‘A Healthy Dose of Humour’ is a night of wellbeing and laughter brought to you by Healthwatch Essex’s Fellas’ Fair in partnership with Lost Sock Productions and Harlow Playhouse on Wednesday 18th March 2026.
The evening combines informative guest speakers with live professional stand-up comedy, creating a relaxed and engaging way to explore topics around health and wellbeing. You’ll have the opportunity to speak to stalls covering a range of topics relevant to men’s health, community wellbeing and mental health.
Lived Experience
Before the comedy begins, guests will hear from speakers sharing their lived experiences and answering your questions. Our guest speakers include:
Chris Gilham – Discussing Addiction and ADHD
Chris first shared his experiences with gambling addiction with us in our Addiction project as the face of our poster campaign and one of our earliest podcast guests. He’s gone on to be an ambassador and a member of our Colchester Fellas’ Forum. Chris is the co-founder of Gambling Harm UK.
Steve Lawson – Discussing Addiction
Steve is a Community Researcher at Essex Recovery Foundation. He’ll be sharing his journey of recovering from addiction.
Chris and Steve will be joined on the night by specialists in a panel discussion about men’s health.
Comedy
The comedy section will feature professional comedians from the UK stand-up circuit, delivering an entertaining and high-energy finale to the evening. We’re delighted to welcome back two comedians who joined us for our first comedy night back in 2024, Stefano Paolini and Mike Gunn!
Stefano Paolini
A Britain’s Got Talent 2022 semi-finalist, Stefano Paolini is a British-Italian stand-up comedian known for his remarkable repertoire of voices, impressions, characters and beatboxing. Described as the “best voice merchant on the circuit” (London Evening Standard), Stefano has over 20 years’ experience on the comedy circuit. His solo show Britalian was performed at the Edinburgh Festival and later sold out theatres in Italy.
Mike Gunn
As seen on Live at the Apollo (BBC) and Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow (BBC), Mike Gunn has been described as “one of the 10 leading stand-ups in Britain” (Independent on Sunday). A self-confessed pessimist with a sharp, cynical outlook, Mike has a rare ability to push boundaries while remaining warm, likeable and hugely funny. He has supported Jo Brand, Alan Davies and Lee Mack on major UK tours and now headlines at top comedy venues nationwide.
Sit back, listen, learn and laugh with us for a night that brings people together through humour and conversation.
Get your free ticket here – https://playhouseharlow-tickets.harlowplayhouse.co.uk/ticketbooth/shows/873661692
Join us from 6.30pm for networking. Doors to the auditorium will open at 7pm and the speakers will begin at 7.30pm. Acts subject to change. 18+ only.