Richard Herring

Widely regarded as ‘The King of Edinburgh’ Richard has decided not to go to the Fringe this year; instead he’s taken the bold and very ambitious move of relearning and performing 12 of his critically acclaimed solo stand-up shows. What could possibly go wrong?

The Headmaster’s Son
Originally performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2008

What’s worse than being a podgy, swotty, virginal schoolboy?

What if your dad’s the headmaster too?

In 1981 at the Kings of Wessex Upper School in Cheddar in Somerset, this was the nightmare reality for Richard Herring, son of TK “ The Kipper” Herring. How on earth did he cope? And what are the psychological repercussions on his adult life, after a childhood filled with the suspicion and mistrust of his peers. Herring dusts off his old diaries, rekindles memories that might best have been left forgotten and picks the scabs off of wounds that he thought had healed to discover if he can, as he hopes, blame his upbringing for his adult failures.