This week, Signature reached out to Gavin Lilley, who has immense experience as a teacher and assessor of BSL. Gavin has used his range of sign languages to express himself through comedy. Gavin shared with us more about his passion for comedy and also commented on the importance of a BSL GCSE.
Be sure to carry on reading for more about Gavin…
- Hi, first, could you introduce yourself to our weekly Signature readers.
Hi, I’m Gavin and I am from a multigenerational deaf family and have worked in the field of sign language teaching and assessing for many years. I also deliver CPD workshops on a range of topics and I am currently a trainee translator and do stand-up comedy, as I like to have variation in my job. It has taken me all over Europe and the UK and I am grateful for the opportunities. I have also been able to meet so many amazing people. I have three amazing children and my Estonian partner, Kristiina has been my rock throughout.
- Can you expand on your experiences of growing up as a deaf child in a hearing world.
Within my household, everything was normal- we used BSL every day, my deaf parents and my two hearing sisters. It was only when I left the house, I faced the challenge of trying to assert my place in society. I often felt side lined and isolated at college and had struggles with my identity as a teenager, “wanting to be like everyone else”. This all changed when I started going out and socialising with the deaf community and went to university. I never really spent much time amongst hearing people as it was better to mingle with others I could fully understand.
- How did you get into stand-up comedy?
I have always been the class clown and in the family- I used to tell jokes to my classmates and pull a lot of pranks at school, which got me into a bit of trouble as you can imagine. I always enjoyed watching stand-up comedians on television and I didn’t really give much thought to it until I saw John Smith perform in Liverpool. This gave me the initiative to go on the stage and share my stories. It was at St John’s deaf club where I was invited to be part of a variety show and tell jokes. Following the success of that night, I started doing gigs at clubs and festivals all the over country and in Europe, like a snowball effect. One thing led to another and sometimes I do look back and get bewildered as to how I got here.
- Can you tell us more about your recent crossover with comedian John Bishop.
John Bishop is an amazing guy- he started learning BSL due to his son becoming deaf. He was involved in an ITV project based on this experience, with the added incentive to try and dostand up gig in BSL. I was asked to give him advice for this particular area, which he took very well and the actual gig itself was a success. Since then, we have worked together a few time, bringing more visibility to BSL into the world of stand-up comedy. It is a very challenging journey but that is part of the fun. I look forward to continuing working with him.
- How has comedy allowed you to express yourself?
It is marvellous way to be able to share the amazing stories that we deaf people have and experience. There are so many funny things from our culture that I have the privilege of sharing with the mainstream society. As a teacher also I have the added benefit of being able to educate people about our world, from a funny perspective. This does break down misconceptions and give people a more relaxed approach towards deaf people and sign language- we are able to laugh at ourselves and that’s a good way of expressing myself.
- can you expand on the importance of the Cadbury’s Finger’s campaign?
The campaign is an important one, as it brings visibility to BSL and encourages learning. The great combination of learning BSL and eating chocolate gives it a positive feel to it. I was fortunate enough to be asked to participate in this campaign in my role as a sign language consultant, to teach footballers some BSL. The amazing coverage is evident in itself, and I am sure thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of people all over the country have learnt some signs from this campaign which could be a starting point for further study of our beautiful language and spread awareness.
- Why is having a BSL GCSE so important for both hearing and deaf students?
This is something that is well overdue. BSL has been around for so long, it’s lovely to see that it’s finally becoming part of the national curriculum. Aside from the obvious, that it will teach people a new language and spread awareness, it would certainly form new friendships and relationships that otherwise wouldn’t exist between deaf and hearing people. Deaf people ourselves don’t really have any formal training in BSL until much later in life, resulting in varied levels of competence. The cumulative effects resulting from this remain to be seen but the outlook is very good indeed. It is imperative that the courses are delivered by skilled and qualified BSL teachers, a number I would like to see grow.
- Finally, do you have any further goals or aspirations that you would like to achieve?
I would like to see more inclusivity and BSL get the status it deserves in a wider society. I would like to finish my RSLT training that I have been putting off for far too long. Additionally, I have quite a few projects in the pipeline that I would like to see become a reality. I do have my eyes on the Hammersmith Apollo. Who knows?
Here at Signature, we would like to thank Gavin for taking time out of his BSL teaching and stand-up comedy to share more about his journey towards success. It was also great to learn more about his views on the introduction of a BSL GCSE, something that will benefit both deaf and hearing people. We cannot wait to bridge this gap.
