Pam Ford is a regular at the Edinburgh Festival, and this years show is an up date of how she has used her 'transferrable skills' as the job centre puts its, so that she can continue to perform her stand up comedy at night and work in a Care home during the day, Pam creates stimulating and entertaining activity session for our older generation, a tough crowd at times. But along the way she has met some very interesting characters, not so sweet little old ladies and gentlemen after all. Pam's 'oldies' love her but the management aren't too sure about her? 24 and counting, is it 24 hours, days weeks or Years, no spoilers here you'll have to come and see.

August 22, 2022    The Scotsman

Pam Ford is a force of nature. And, as we learn, a force of nurture. She works, when not making rooms rock with laughter, as an activities coordinator in a carehome, and her warm, wonderful hour is filled with fascinating characters sharing the kind of incredible life stories you only discover when you give people time and respect. There are so many layers to this sweet’n’sour Pavlova of a show, and each one is moreish. We meet Frank, who actually SAW the Beatles’ rooftop concert; Penny, who, Pam learns, worked at Bletchley Park; Joanne, obsessed with The Chase and in love with Paul Sinha; and Charlie the ex-cabbie who drove the Princess of Wales. We even meet a chap who played trombone with Louis Armstrong. All fake names and absolutely true stories. We are, as a room, entertained, delighted, amazed and more than a little in love with this exuberant Aussie, so when she takes us through lockdown and loss, foodbanks and debts, the words carry an emotional punch that would knock out any Dead Dad show. You have to have your whole audience with you for this level of deeply personal material to work. Pam has, and it does. We forgive her for having dreadful taste in men and do not even mind being pressed into some (seated) Move It or Lose It exercises.

But she’s not done with us yet. Listening to her talk about the appallingly underpaid and overworked Health Care Assistants is a work-out for your angry bits, and Pam’s. By the time she’s jumping out of a plane strapped to friendly instructor we are all applauding. This is an extraordinary hour of searing honesty, huge laughs and fascinating characters, some of whom work 12-hour shifts for 9.75 an hour. Kate Copstick