“AFTER THE LAUGHTER!”

     Someone once said, “If you want to know what a comedian is really like offstage, don’t ask his wife.  Ask his gag writer! ”

     Any gag writer who has a long working relationship with a star comedian will have a unique insight into the performer’s world of successes and failures, both on and off stage. Catholics admit to their sins in the confessional, but comedians prefer to do it in the hallowed atmosphere of their dressing room!

     If his gag writer fails to deliver quality material, the comedian could replace him overnight. If his writer always delivers quality material, every other comedian in the business will be trying to poach him! 

     Gag-writer, author and playwright Alan Wightman has never been poached, but he has been grilled, skewered and roasted by some of Britain’s top entertainers – DES O’ CONNOR, THE TWO RONNIES, CILLA BLACK, SHANE RICHIE, JOE PASQUALE, JULIAN CLARY, LES DAWSON, FREDDIE STARR, MARTI CAINE, BRADLEY WALSH, ERIC SYKES, BRIAN CONLEY, RICHARD DIGANCE and many more.

     He has worked with such stars as SIR ANTHONY HOPKINS, ROBBIE WILLIAMS, BARBRA STREISAND, ANTONIO BANDERAS,  JOHN CLEESE, THE BEE GEES, KEN DODD, CLIFF RICHARD,  ROGER MOORE, SHIRLEY MACLAINE and MEL GIBSON.

     For many years he was JIMMY TARBUCK’S main writer, penning hundreds of topical jokes for Jimmy’s ‘live‘ theatre & nightclub appearances and for TV series such as TARBY AFTER TEN,  TARBY & FRIENDS, TARBY’S CUP FINAL PARTY , A ROYAL NIGHT OF 100 STARS and the long-running LIVE FROM HER MAJESTY’S / THE PICCADILLY / THE PALLADIUM.

     When during LIVE FROM HER MAJESTY’S on April 15^th 1984, Tommy Cooper collapsed and died on stage in front of 10 million viewers, Alan was stood in the wings of the theatre with Tarby and his fellow writers.

     In the mid-1990’s when television found large-scale entertainment shows were too expensive to make and replaced them with ‘reality‘ and ‘lifestyle‘ programmes, Alan turned his talents to writing books, stage plays, musicals, pantomimes, newspaper and magazine articles, radio sitcoms and the occasional film script.  But he does have a lie-down on Tuesday afternoons! 

     If you want to know what comedians are like before and after the TV cameras are turned off, book Alan Wightman’s light-hearted and often hilarious talk ‘AFTER THE LAUGHTER’.

     Alan Wightman writes comedy scripts for television and radio; stage plays; musical and pantomimes; books and newspaper articles; feature film scripts; and publicity copy for DVDs and tour brochures.

     He has supplied comedy material to many of Britain’s top entertainers, including Joe Pasquale, Bob Monkhouse, Shane Richie, Bradley Walsh, Eric Sykes, and Des O' Connor, Cilla Black, Noel Edmonds, Julian Clary and Chris Tarrant. He has also worked with such international stars as Barbra Streisand, Antonio Banderas, Julio Iglesias and Mel Gibson.

     Alan was Script Associate on two Royal Variety Performances, two Nights of 100 Stars and “A Royal Celebration " , a TV special for Prince Charles’ 50th birthday, which involved writing material for Sir Roger Moore, Joan Collins, Geri Halliwell and Robbie Willams.

     With entertainer Richard Digance he co-wrote the stage play " Sex, Spangles and Sensible Shoes ", before writing the book for the stage musical "The Famous Five" for the Kings Head Theatre, Islington. Both shows went on to tour the UK. He has recently completed writing the book for a new stage musical "Don't You Rock Me Daddio" with music and lyrics by Joe Brown and Roger Cook.

     After writing the best-selling “Big Thick Joe Pasquale Book " for Andre Deutsch Publishing, in 2002 Alan was commissioned by Virgin Books to write Freddie Starr’s biography "Unwrapped", which was recently re-issued in paperback.

     Alan is currently writing a feature film script entitled "Born2Bingo" and the life story of a multi-millionaire industrialist entitled, "Wesley’s Grandad".