By Emily Fraser
Not all environmental activists stand on a protest line – some of them stand in front of a school class.
Vale of Leven Academy hero Stephen Halkett mixes all his favourite elements for his latest experiment, a kids’ comedy show on fighting climate change.
In ‘Save The Planet’, he demonstrates an important hypothesis: your audience will listen and learn, when you make ‘em laugh.
I must declare my bias here. Mr. Halkett, originally from Clydebank, was a legend back when I was a VOLA pupil – everyone remembers him as “sound” and a great teacher, that’s no mean feat.
I was lucky to attend two of his comedy shows at The Stand in Glasgow, one for kids and one for the grownups, afterwards we chatted about the method to his creative ‘madness’.
Physics teaching was a logical choice for a young Stephen, between his teachers in fourth year picking up on his natural questioning of Newton’s Laws and telling him, “you’re a physicist” and the discovery, made as a member of the Boys Brigade, that he likes speaking in public.
So, armed with a dual BSc in Physics & Mathematics from Strathclyde Uni and fresh from Jordanhill College he launched into the profession at the Vale Academy. Interestingly, beginning with the Maths department.
“Every teacher is a performer. You are up there, performing. And teachers can bring comedy into class, it gets pupils’ attention.”
He still teaches in the lab every week, but Mr. Halkett is now Principal Teacher of Pastoral Care in Fleming House, with 150 pupils under his wing.
It sounds like a relentlessly busy role with a lot of responsibilities – offering one-to-one support for young people, being the contact for parents and other agencies, delivering Personal, Social & Health Education (PSHE), to name just a few.
“I’m there to help every pupil feel happy, confident and comfortable at school, so they have the chance to do their best work. And we have a huge drive to make sure each individual leaving VOLA is heading towards a suitable positive destination.”
Stephen was switched on to comedy as a hobby after getting loads of compliments for his humorous ‘Best Man’ speeches at his brother’s and his best friend’s weddings, so he studied ‘Introduction to Stand-Up Comedy’ with Charlie Ross, (finalist of the Scottish Comedian of the Year 2010) and performed in the ‘end of course’ show at Maggie May’s in Glasgow.
A good reception there amplified his confidence.
Later, he joined an advanced training in stand-up comedy skills led by international comic Viv Gee at his alma mater Strathclyde’s Centre for Lifelong Learning, and has run with every opportunity to boost his talent since then.
“I asked Viv for a shot at hosting, and she let me compère the graduation gig of my comedy class [sharing the stage with a now-famous classmate, professional comedian Susie McCabe, among many others].
“My compèring went down really well, and I’ve got Viv Gee to thank for introducing me to the world of stand-up. We stayed friends and she’s such a supportive mentor.”
Stephen’s grown-up set is very funny, reflecting on his day job with a Weegie school teacher’s point of view and recounting hilarious (fictionalised) interactions in science class, before branching out to other topics. People around me seemed to love that.
Now we’re adults – well aware that jobs and kids are stressful and ridiculous at times – it’s comical hearing inside a teacher’s mind, you see them in a new light.
From beginners’ open mics and traveling to Edinburgh for a five-minute spot at the Beehive Inn, to earning longer time slots at The Stand and playing comedy festivals around the country, Stephen has been honing the grown-up material alongside becoming a successful MC.
“I love DJ’ing young people’s events where I can add the fun factor – sports days, awards nights, proms, fundraisers. And when the Primary kids get to visit ‘the big school’ for the first time, I meet them as magical ‘Professor Heisenhoff’ and engage with a bit of science lab wizardry, spells and potions.
“It sparks curiosity and helps put them at ease (well, except for that one kid who cried thinking I was a real, scary wizard).
“Then one year I watched a Comedy Club for Kids show at the Edinburgh Fringe and thought, I could maybe do something like that, so I started writing ‘Save the Planet’ which took off from there.”
Watching the show, my partner and I had a great laugh and noticed parents enjoying ‘class’ just as much as their kids.
Games, prizes, dancing to music and jokes about ‘bottom burps’ go down well no matter how old you get, we’re all big kids at heart and Stephen knows that better than most.
It’s scary talking about climate change and what to do about it, especially for kids, but it’s too important not to and he managed to get the message across with humour and crucially, with hope.
‘The Professor’ is now a household name on the kids’ comedy circuit – hosting annual Christmas and Halloween shows at the Stand, being a regular booking with Comedy Club for Kids, and performing his own show at venues like Glasgow’s Tall Ship.
But Mr. Halkett still has more aims and objectives. For example, to headline and host at the Stand’s grown-up comedy shows, and who knows, perhaps – by popular demand – a Rikki Fulton tribute act? He’s often had the compliment that they look alike.
“It’s a bit of a phenomenon, teachers becoming stand-up comedians… There’s a lot of us. Any colleagues with a funny bone should give it a go. Not only is it a release from the day job, you’ll find yourself taking valuable skills, like confidence and public speaking, back to help your pupils.”
For Stephen, appropriately, life is like Newton’s first law. Here’s someone who stays constantly in motion – literally and metaphorically – and I feel like no external force will stop him.
Whether moving pupils to enjoy school and thrive, or moving comedy audiences of all ages to use their science brain, he’s fuelled by fun and passion.
Stephen’s energy has enabled him to combine his two worlds, in his unique method, producing impressive results and ultimately adding more power to what should be our shared mission: to Save the Planet.
Look out for Stephen in these places –
MC of Run Loch Lomond (10k & 5k) 2025, Moss o’ Balloch, on 21st June from 9.30am (Facebook)
www.thestand.co.uk/whats-on/glasgow
www.comedyclub4kids.co.uk
www.thetallship.com/your-visit/what-s-on-events
www.edfringe.com
www.glasgowcomedyfestival.com
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