24 May 2009 - 28 May 2009

 

Sponsored by Jennings Cumberland Ale & West Lakes Renaissance* 
*supported by the North West Development Agency

2008 Festival of Fools

Will Tease from Hebden Bridge was crowned the new Fool of Muncaster at the end of this year’s International Jester Tournament where his fellow competitors included two Blue Peter presenters, an American comic, a former English Heritage jester and a comedy plate spinner.

 He won over the judges with a performance that included juggling on top of a stack of milk crates.

 Will Tease said: “It’s fantastic to be stepping in the footsteps of the great Tom Fool.  This means that after many years of hard work I am a real jester.”

 Blue Peter presenter Helen Skelton tried her hand at escapology which takes a lot of physical energy to pull off.   She was followed onto the stage by fellow presenter Joel De Fries who jumped through a flaming hoop.  The two Blue Peter presenters were trained by former Muncaster Fools Jem Famous and AJ James.

 Tom Fool’s real name was Thomas Skelton, so Helen could even be descended from Muncaster Castle’s famous former jester.

 Helen said: “I may well be descended from Thomas Skelton but I was genuinely nervous today.  We’d only had a day or two of training and I thought it would be really easy to look like an idiot rather than a Fool.  But it’s been really good fun, a really good giggle.”

 Peter Frost Pennington, whose family have lived at Muncaster for more than 800 years, said: “There were eight great competitors but Will Tease had a great rapport with the audience and will be an excellent Fool of Muncaster.  He is another very worthy successor to the great Tom Fool himself.

 “Helen and Joel were very brave to go up against six very experienced performers but they both did an amazing job as people will see when they watch the programme.  Jem and AJ did really well to help them get ready for the big day.”

 Will Tease will hold the title Fool of Muncaster for the next year and have his name carved in a replica of Tom Fool’s hat made from wood, as well as receiving a salary of a crate of Jennings Cumberland Ale every month.

 The International Jester Tournament was the finale of the Festival of Fools which is sponsored by Jennings Cumberland Ale and West Lakes Renaissance.

 West Lakes Renaissance - the urban regeneration company for Furness and West Cumbria supports events that celebrate the area's culture and attract visitors - helping to bring money into the local economy and create new opportunities for local people to develop skills and job prospects in the cultural sector.