Steve Gribbin: Shunted Again

A brand new show and work in progress. Veteran train traveller and highly experienced stand-up comedian Steve Gribbin rails against the current state of Britain’s Railway system. Using his very worst journeys as examples, Steve takes us on a (de)tour of cancellations, delays and overcrowding that’s enough to drive you to drive. It’s the antidote to Michael Portillo.

But he doesn’t stop there (it’s not scheduled): Steve shunts back into history to acknowledge the immense social change that the trains have brought, from the adoption of “railway time” (not an oxymoron), to the movement of goods and services, including, of course, troops on their way to war.

The show will be a mixture of stand-up, songs and train announcements, as Steve examines all aspects of the railways, from Beeching to Brunel, from Steam (H2O) to HS2. Along the way, audiences will be encouraged to relate their worst rail journeys and personal stories such as that of Steve’s great grandfather John Gribbin, a railwayman who was knocked over and killed at Liverpool Lime Street Station in 1932.

The show also looks at privatisation and the sheer grinding frustration of modern rail travel where it turns out the most difficult three words are not: “I Love You”, but “Bus Replacement Service.”