By Fiona Musgrove.
Rufus sent a second message, “It was a top night, I saw Chris on telly before but never saw him live. He’s hilarious, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to hear anything by Ed Sheeran without thinking of him again LOL.”
On Friday, 15th May, 54 Eye Matter members and volunteers enjoyed a night with Chris McCausland’s Yonks! Stand Up Comedy Tour at the prestigious London Palladium.
Irena wrote, “The comedy stand-up with Chris was so good I cried with laughter. His easy delivery, storytelling and natural sense of humour is unique and engaging. He is not trying hard to make people laugh; it’s just effortless. He is naturally very funny. The story of his visit to the doctor is still making me laugh when I think of it. Loved it, can’t wait to see him again. Thank you, Suzie, as always, for organising the outing. Love Eye Matter”
Ruth C added, “Thank you so much for organising the Chris McCausland event. It was such a fun evening!”
Chris was born in Liverpool (1977), where he was later diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa. In his autobiography, ’Keep Laughing’ (available from RNIB Reading Services and will be our next featured book in Bookworms), he explains the rather unusual reason for his move down to London, employment prospects with sight-loss and having a natural talent to make people laugh. This was certainly evident all around me on Friday evening, and the many appreciative reviews we received in the following days.
Rufus messaged us shortly after the performance, “Me, Nicky, and Bibs have just walked in the door about half an hour ago. Was a top night tonight at Chris McCausland, cheers Suzie and co. for organising it. We should definitely do something similar again soon.”
Suzie, Rachel, and Fiona were excited to meet Chris prior to the show, writing to Chris and his manager, Suzie said, “Firstly, Jacob, I just wanted to say a huge thank you for being so lovely, thoughtful, and incredibly helpful throughout. You’ve clearly had excellent sighted guiding training, and you truly went above and beyond to help get us on stage so smoothly and comfortably. Your kindness was really appreciated.
It was also absolutely brilliant to meet Chris – please do pass on our thanks to him for so generously giving his time. Throughout our meeting, and during the absolutely phenomenal show, he came across as completely relaxed, fully prepared, and effortlessly hilarious.”
Chris’s first venture into Stand Up occurred when he entered a New Act comedy night above a pub in Balham (July 2003) and hasn’t looked back since (excuse the pun). However, it was in 2024 when he became a household name by winning a series of BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing,
One volunteer (sighted guide) added,” A 5-star 
Night Volunteering at the Palladium! Had the best night volunteering as a sighted guide for Eye Matter to see Chris McCausland live at the London Palladium! It was such a rewarding and fun evening. I was paired up with Rikki, and we had a brilliant time chatting away and speaking Spanish together, while Marc was paired with Fiona. Chris McCausland was hilarious, and it was fantastic to share the experience with such an excellent group of people. Eye Matter is a wonderful charity, and I absolutely can’t wait for my next trip out with them!”
About the show, Rikki said, “We all met at Oxford Circus tube station and walked the short distance to the Palladium. I had never been to this theatre before, but had seen many Royal Variety Performances broadcast live from there on TV as a child.
I thought Chris McCausland was very funny, as I had expected, having attended a recording of his BBC Radio 4 show, You Ain’t Heard Nothing Yet. Some of his material was quite rude, but I was not at all offended by it.
I must thank Natasha, the lovely volunteer with whom I was paired, as she guided me as excellently as she had the first time I met her last year. I really enjoyed this excellent evening out with Eye Matter and must thank Suzie very much for organising it.”
This was our largest group event, and a huge thanks to everyone at the Palladium, our volunteers and the TFL staff across the whole network, who ensured we all returned home safely.