Jesmond comedian Bev Fox has taken improv comedy online as lockdown causes chaos in the wider entertainment industry.

The School of Improv is run by Bev Fox and her husband, Ian McLaughlin. Before lockdown, they would gather at Jurys Inn on the Quayside to teach improv comedy skills to interested locals.

Now, they’re teaching to students around the world, through the use of Zoom.

Fox told JesmondLocal: “We didn’t know how the online classes would go, at all, but in March, loads of our students were like ‘Oh no, we’re going to miss it’.

“The classes have flown, which has been quite a surprise. If there’s anything positive to come out of it, it’s that the workshops mean we’re working with people from all over the world, rather than just Newcastle.”

The classes had to overcome the challenges of being taught online when they first launched. “I think, for a couple of weeks, people thought, ‘Oh, this could be really awkward’ and then, people just adapt,” Fox said. “People really change, so actually now – you don’t even notice it [being online].”

The School of Improv intends to continue offering the classes because of their success, even when lockdown restrictions come to an end.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been rough for the comedy industry, as a whole. Live venues closed in March and were only just reopening when further lockdown restrictions arrived.

JesmondLocal has previously reported on the pandemic’s impact on music venues in Jesmond, as well as hospitality.

Fox’s own group The Suggestibles will have gone a whole year without performing before they hope to return to the stage for their next show in March 2021.

The government have provided some financial support to the comedy industry through the Culture Recovery Fund, after a July study from the Live Comedy Association (LCA) found that nearly half of comedy venues would definitely have to close without help. There are now concerns that some organisations are falling through the cracks.

Fox told JesmondLocal: “We were very lucky in that we got some government support, being self-employed. We’re earning about half of what we would usually expect to earn this year.”

She does have worries about what will come after lockdown – with concerns about how their usual venue will manage social distancing.

However, she is confident that they will once again be able to adapt and make the best out of it, as they – and the world – had to do in March.