading to Scotland for previews of his new show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, 2nd to 12th August. If you want to look out for it, the show is titled ‘Druniversal Credit’ and is a one-man show about his experiences in the arts world.
It sounds like this is a show you could see again and again as his act is mainly ‘Showing up and seeing what happens’, according to the man himself and often depends on the audience present at the time. He intends the shows to be ‘spontaneously funny chaos’.
See our Video Highlights of the Dabbers Comedy Caller Event
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