Global Mega Incorporated reviews.

'That, as they say, is that. For now. Our new comedy sketch show Global Mega Incorporated was a fantastic success and a huge amount of fun. Thank you so much to everyone who came to our show last week at the Etcetera Theatre - a sell out run!

Congratulations to our hard working cast - Cliff Chapman(Jeremiah), Emma Stirling (Percy), Adam Joselyn (Edwin), Ellen Gallagher (Hyacinth) and Steve Jordan (Thomas). The show was directed and written by Steve Jordan, with sketch contributions by cast members Ellen Gallagher and Adam Joselyn, plus Graeme Hurry, writer and editor of KZINE. Thank you to our technician and operator Tom Bexon, and to all the staff at the Etcetera Theatre - still the best place in London to debut new comedy.

Reviews from our three night debut at the Etcetera Theatre, April 2015.

★★★★ - 'Jordan's writing is carefully thought out, with the characters growing on you the more you spend time with them, so he does indeed manage to tick the truly funny box... The cast and creatives behind Global Mega Inc are perhaps better known on the fringe circuit for humorous sci-fi plays rather than sketch comedy, but this does seem like a natural sidestep, and one which they make with confidence and high-energy. You can tell they're all having a lot of a fun together in this show, and it seeps out into the performance. Whether you've been the wage slave at the bottom of the corporate pyramid or the evil manager at the top, Global Mega Inc is a relatable parody of big business which promises a good time.' - Shona Barker, Views from the Gods.

★★★★ '... absurdist humour that would have done the Monty Python team proud... not only was it funny, it was thought-provoking, while still putting across different points of view... on the strength of their latest material, Bad Bat have acquired a new found confidence and ‘maturity’ (if that’s the right word to use for comedy!) in their work as they broaden their material and write not only gags, but have something to say about today’s world.' - Michael David, Female Arts.

Bad Bat will now look ahead to this year's Camden Fringe festival in August when we'll be debuting a brand new comedy play by Steve Jordan at the Tristan Bates Theatre. More details soon!' - taken from badbat.co.uk

Global Mega Incorporated

I'm currently in rehearsals for this, both as director and performer. I'm also one of the co-writers. Basically, I'm quite heavily involved.

'Bad Bat Productions presents ‘Global Mega Incorporated’ - a new comedy sketch show about the tribulations of a wayward corporation on the brink of destruction.

Led by the bombastic and slightly mental Jeremiah Baptiste, the eponymous company does a bit of everything, from investigating people’s past lives to launching missions into outer space. Consider the show a grand tour of the world’s most ludicrous enterprise. Is the company destined for success? Doomed to failure? IT MATTERS.

So, what should you expect? Think the traditions of Monty Python, Fry & Laurie and The League of Gentlemen, mixed in a lunch box with some bats and the worst job you’ve ever had – but mostly just the lunch box. From the team that brought you comedy plays The Probleming(★★★★ - Views from the Gods) and Pilgrim Shadow(★★★★ - Remote Goat).

The show will run at the Etcetera Theatre in Camden, London for three evening performances - Thursday 16th, Friday 17th and Saturday 18th April 2015. 7.30pm. Tickets are £9 (£8 concessions) and available at www.etceteratheatre.com. BOOK NOW (or later, just eventually).

Starring Cliff Chapman, Emma Stirling, Adam Joselyn, Ellen Gallagher & Steve Jordan. Written by Steve Jordan, Ellen Gallagher, Adam Joselyn & Graeme Hurry.' - from badbat.co.uk

2014 Watty Winner!

I'm delighted to say that my short story 'The Good Death Guide' was a winner in the 2014 Wattys. The awards are presented by Wattpad, the online writing platform endorsed by Margaret Atwood, and represents 'the best in digital storytelling'. My story won in the 'HQ Love' category, which is chosen by Wattpad staff - thanks guys! The story has been read by over 75,000 people over the past year - an amazing number. Thanks to all those who took the time to read it and for your lovely comments.

To read the story and take a look at all the other winners - visit wattys.wattpad.com.

The Good Death Guide is now available for Kindle as part of my collection of short stories, 'The Good Death Guide & Other Tales'. The collection is free to Kindle Unlimited subscribers and very cheap for everyone else - check it out!

The Good Death Guide & Other Tales

I'm pleased to announce that a small collection of my short stories has been released for Kindle, entitled The Good Death Guide & Other Tales. Available now on amazon.

A collection of three short stories for Kindle by genre author and playwright Steve Jordan, featuring: 

The Good Death Guide - an extended version of the story chosen for the 'Featured List' on Wattpad, the online fiction community endorsed by Margaret Atwood. What really happens when you die? You may not like the Guide's answer... 

A House For Nobody - a chilling horror set in a dingy fairground 'crooked house' attraction - will Rachel make it out alive? Co-written with Ellen Gallagher. 

Caving In - a mysterious fantasy about three friends vacationing on an uninhabited planet. They must conquer their darkest fears when they are thrown back in time to a shared past they would all rather forget... 

