Celebrating forty years in showbiz, John Shuttleworth flew into Nottingham on his Yamaha organ and wowed audiences. But what is an oof? And is it true that there is more to Mr Shuttleworth than his mild-mannered personality suggests...
Where can we begin with John Shuttleworth, the Sheffield superstar, currently on his fortieth anniversary tour, Raise the Oof? And what is an ‘oof anyway? Well, who knows, but John walks onto a bare stage with nothing but his aging electric Yamaha for company. He then conjures up ninety minutes of jokes and tunes that had the Playhouse crowd in stitches.
One of John’s many accomplishments is songwriting and he treated us to songs from his newly-released album, The Pumice Stone and Other Rock Songs, as well as plenty from his back catalogue. This included perhaps his greatest hit Incident on the Snake Pass, in which he fishes a plastic toy snake from the seemingly bottomless pockets in his brown leather jacket. A visual stimuli, he explains, as he rattles the snake and tickles the ivories at the same time. Talk about versatility!
His oeuvre as a lyricist is to cast a magnifying glass over the microcosm of the mundane, the everyday life of a northern household. We get songs about curtains, savoury meat pies, kettles and, with a rare delve into depth, nans.
In-between these peerless compositions, we get snatches of the great man’s life himself. His tribulations with neighbour and agent, Ken Worthington, his longsuffering wife Mary, and the highs and lows of his illustrious career in showbiz.
Some naysayers even go as far as to suggest John Shuttleworth is not all he seems
Now, Mr Shuttleworth is not without his critics. There are those that dare to suggest he is a tragi-comic figure with an almost pathological lack of self-awareness. That there is a yawing gap as wide as the Watford Gap between his musical talent and his aspirations to pop stardom. Some naysayers even go as far as to suggest John Shuttleworth is not all he seems, and is really an alter ego made up by actor and situationist Graham Fellows. Those old enough to remember the days when Bounty Bars came in cardboard strips (John surely does) will also recall Mr Fellows’ early attempts at notoriety by masquerading as lovelorn punk rocker Jilted John.
To suggest that scratching the stage makeup off John Shuttleworth would reveal Graham Fellows underneath is a heinous lie. Just look at Shuttleworth’s never-ending facial tics, mannerisms, clicks and wide-eyed gazes. Nothing like Graham Fellows’ handsome and well-coiffured visage. No, these are clearly two different men, so pay no attention to the vile rumours otherwise.
Instead, sit back, relax and enjoy Shuttleworth’s ruminations and compositions. The audience at the Playhouse certainly did. And every one of them left the auditorium with a grin on their faces and a spring in their step.
John Shuttleworth’s Raise the Oof played at the Nottingham Playhouse on Saturday October 4th 2025.
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