The delightful thing about running this website is that you never know when, or who may contact you. Every day there is a constant steady stream of visitors around the globe visiting the site and dipping in to all things Rik.
Back in August of 2023 a message was sent to me via the contact page here. It was from Andy de la Tour! Momentarily I thought to myself, is this for real, or is someone pranking me?
To my delight it was indeed the one and only man himself:
Excitedly I replied, we swapped a few emails and arranged a convenient time and day for me to collect the poster he’d found in his attic.
Now I can’t drive, so it meant me getting the train. Ah, but what was I going to carry the poster in? It’s quite large and in a heavy frame! Luckily having been an art student, I had a nice big sturdy A1 size portfolio, with a carry handle.
6th September 2023
It was a boiling hot day, when I set of on the bus to the train station with my giant portfolio. I hadn’t visited London for a while and was also excited to visit the capital again.
Arriving a Waterloo, I had to make my way on the tube to Andy’s place. After what turned out to be a fairly painless journey, I arrived. A bit sweaty, hot and ever so slightly nervous. I just hoped I’d got the right address.
I rang the doorbell and heard a scampering of feet scurrying down the stairs, Andy opened the door. There were big smiles all round, and a warm welcoming hello from Andy, he gave me a hug and invited me in.
We sat in his kitchen with a lovely refreshing drink and chatted away for quite sometime, before heading to his study where the poster was.
Andy had some amazing memorabilia on his walls. Posters of productions and shows he’d worked on, appeared in, and produced. I couldn’t quite take it all in.
It was such a delight and privilege to meet Andy that day. If you had told my sixteen year old self, that in the future I’d be chatting away, talking comedy with, and sat at Andy de la Tour’s kitchen table, I would not have believed you.
He spoke with so much insight and passion touring and working with Rik, remembering it all with such affection. He explained how he, Ben and Rik came to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe in 83′. And how Rik wanted them to have an equal amount of time on stage.
Rik, who was the bright young star that everyone wanted to see, he should obviously have been the headline act, but no, he wanted them to take it in turns with the running order and have an equal share.
Andy also explained how he helped Rik to thrash out and write some of his material for the 1989/90 tour they did together. He told me how the tour was split into 3 legs, refining and building material along the way. The poster he was giving to me was from the second leg of the tour. By now the venues were getting bigger and more grand. Couldn’t help spotting my local provincial theatre, Southampton Mayflower.
He and I laughed about the fact that Rik’s stand up routine didn’t really alter a great deal over the years either. Many of the core same elements were always there for most of the tours. He was just so good at feeding off the audience and altering the shows accordingly. Andy said on this tour, as it progressed, Rik’s set got progressively longer and longer!
Despite the fact that there was 100 dates on this tour and that Rik was a sell out star, in his prime, and peak period of his career. This tour wasn’t officially filmed for a VHS release.
However, amazingly Andy did record one of the shows himself on VHS, and happily showed me a segment of it on his laptop. It’s from the Paignton show, the last performance on this second leg, recorded on 21st December 1989.
The quality isn’t amazing, the stage lights bleach out some of the detail, but the audio and basic movement is there. It was wonderful to see a snippet of this lovely rare piece. Andy confirmed to me what I had always thought, that there just isn’t many recordings of Rik doing his stand up sets.
If you would like to view this recording, it is available to watch at the Stand Up Comedy Archives in Kent, where Andy has donated it.
The Poster
It was so nice to hear his memories and experience of the 80’s comedy circuit. He spoke with great enthusiasm, fondness and admiration for Rik.
I just had to end the day with a selfie, and get him to sign the poster… well the back of the frame as it was really securely fixed in.
We are attempting to recreate Andy’s grumpy expression from the poster.
Off the top of his head he came up with this,
To Lucy,
In memory of a great comedian,
and Rik Mayall, also quite funny!
Poster (original) from 100 date tour 1989/90.
Andy de la Tour
My grateful thanks to Andy for getting in touch and donating his poster for the Scrapbook Archives, it is now here on the website and hung on my wall for all my visitors to see and enjoy.
Thank you Andy
100 Date Tour Poster
P.S This long poster with all the dates on, Andy told me was made up after the tour for only a select few people.
Rare 1990 Audio Recording
Enjoy this rare audio from the third leg of the tour, when a fan sneakily recorded the show at the Skegness Embassy Theatre, 9th March 1990.
Were you at any of the shows? Did you secretly record it?
Please get in touch or leave a comment below
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