12 months into their Potters journeys, these two have developed the sort of chemistry that makes guests feel like they’re watching best mates in the pub. Just with better lighting.
There are comedy duos, musical duos, and double acts you can’t imagine apart like Ant & Dec. And then, there’s Joseph Bicknell and Ben Northwood of Five Lakes fame.
Their introductions to Potters couldn’t have been more different. Ben remembers his first day vividly: “The day I had my interview, Dan Jones (Head of Entertainment at Five Lakes) had just started in his new role. The chat went well, and suddenly I was watching the Christmas show dress run. Then I had an interview for the magazine, and then shot a video for Facebook. That was before anyone told me I had the job!
“Within weeks I was in Simply, then Spotlight. Only then did I think, ‘Okay, I feel like I’m in now’.”
Joseph’s entry was, in his words, “the complete opposite.” He’d interviewed months before, but just when he thought “that ship had sailed” he suddenly got the call while managing at Haven. “I handed in my notice, packed my bags, moved three hours across the country… and here I am. As for Ben, he just kinda rocked up one day and started the next!”
Two very different starts, one partnership in the making.
Joseph (left and Ben’s (right) Garden Bar sets have become a thing of legendA First Year Like No Other
“It’s gone so quickly,” Ben reflects. “We keep saying it doesn’t feel like a year. Every season’s busy, and the past six months have been mad.”
Joseph nods: “For us, it’s been interesting because Ben was a performer learning to be an entertainer, and I was an entertainer learning to be a performer. We’ve basically taught each other along the way.”
It’s that yin and yang that seems to work for Ben and Joseph, exemplified by a music set in the Garden Bar. With Ben singing Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, Joseph jumped in with nonsense lyrics.
“That was probably the point we realised we liked being on stage together, and it escalated from there,” Ben says.
It certainly has. Five minute fillers gave Ben and Joseph their outlet for silly gags, from fishnet tights to ‘Strictly Ballroom’ pants. Those fillers became ‘a thing’ in themselves, before pre-show entertainment and full-blown sets were planned.
“Suddenly, we were writing things together,” Ben says. “All those jokes and songs turned into its own late night show.” For Joseph, “that Garden Bar set is some of the most fun I’ve had. We’re still learning from each other, so Ben makes jokes, I sing a few numbers — we’ve found a happy medium.”
Creative Freedom
While settling in, ideas for sketches or sets were often pitched. “We didn’t want to be pigeon-holed as a duo, but it became more and more obvious that we worked really well together. It was like an unstoppable force! Dan even suggested we have a logo,” Ben recalls.
And, after writing the pre-show for The Cabaret Club, things changed. “We are given a lot of rope to just be us. If it gets good feedback, we keep it,” Joseph says. “We’re lucky to have that trust. Not just us, but the whole team. That’s where all the best bits come from.”
That said, writing for The Cabaret Club was not an instant winner, as Ben explains: “We thought it was going to be the funniest thing ever, but it missed the mark,” he admits. “I remember one night we just decided to all sit down and agree we needed to stop asking each other if things are funny, and start asking if they’re entertaining. That was quite a pivotal moment for us all because, as a guest, you just remember the laughter — not the jokes. So we rewrote, refined, and that Cabaret pre-show is now one of our highlights of every break — we just have so much fun performing it.”
With Alice Molnar in The Cabaret ClubStrengths (and Little Legs)
Even when Ben is performing solo, Joseph has likely played a hand in it. “He’s a great host, reads an audience brilliantly, but what people don’t know is how creative he is. When I talked about doing some Robbie Williams songs, he built the visuals and audio to turn a simple set into a proper pre-show production. While it’s me singing, he’s always helping.”
Joseph returns the favour: “Ben’s patience dealing with me is one strength! And his voice is another. We try to use it as much as possible. But what I love is his constant drive to refine everything — new songs, better jokes. You’d be surprised how much time we spend debating whether facing the audience left or right makes a punchline land harder.”
Then there’s the infamous nickname — ’Little Legs’. Ben sighs: “I’ve got a 27” inside leg — it’s not that short!” However, the name stuck after a Facebook post was misread. “I think the name was intended for Alice (Molnar, Entertainer), but with a stray comma ‘Alice Little Legs’ became ‘Little Legs Ben’. Now it’s official. It’s on my name badge, and guests come up saying, ‘We’ve heard of you from Hopton!’.”
Ben and Joseph with Aaron Bolton and Chloe Rose Taplin in Simply the Best at Five LakesBest Mates, On and Off Stage
Ben and Joseph’s stage and creative chemistry is no fluke. What makes it work is that they’re genuinely friends. Joseph says: “That’s the difference. We’re like best mates outside of work, so when we come to work, it’s like two friends messing about. Nothing is ever the same when we’re on stage together. We love that, and the audience feels that.”
Ben adds: “We actually considered coming for this chat pretending we hated each other! But guests can tell we’re real mates. When we’re doing things together on the programme, we genuinely get excited.”
That friendship includes cinema trips (Joseph buys the tickets, Ben buys the popcorn), football banter (Joseph supports Arsenal, while Ben supports Chelsea), and a few petty irritations.
“Joseph mispronounces words on purpose,” Ben groans. “And he tells people I live in the Tiptree Jam Factory.”
Joseph instantly fires back: “He’s vertically challenged, has a massive ego, and stops me from going on rollercoasters because of height restrictions.”
Yet throughout our chat they laugh, and constantly finish each other’s sentences — and multiple times after a lengthy to and fro, they ask “what was the question again?”
One year in, Ben & Joseph have become just one of the highlights of entertainment at Five Lakes — part compére, part comedy act, part accidental married couple. They’ve found a rhythm that makes their shows unpredictable, hilarious, and rooted in genuine friendship.
And one thing is for sure — they’re just getting started.
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