Comic Milton Jones is headlining a Highgate comedy festival in memory of a friend who died of leukaemia.
The Mock The Week and Live at the Apollo regular appears Upstairs at The Gatehouse on July 9 alongside Sol Bernstein, Josh Howie and Andrea Hubert.
Proceeds from the gig will raise funds for a Torah scroll dedicated to "compassionate community lawyer" Julian Young at Islington's only synagogue.
Milton said he was "very happy" to do the benefit gig for his good friend and "long suffering" fellow Arsenal season ticket holder.
"Julian was a nice man, who was passionate about justice, laughing, and Arsenal - three things that didn't always overlap," he said.
"These past few years watching Arsenal together at the Emirates Stadium we sometimes 'got out of jail', but more often than not of course, we were ‘robbed’."
The duo met around 15 years ago when Young came to the comic's gigs.
He said: "I met him a few times, he enjoyed comedy and knew who he liked and didn't like. He had an Arsenal ticket and we ended up going to some games and getting on. He liked my jokes, and as someone who got people out of prison, he kept me informed about the Government's lack of funding for legal aid. He was one of the good guys, and the Torah scroll at his local synagogue is a fitting tribute."
Famed for his surreal one-liners, witty word play, and hilarious take on modern life, Milton has just finished a 214 date "tour that never ended".
"It started before Covid, then stopped and started again, then stopped last November," he explained. "I am now at that in-between stage having to write lots of new stuff, and try it out at small clubs before I can go out again. You forget how hard it is to break new ground, but the only way of doing it is doing it.
"In a way I've made a rod for my own back doing one-liners. Even if you come up with one a day, you only add 10 seconds to your act."
He promises "a few greatest hits and some new stuff" at the fundraiser.
"A salad of different eras, sometimes I discover an old joke down the back of the sofa of my mind."
Jones is also working on the latest edition of his long-running Radio 4 show.
He added: "Apart from radio there are very few places were there is scripted comedy, but while we've got better at it, we've been doing it so long that all our good ideas have already been done."
Rabbi of Islington Mendy Korer said is wa "an absolute honour" to work with Milton Jones to raise funds for the first Torah scroll in Islington.
"The scroll will be dedicated in memory of a dear community member, who passed away in 2021. We are all looking forward to an evening of laughter and joy."
Event organizer Judy Ramjeet added: "Julian was known as 'The Lawyer with Attitude' and was one of the kindest people with the biggest heart, whose raison d'être was to help others. Obtaining a Torah scroll to benefit the whole borough of Islington, home of his beloved Arsenal, will be an apt tribute to Julian. While deeply missed by many, Julian's memory will live on in the Torah scroll. He abided by those values throughout his life."
The comedy fundraiser at 4pm and 7.30pm on July 9, Upstairs at the Gatehouse Theatre, Highgate.
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