The Full English

Ever wondered where the word hoo-ha comes from? Why there ain’t no party like a double negative party? And why bead doesn’t rhyme with bread, machine doesn’t rhyme with nine, and don’t get me started on yearly and early? From gangs of gung-ho Anglo-Saxons and smelly Vikings to Covidiots and Instagram influencers, from enormous vowel movements to katsu curries self-isolating in the Twitterverse, this one-woman show by poet, spoken word artist, former ‘A’ level English lecturer and all-round linguistics nerd, Melanie Branton, explores the fascinating history of the English language through the media of performance poetry, silly hats and dad jokes. Melanie Branton has performed at festivals including Womad, Shindig and Valleyfest, as well as at spoken word nights the length and breadth of the country. She has also represented Bristol at three national slam finals. Her published collections are The Full English (2023), Can You See Where I’m Coming From? (Burning Eye, 2018) and My Cloth-Eared Heart (Oversteps, 2017). “Another triumph….nourishingly decadent…Remember the name Melanie Branton. If you get the opportunity to see her, please do. She’s bostin bab!” Wolverhampton Express and Star “Energetic and kinetic, she has the enthusiasm of Joyce Grenfell, the forthright incisiveness of Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the wit of John Hegley and the surreal, prop-rich creativity of Simon Munnery…Funny, informative and clever, The Full English will appeal to pretty much everyone who uses words and likes to laugh.” The Reviews Hub PRAISE FOR MELANIE’S PREVIOUS WORK: “Quite brilliant - Melanie Branton's ability to conjure light from the darkness, comedy among the tragedy, and a magical absurdity out of the everyday." Brian Bilston, the Poet Laureate of Twitter