Featuring everything from wee one-liners to verbal diarrhoea, the UK’s relationship with toilet humour takes a funny turn on Wednesday to raise awareness for a worthy cause.
The UN-instituted World Toilet Day: It’s no Joke is being marked by the borough’s first ‘toilet disco’ – a night of comedy and music hosted by charity Water Aid to highlight the lack of sanitary toilet facilities available to 2.5 billion people around the world.
The toilet disco is closing a series of lively sessions across London, starting on Sunday (November 16) and continuing over four days, featuring some of the nation’s biggest names in comedy.
Contributors to the event include Logan Murray with a workshop and stand-up gigs from Helen Lederer, Ross Briery, Tom Craine, Bec Hill, Faye Treacy and many more.
Wednesday’s event is fittingly taking place at The Convenience, an ex-public loo turned bar in Brooksby’s Walk, Hackney.
Water Aid’s Hannah Wilkinson, who organised the event, said: “A lot of people don’t realise that one in three of the world’s population don’t have access to sanitary toilet facilities, and maybe the difficulty in talking about sanitation is we all take it for granted.
Toilets
“We always find it hard to get people in the UK talking about sanitation and toilets and this is a new thing that people might not be embarrassed about. The UK has always had a strange relationship with enjoying toilet humour and we found all these amazing venues in London, public loos that have been renovated.
“This is the first time we have done something like this. The venues are quite small, being ex-public toilets but really unique and hopefully will get people talking on the [Wednesday] night and at the festival.”
Water Aid work in 26 different countries across the globe with partners on the ground helping communities access safe water and basic hygiene.
Work includes building toilets in schools and isolated or impoverished areas.
Ms Wilkinson said: “People who don’t have access to these face the indignity of going to the toilet in the open where they are exposed to disease and vulnerable to harassment or even attack.”
Up and coming comedians will get a few minutes to strut their stuff from 7pm at The Convenience under one condition – they must tell one toilet-themed joke.
The night will end with a disco complete with themed music and gold toilet brush props to dance with.
Hannah said: “We thought this would work in Hackney and people would appreciate the humour.”
Proceeds from the event will go towards Water Aid’s projects.
The Convenience toilet night starts at 7pm. To book tickets for any of the events from November 16 to 19, visit wateraid.org/uk/toiletfestival.
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