The return of comedians to Christchurch a welcome sight after a COVID-enforced hiatus, writes Yr 13 Ethan Hamilton

The Covid-19 Pandemic prevented all international performers from travelling the world on tours. Those unable to travel included music artists, comedians, and events such as the World Buskers' Festival. British-Irish comedian Jimmy Carr returned to New Zealand after his last tour in 2018. On Jan 17th, he performed at Horncastle arena as a part of his "Terribly Funny" New Zealand tour.

Prior to the show, Jimmy tweeted, "I'm in Christchurch and I've managed to fill the arena. Lets see if I can fill it with laughter."

Similar to what happened at Chris Rock's 2022 "Ego Death Tour," people were heckling Jimmy throughout the show. Using quick quips and insults, Jimmy fired back at hecklers, ridiculing them in front of the crowd. Topics included veganism, vaccines, the Covid-19 Pandemic, and the ever-growing cancel culture. However, Jimmy also discussed New Zealand's "egg crisis." With a national shortage of eggs, he offered his solution to the problem to "crack open" National Party leader Christopher Luxon's bald head.

Jimmy also incorporated the 2011 Christchurch earthquakes into his jokes, but fortunately, in a fun way to take a stab at New Zealand's oldest city, Dunedin."I went to Napier, destroyed by an earthquake - rebuilt - beautiful town. I went to Christchurch, destroyed by an earthquake - rebuilt - beautiful town. I'm now in Dunedin. I'll tell you what this town needs."

Jimmy incorporated a new, never-before-seen part to his show, the ability for attendees of his show to text a phone number before the show. These texts went through to Jimmy's crew, who hand-picked some of the finest heckles and jokes, and used his influence to entertain the crowd in a new, fun and inclusive way. The texts did everything from highlight a stag do, shout out a 92-year-old grandma attending, and make jokes that made the crowd laugh.

Following the Covid-19 Pandemic and loss of jobs, seeing comedians coming to Christchurch is a great way to bring happiness and laughter back into the city.