South African funnyman Barry Hilton, who says that an encounter with Billy Connolly changed his career. Courtesy Atterbury Elite Photography
South African funnyman Barry Hilton, who says that an encounter with Billy Connolly changed his career. Courtesy Atterbury Elite Photography

Barry Hilton’s career took off after Billy Connolly told him to stop telling jokes



South African expats will be familiar with comedian Barry Hilton – or “The Cousin”, as he is known to his countrymen.

The 61-year-old comic has been a mainstay of the South African comedy scene for more than three decades, with television appearances and movie roles complementing his regular live performances.

Hilton’s fame isn’t restricted to South Africa, though. He has performed extensively around the globe, including a sell-out solo show at Sydney’s iconic Opera House in ­Australia last year, and a 2013 show in ­Dubai.

Indeed, it was while performing outside of his homeland that Hilton experienced what he identifies as the most important moment of his career – opening for Scottish comedy legend Billy Connolly in Jersey in 1989.

“He probably won’t even remember but the second night I was working with him, he came into my dressing room and said: ‘You’re a funny guy, but you need to stop telling jokes. You just need to talk about life’”, says Hilton. “That’s exactly what I did. He’s probably been the biggest influence on my career and I think it’s wonderful that a man of his stature took the time to come and give me advice. Plus if Billy Connolly thinks I’m funny, then it really doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks.”

Connolly’s words of wisdom led to Hilton adopting the conversational style he is known for.

“I’m not one of those who can say: ‘It’s Tuesday, 3pm, time to write some jokes.’ I just see things and write about them,” he says, adding that were it not for family from Lancashire, in England, and some childhood years spent in North Wales, he might never have been able to perform in Britain at all.

“I had to fake an accent and pretend to be a Scouser, because it was impossible to get work as a white South African in 1989, 1990 – it wasn’t a good thing to be a white South African in London at that time,” he says.

Hilton’s well-honed Liverpool twang has served him in his home country, too.

“When I was first coming through as a comedian, there really wasn’t much of a scene in South Africa at all,” he says. “We basically had a TV show, Biltong and Pot Roast, that was very similar to The Comedians in the UK [which featured] Jimmy Cricket and Bernard Manning and all them. If you weren’t on that, the only way you could get a gig was if you were an international touring comedian.”

And so Hilton’s fake Liverpool accent played its first major role in his career.

“I walked into a promoter’s office, put on a Scouse accent and said I’d just got off the plane from Liverpool, and he gave me a gig there and then,” he says.

“I had to do a Scouse accent constantly, on and off stage, for three months to keep it up. He eventually took me on a two-year contract, and I gently broke the news to him – but you do what you have to do to get ahead.”

The comedy scene in South ­Africa has improved significantly since the days of having to fake an English accent to land a gig, not least through the global success of The Daily Show host Trevor Noah. The elder statesman of South African comedy is full of praise for the young usurper.

“Trevor Noah is like Neymar – he just came from nowhere and is on a totally different level,” says Hilton. “You only get that every 100 years or something, and good luck to him. It’s fantastic what he’s done. He’s raised an awareness that South African comics are funny.”

Hilton might be magnanimous in his praise of his countryman, but after 35 years, five DVDs, two movies and millions of air miles, his own career is not too shabby, either.

“I’ve been going around the world making people laugh for 35 years, so I must be doing something right,” he says. “l love my job. I’m just back from Canada, I’ve done Hong Kong, Singapore. What’s great, too, is that while in the past it was nearly all South African expats at my gigs, they’re starting to bring their mates now and word’s getting out.

“I did a gig in Australia a while back and I’d say it was about 60 per cent South African and 40 per cent Australian. I got Safas coming up to me after the gig saying: ‘Why did you talk about all that Australian stuff?’ And I said, ‘Because we’re in Australia, mate’.

“As a comedian you want to talk to as many people as you can, that’s what I love about it.”

• Barry Hilton is at the Park Rotana, Abu Dhabi, on Wednesday at 8.30pm and at the JBR Mövenpick, Dubai, on Thursday at 9pm. www.thelaughterfactory.com

cnewbould@thenational.ae

It's Monty Python's Crashing Rocket Circus

To the theme tune of the famous zany British comedy TV show, SpaceX has shown exactly what can go wrong when you try to land a rocket.

The two minute video posted on YouTube is a compilation of crashes and explosion as the company, created by billionaire Elon Musk, refined the technique of reusable space flight.

SpaceX is able to land its rockets on land  once they have completed the first stage of their mission, and is able to resuse them multiple times - a first for space flight.

But as the video, How Not to Land an Orbital Rocket Booster, demonstrates, it was a case if you fail, try and try again.

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'Spies in Disguise'

Director: Nick Bruno and Troy Quane

Stars: Will Smith, Tom Holland, Karen Gillan and Roshida Jones 

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

Normcore explained

Something of a fashion anomaly, normcore is essentially a celebration of the unremarkable. The term was first popularised by an article in New York magazine in 2014 and has been dubbed “ugly”, “bland’ and "anti-style" by fashion writers. It’s hallmarks are comfort, a lack of pretentiousness and neutrality – it is a trend for those who would rather not stand out from the crowd. For the most part, the style is unisex, favouring loose silhouettes, thrift-shop threads, baseball caps and boyish trainers. It is important to note that normcore is not synonymous with cheapness or low quality; there are high-fashion brands, including Parisian label Vetements, that specialise in this style. Embraced by fashion-forward street-style stars around the globe, it’s uptake in the UAE has been relatively slow.

Dates for the diary

To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:

  • September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
  • October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
  • October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
  • November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
  • December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
  • February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.

Director: Laxman Utekar

Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna

Rating: 1/5

Our legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants

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AIR
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

Tips to keep your car cool
  • Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
  • Park in shaded or covered areas
  • Add tint to windows
  • Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
  • Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
  • Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat