Unique Upbringing Inspires Comedy
When Ray Bradshaw was growing up, he never considered it unusual that he could hear while his parents were deaf.
"You don't realise how unique your upbringing is, until you get older and speak to other people - you assume everyone is like you,"
said the comedian, who has been one of Scotland's leading stand-ups for the past 16 years.
As a child, Ray was referred to a speech therapist to assist him with hearing spoken words, a process he regarded as a normal part of life.
Over time, he became more aware of the challenges faced by deaf individuals and their families, using his personal experiences as inspiration for his new show, Coda.
The Glaswegian comedian has incorporated a sign language interpreter onstage at his performances for several years.
"I was in Bradford for a show once, and went out to the lobby afterwards for pictures with people there,"
"There was a family - two deaf grandparents, two hearing kids and three hearing grandkids - and the gran said to me 'this is the first time we've all gone to the theatre together'.
"That's class, being able to do that."
Radio in Bedroom
Coda, which Ray is touring across the country, reflects on his upbringing as a child of deaf adults (Coda) and draws on his own life experiences for its content.
Some memories resurfaced only after discussions with his family, including his parents Jill and David and siblings Pamela and Mark.
During these conversations, the difficulties related to hearing spoken words at home were discussed.
"The speech therapist recommended to my parents that I had a radio on in my bedroom every night when I was growing up, so I could hear words and language,"
"I don't remember that at all so I asked my parents about it.
"My mum said they would put the radio on for me - the problem was they had no idea if it was receiving a station or not."
Ray will bring the show to Glasgow's SEC Armadillo this Saturday, where his family will be present.
He expects his parents to enjoy parts of the show and to question why he included certain elements, but he believes the topic is important to explore.
"Growing up with deaf parents is a big part of my identity,"
"It's who I am and it has shaped me a lot. I've always been quite confident, and I think that's partly because from an early age I would be doing things like talking to adults.
"The other night during a show there were a few other Codas in the crowd, and we were all sharing stories about the worst companies or banks to deal with on the phone as a kid."
Breaking Ground in Comedy
At 37, Ray was the first professional comedian to perform a show in both English and sign language.
However, he wanted to establish himself in the comedy scene before incorporating deafness into his material.
"The first six years of my stand-up, I never spoke about my mum and dad being deaf as I didn't want it to feel like a gimmick.
"I wanted to make sure I was good before doing it, so it wasn't until my first big Edinburgh run at the Gilded Balloon that I decided I would have it signed."
Ray first tried stand-up at age 20, a decision he attributes to being "a bit drunk" and deciding to give it a go.
This choice proved successful, as he has become a critically acclaimed touring comedian and a regular on comedy panel shows.
He has also pursued his passion for football, collaborating with the Scotland national team and supporting his beloved Partick Thistle.
When British Comedy Award-winning comedian John Bishop invited Ray to tour with him, including performing to 11,000 people at London's O2 Arena, Ray thanked him by gifting Bishop a Thistle jersey with his name on the back.
World Cup Baby
The dedicated Scotland fan and regular on BBC Scotland's Off the Ball faces a scheduling conflict ahead of this summer's World Cup.
"My second child is due the day of the Scotland and Haiti game,"
"Maybe if the baby comes early I might get to do something for the knockout rounds."
He explained the amusing situation when Scotland qualified:
"It was funny because we knew we were having a baby but we hadn't told anyone at the time Scotland qualified.
"I was having to pretend to my friends I'd be going, and my friends were all wondering why I was being so non-committal about getting flights and tickets."
Ray's son Alex is already following in his father's footsteps as a fan of Partick Thistle and the national team, as well as learning sign language.
"Watching my son interact with my mum and dad, watching him sign to them, is great,"
"They're all thick as thieves communicating, and that's an amazing feeling."
