The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Ray signing for the deaf is show winner
When Scottish comedian Ray Bradshaw was just six years old, he was in charge of phoning the bank for his parents – who are both deaf.
Ahead of his gig in Perth, Ray spoke to The Courier about being a child of deaf adults (Coda), why he performs all his shows in sign language, and how his upbringing got him to where he is today.
Growing up with deaf parents gave Ray experiences as a child others did not have – and is one of the main things that got him into comedy.
Ray, who recently gigged with comedian John Bishop, says: “I’ve done stand-up for around 14 years, but it was only more recently I realised about the massive gap in accessibility.
“So, I started doing shows in sign language and have done for the past six years. The show was far and away the most enjoyable, successful thing I’ve ever done.
“I don’t think I’d do what I do today without the upbringing I had. When I was six or seven, I would phone the bank for my mum and dad.
“I’d interpret in certain situations when I was a kid.
“So, speaking in front of people has never phased me.
“I remember at school when people would be really scared of doing talks, I found that mind-blowing but it was so natural to me.
“Also, when you grow up with parents with a disability, you learn empathy straight away because you see some people treat others a way you’d never want to be treated.
“I remember being about seven in the playground and signing to one of my mates. They had no idea what I was doing.
“I thought they were an idiot because you don’t realise how weird your family are until you get a bit older. Everyone’s the same – everyone’s upbringing is so unique to them.”
Ray is bringing his new show, Deaf Com 1, to Perth next year, which will be performed in both English and British Sign Language (BSL).
He says: “My main memories of Perth are watching Partick Thistle lose at Mcdiarmid Park repeatedly and being absolutely freezing the whole time.
“It’s a fun city. “One of the most enjoyable things about my show is when I do it in sign language or have a sign language interpreter, I see people in the audience who look like my family.
“When I was growing up, we never went to the theatre, we rarely went to the cinema.
“If my mum and dad came, you’d hope there were captions, otherwise they’d be staring at a screen for a couple of hours trying to lip read.
“So, the fact I can see a Coda bringing their whole family out to my show means so much.”
“I didn’t want it to be a gimmick.”