How did you get into comedy?
I tried to be an actor, but nobody else wanted me to be one. Then I tried standup so “theatre people” could come and see me. Slowly I began to evolve a character that did one-liners, mainly because I was so terrified that I had to get to the bit where people laughed as quickly as possible. It only really took off when I stuck my hair up and started wearing strange shirts and jumpers. (This was supposed to be a signpost that I was coming from leftfield.) This all helped create a world I could begin to write for.
Who did you admire when you were starting out?
I was mostly inspired by comic actors like Rowan Atkinson, Leonard Rossiter and Ronnie Barker. It wasn’t until TV shows like Saturday Live came along and I saw people like Harry Enfield and Rik Mayall that I became inspired to have a go myself. Then I began to watch others on the London cabaret circuit like John Hegley, Sean Hughes and Eddie Izzard.