'Jordan's writing [is] such a great investment at any level' - Views from the Gods.

Merry New Year.

The year started with my SF horror short story ‘Heat’ being published as part of KZINE issue 8 (Kimota Press), edited by Graeme Hurry. Graeme has released three excellent issues of KZINE this year, recently introducing guest editorials from the likes of Stephen Gallagher and Mark Morris, which have both proven hugely worthwhile additions to great array of stories from up-and-coming and established genre writers.

I was also delighted to be published as part of the mighty Terror Tales series, edited by best-selling author and all-round good guy Paul Finch. My horror short story ‘The Offspring’ appears in Terror Tales of Wales (Gray Friar Press), which is a strong edition of an already prolific and robust catalogue of regional short horror collections. I remember picking up the first collection at my first Fantasycon in 2011 and loving it, so it’s slightly surreal to now be part of one. It was a great honour and thrill to be published alongside such legends as Stephen Volk, Tim Lebbon & Priya Sharma among many others, making a writing ambition become a reality. Huge and grovelling thanks to both Graeme and Paul for their support and for letting me get my words out there.

I was also very pleased to be part of Wattpad’s ‘Featured List’ this year. ‘The Good Death Guide’ has reached an astonishing 70,000 reads across the year, with hundreds of lovely comments and reviews from Wattpad users. It’s great to have my work read by so many people and be part of a wonderful community of writers. I’d be a fool not to try and capitalise on the story’s success, so early in 2015 I plan to release an extended version of the story as part of a small short story collection on Amazon, entitled The Good Death Guide & Other Tales, for a very tiny fee. One of the short stories featured is co-written with my partner Ellen Gallagher, so is particularly special to me. If you pick up a copy, I hope you enjoy it.

I was also lucky enough to see two of my plays appear in London theatres this year. The Probleming, a horror comedy, debuted at the Tristan Bates Theatre in the West End, and my SF comedy Pilgrim Shadow returned to the stage at the Dugdale Centre in North London later in the year. I also directed Ray Newell’s lovely comic farce A Recipe for Disaster alongside Pilgrim Shadow in a double bill at the Dugdale. It was a privilege to once again work with the immensely talented Adam Joselyn and Cliff Chapman this year, as well as to meet and work with actors Emma Stirling and Robert Ashford. I can’t wait to work with you all again the near future.

I also had a great Fantasycon this year with the Gallagher clan, and was delighted to connect and reconnect with so many writers that I admire - those I missed I hope to see next time. I’m not worthy.

I hope 2015 is just as busy, if not busier. Two brand new theatre productions are in the works, and I’m currently working on a number of spec scripts for TV and radio in order to broaden my arsenal and hopefully, eventually progress into writing for audio and the screen. As well as my short story collection, I’m also working on some other fiction projects, including a graphic novel and new short stories, and welcome any other opportunities that come along on the way.

The Double Bill

My science fiction comedy Pilgrim Shadow and Ray Newell's A Recipe for Disaster (which I am directing) begin a run as a double bill next week at the Dugdale Centre in North London. Tickets are still available, so if you're interested head to www.dugdalecentre.co.uk to book yourself some tickets!

Rik Mayall.

A bit late I know, but as Rik would say - 'piss off, who cares'. I'm not going to try and spin you a yarn – I'm just going to tell you the facts.

I didn't know Rik - I'm just another fan who never met him. I was brought up on 80s and 90s British comedy, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that from the ages of seven to fourteen, I wanted to be Rik Mayall. The first comedy script I remember writing was an episode of Bottom. I was about 10 at the time, did it with another boy who had the same fixation with it as me. We’d write it, act it out – brilliant fun. The script itself was shit, but it was brilliant fun. Around the same time I had a lot of confidence issues. I was an insecure little kid, always nervous about the next day, thinking ahead of all the things that could go wrong. Quoting and repeating put-downs I heard on Bottom to bullies was my only defence in an all-boys secondary school that felt like some kind of dystopian prison. My group of friends at that school were all Bottom fans - that was our common ground. In 2003, I saw Bottom live in Hammersmith with two of those friends, who cosplayed as Richie and Eddie for the evening. It was the final tour that Rik and Ade Edmondson would ever do together, so I’m glad I saw them perform together when I had the chance.

My plays have been compared to Bottom on more than one occasion, which I can only take a great compliment. Rik Mayall's work on The Young Ones, The Comic Strip, Blackadder had a profound influence on not just my writing, but my sense of humour, who my friends are, my career, and my personality. If Rik Mayall hadn’t have been a thing, I may have ended up an accountant. Close shave. Recently, I bought The New Statesman box set, and it’s like discovering Rik all over again. His effortless charisma, his paranormal comic timing, his presence – this man could make anything funny. I can’t imagine how amazing it would have been to work with him, or even just going for a pint with the one-man comedy tornado that was Rik.

Rik is the first of my personal heroes to die, and he won't be the last, but he just might be the greatest comedian who ever lived. No-one was a good as Rik in his prime.