Scan Magazine | Culture | Danish Comedy Aid
Left and bottom right: The Danish Comedy Aid team at the Comedy Store in Piccadilly, London. This year saw the first ever Danish Comedy Aid performance in London. Top right: Martin Høgsted and Anders Grau hosted the Danish Comedy Aid Show in London. The two well-known comedians spent the evening in comical disagreement on how best to run the show.
Danish Comedy Aid in London Brexit and the Danes’ often awkward social interactions were two of the subjects that got a thorough comedic thrashing at the Danish Comedy Aid show’s first ever visit to London. Performing for a full house, the Danish stand-up comedians not only provided a hilarious break from London’s dull winter weather, but also helped raise much-needed funds for Save the Children. By Signe Hansen | Photos: Funny Business Inc
Arranged by FBI (Funny Business Inc) and the Danish Save the Children, the Comedy Aid show is running on its 24th year in Denmark. Despite this, January was the first time ever that the show was performed outside of Denmark. The initiative was well received by the English capital’s many Danish residents, who defied the rainy Monday evening to fill up the iconic Comedy Store in Piccadilly. As always, the show featured a rich selection of well-known Danish stand-up comedians, who volunteered their time to support the cause. Having made the trip to London, some could not resist the 116 | Issue 97 | February 2017
opportunity to poke fun at the Brits’ decision to leave the EU. Amongst them was Michael Schøt who, to great applause from the audience, compared the British vote on Brexit to a garage allowing people to vote on how to fix a car.
Helping child refugees Though it was an evening of almost constant laughter, the money raised through ticket sales went to a most serious and deserving cause: Save the Children’s work to help child refugees. “There are many opinions on the war in Syria, but I think everybody agrees that a lot of innocent people are paying a very high price,
not least the children who have been forced to flee their homes and have had a safe and peaceful childhood robbed from them,” says Peter Alan, director of FBI. Jonas Keiding Lindholm, general secretary for Save the Children in Denmark adds: “At Save the Children, we are there for the children all the way: in the countries the children are fleeing from, fleeing through, and fleeing to. We work to ensure that child refugees can have the safest and best possible life with their families.” More than 60 million people are displaced from their homes. Half of them are children.
If you wish to donate money to Save the Children’s work with refugee children, you can do so at: www.redbarnet.dk/boern-fryser Or via MobilePay on: 2477 0311