Comedy: john hegley

John Hegley fans may have been disappointed that he didn't overturn the odds and become Poet Laureate, but that won't put off his devoted loyal following. What they like most about our finest comedy poet (left) is the ideas bubbling beneath the jokes about glasses and Luton Town FC. "OK, so it's not Heaney," Hegley concedes, "but there is some weight in my poetry. Comedy is an important part of it, but it's not cheaply won. It's not purely for comedic effect. It's always better if you can say something that is funny and meaningful." He is headlining a bill also featuring the bizarrely wonderful Simon Munnery (The League Against Tedium) and the boisterous Andrew Bailey Islington International Festival, Spiegeltent, Highbury Fields, London (0171-689 0200) tomorrow

James Rampton