An Evening With Aggers and Tuffers

Published on: 30 Sep, 2019
Updated on: 30 Sep, 2019

Aggers & Tuffers (relaxing without the pressure of a TV camera). Image – Dani Maimone

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It’s been quite a summer of cricket. The stand out moments must be the nailbiting finish to the world cup final in July and the heroic Ben Stokes innings in the third Ashes Test at Headingly. Disappointingly, England could not follow up by winning back the Ashes from Australia but they were able to square the series.

There remains plenty to talk about and what better for cricket fans to hear Agnew and Phil Tufnell, or Aggers and Tuffers as many of us know them, relive the highlights, tell their anecdotes and perhaps consider what next?

To help you have an idea about the planned evening here as some questions you might have together with some answers and comments from the duo themselves…

Aggers & Tuffers will be performing at Guildford’s G Live – Photo John Schluter

What can people expect from the show Aggers and Tuffers?

Aggers is a fabulous interviewer and has hilarious anecdotes of his own. Guests, like Tuffers, love doing evenings with him because they know they are safe in his hands as on-stage host. Aggers is great at teeing Tuffers up with questions that allow Phil to recount stories from his colourful career (and life!), on and off the pitch.

Tuffers is a very funny raconteur and his stories are illustrated with on-screen footage from his playing days and more recent TV appearances on programmes such as The Jump, Strictly and I’m A Celebrity.

We also play videos of Aggers winding up Geoffrey and audio clips from TMS where Aggers has stitched up his fellow presenter with double-entendres that render them speechless! Yes, they will include the infamous ‘Leg Over’ recording!

Can you give a bit of background? How did these two come together for the show? And why these two?

Jonathan had already been doing shows with [now Sir] Geoffrey Boycott that had been very successful. We had branched out to use other co-commentators including Sunil Gavaskar and Graeme Swann. Tuffers was an obvious choice. He and Jonathan have great chemistry on-air and Jonathan put it to Tuffers that he might like to try out a few shows to see how they went.

Tuffers was very keen and immediately warmed to the experience, so much so that it is now one of the parts of his work that he looks forward to and enjoys the most.

Why is this going to be a great show to see?

The great thing about these two is that you don’t have to be a cricket fan to enjoy the evening. Although it is great for the cricket enthusiast, giving insight into aspects of the game and a peek behind the dressing room and commentators door, the stories are so good and the personalities so engaging, that people who know nothing about the game have a wonderful time.

We have had many an audience member tell us that they never watch cricket and only came along to keep the partner company, but that they had a thoroughly enjoyable evening and would recommend it to friends who were similarly in the dark about the game!

Do they have new material for these three shows or will it be the same as before?

There will be new material but some old stories and clips are things audience members want to see or hear – a bit like playing your biggest hits.

Do they do the show off the cuff or rehearse?

They do not rehearse. There is a kind of format they follow, but if something else comes to mind, Tuffers may amble down a different story lane and Jonathan will gently nudge back to the path when he is ready!

What’s the on-stage chemistry like with these two? Do they have a sort of natural rapport?

They do have a natural rapport. They have known each other for years and are good friends. Tuffers trusts Jonathan and that makes him very relaxed on stage. Jonathan genuinely finds Tuffers funny and this warm friendship and mutual respect are very evident on these evenings.

Phil Tufnell says” “I just really love not having the pressure of a TV camera or confines of a studio and just letting myself get carried away with the live audience and freedom to roam around the stage doing my various impersonations etc.

“There is a real freedom to go down whichever avenue, hopefully not too many cul de sacs, and explore some stories that might not come out in the usual speaking engagements I do.

“And Aggers is the master really. He makes it so easy for me by making sure I am kept on the right line and focused. He can remember things better than I can sometimes and I was the one playing! We get on really well and think that this comes across clearly on the stage. He’s a top bloke!

“I love the live audience. It suits me just fine. Obviously, you look out and see that people expect great things so that can be a little daunting… but then I actually like performing so I think… bring it on!

“If I can play cricket in front of 90,000 baying Aussies and can stand at the top of the steps before doing the Rumba on Strictly then I reckon I should be able to cope with a few hundred in the theatre.

“The audience can look forward to a ‘lorra, lorra laughs’ [Cilla impression]… I hope so anyway. They’ll be some cricket, some Strictly, a bit of I’m a Celebrity… and really just a lot of funny stories about what Jonathan and I have witnessed over the years.

“There will be some serious stuff as well re the cricket… after all, I was a serious player once. Well I think I managed to be serious – at least once!”

Jonathan Agnew added: “Theatre is the most relaxed and convivial environment I work in. The audience is there because they have chosen to be and I love the live interaction. On the radio, you can come out with what you think is the funniest line, and get no reaction whatsoever. In the theatre, you have warm laughter and I love it.

“Philip has a reputation for being rather unpredictable, however in my experience, he is anything but! He can wander a bit off-piste during a show, but that only adds to the fun.

“The audience can look forward to lots of laughter, which is often the result of Phil’s on-stage antics. If anyone is worried that this is a show for cricket lovers only, I can assure them that is not the case.”

An Evening With Aggers and Tuffers will be at G Live on Monday, October 7 2019.

For more information go to www.simonfielder.com or contact Dani Maimone on aimhighpr@gmail.com 07887 525505.