Ryo, from Japan, started his journey with us in April 2012 at pre-intermediate/intermediate level. Now at upper-intermediate/advanced level he has the confidence to pursue stand-up comedy (in Japanese and English) and he is hoping to return to the UK in the future as a comedian. Next week we will bid him a very sad farewell. What he has achieved in the last 45 weeks is a reflection of hard work, wonderful character and good humour.

Over 30 students and staff at BSC Oxford turned out to see Ryo’s performance on Thursday night. “Open mic night” at a typical English pub is how Japanese student Ryo Konishi envisaged his debut, doing stand-up comedy. There were a few technical hitches at the start but once the amp and microphone were set up, Ryo took to his own VIP stage like a ‘duck to water’. His comedy style was likened to that of British comedian Peter Kay who observes social realistic documentary. Everyone who came to support him had a good evening.

We wish Ryo the very best for the future and hope to see him on the stage in the UK and Japan sometime soon.