Press release -
Comics board Virgin Trains’ Glasgow service to deliver world’s fastest gags
Eight of the UK’s fastest comedians will be delivering gags at 125 mph next week as they take on the world’s first high speed rail comedy gig.
The all-star line up from the Glasgow International Comedy Festival will board the 1430 Virgin Trains departure from Euston next Thursday, February 27, before performing a series of rapid-fire comedy sets for passengers on a specially convened comedy carriage. Hosted by Bruce Devlin, and featuring Patrick Monahan, John Hastings, Damian Clark, Jojo Sutherland, Ray Bradshaw, John Gavin and Phil Nichol, the unusual venue is likely to serve up some laughs ahead of one of the key fixtures on the international comedy circuit.
The Glasgow International Comedy Festival runs from March 14 to April 5 and those attending gigs are entitled to 20% off Advance tickets to and from Glasgow with Virgin Trains.
Sarah Watson, Festival Director, says: “We’ve done gigs in airports, stations and on streets but this is the first time that we’ve tried a comedy set on a train.
“You need nerves of steel to get up on any stage but this is a particularly daunting proposition. Luckily we have some of the best names in the business so we’re guaranteed some laughs on the journey.”
Adrian Varma, Partnerships Manager for Virgin Trains, adds: “We’re always up for trying something a bit different at Virgin Trains and this is definitely one of the most unusual events we’ve been involved with yet. It’s a great line-up to see in any venue and I’m really looking forward to seeing how they manage the space.”
Entry to the Comedy Carriage won’t cost more than the price of a train ticket. However, demand for the event is likely to be high so if you do want to reserve a seat for part of the journey could you let our Twitter team @VirginTrains know using the hashtag #gicf. We will be giving away three pairs of tickets for the Comedy Carriage.
More information about the comedians and Glasgow International Comedy Festival can be found at: http://www.glasgowcomedyfestival.com/
For further information, please contact the Virgin Trains Press Desk on: 0845 000 3333 or visit our Media Room website at: www.virgintrains.com/media room.
Glasgow International Comedy Festival: notes to Editors
The Glasgow International Comedy Festival was established in 2003 and is now entering its twelfth year. It is supported by main funder, Glasgow City Marketing Bureau.
The festival is organised by the Scottish Comedy Agency, a sister company of Salt’n’Sauce Promotions Ltd, which owns and operates the highly successful Stand Comedy Clubs in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Newcastle.
Tickets for all shows are available via the respective venue’s own box offices, direct from ticketSOUP.com on 0844 395 4005.
Register at glasgowcomedyfestival.com for all the latest news and follow on Twitter @glasgowcomedy
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Virgin
Trains has revolutionised rail travel by creating a high speed, high frequency service that has cut journey times and made rail journeys more comfortable. It has operated the West Coast passenger train franchise since 1997, serving key UK cities including London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Preston and Glasgow.
Virgin Trains is the brand name of Virgin Rail Group (VRG), which is owned 51 percent by Virgin Group and 49 percent by Stagecoach. The Department for Transport (DfT) has awarded VRG a franchise contract, which started on 9 December 2012 and was initially due to run for up to 23 months. The Transport Secretary announced on 26 March 2013 that it will be extended until April 2017, when a new long-term West Coast franchise is expected to start.
Virgin Trains has been recognised in numerous awards. In October 2013 Business Traveller magazine readers voted the company the Best UK Domestic Rail Operator for the seventh year running. In 2011 the company was named Best Rail Operator in the Group Leisure Awards (which it also won in 2009 and 2010). In 2011 Virgin Trains won the British Quality Foundation's Achievement Award for Customer Satisfaction.
Customers consistently rate the company the top long-distance rail franchise operator, as measured by the National Passenger Survey (NPS) run by industry watchdog Passenger Focus. In the most recent NPS (Autumn 2013) overall satisfaction was 91%, meaning the company has remained unbeaten over nine successive surveys in the long-distance franchise category.
Virgin Trains first achieved Investors In People accreditation in 2007 and this was renewed in 2010; the IIP Gold award was achieved in 2011 and again in October 2013. In May 2013 Virgin Trains renewed its accreditation against the criteria of the European Foundation for Quality Management's (EFQM) Excellence Model, which it originally achieved in May 2011. The company’s Learning and Development team won a National Training Awards 2011 West Midlands award for its Coaching Culture programme.
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