And to the ambitious comic, it can mean the difference between national and international success. To the bean-counters at Netflix et al, the appeal of these “specials” is obvious: they are cheap to make compared with sitcoms and films, but they still attract a lot of eyeballs. But there are other providers, notably Amazon Prime Video, iPlayer, and smaller outfits such as NextUp and Go Faster Stripe, which do a fine job of mopping up lesser-known comics and hidden gems. Netflix is our most deep-pocketed and reliable dealer, pumping out no less than 45 original shows in 2019, up from one in 2012. Such is our desire to sit around watching standup in our pyjamas, streaming services can’t get them out fast enough. Watching a comedian’s latest show used to involve waiting for one of about eight comics to release a VHS/DVD or, gulp, leaving the house. The flipside is that if we give them advice that isn't very good, we could really mess them up!Īs told to James Kettle.O h, how you spoil us, the internet. If we can give that kind of useful feedback to one of the Show Me The Funny contestants, great. You should stick with that." I'd have dropped it if he hadn't said that, but within a couple of years it became a mainstay of my act. But you do get the odd nugget I was doing a routine about working in a warehouse, and it wasn't working, but a comic called Bob Boyton said, "I know it didn't get many laughs, but that's interesting stuff. Generally as a stand-up, no one talks to you about your act. In common with all the other judges on Show Me The Funny, I'm not entirely comfortable with judging other comedians. And if you're really funny, then provided you're not punching people when you come off, or stealing people's belongings, then you'll get a gig. It's a different world now, but in the end, you still have your time onstage with the microphone in your hand. Everyone was doing it because they wanted to do comedy. When I started out no one had agents and there weren't millionaires in front of you a few gigs down the road. I remember being in Edinburgh and trying to get 20, 30 people in to see me at midnight – meanwhile Jack Dee's selling out a 600-seater and he says, "Do you want to usher for me? It's the only way you're going to fill a theatre." Don't be scared of the competition You have to be onstage as many nights of the week as you possibly can. Its not something you can dip in and out of: "Oh yeah, I've been trying stand-up." "How many gigs have you done?" "Nine this year." No. I don't think that you can succeed as a stand-up comedian unless you're very focused – I hate that word, focused – on it above all else. ![]() I would frankly pander! And that was the way I got through it. I was never the kind of comic to go onstage to set out my ideas and expect an audience to be challenged by them. Most of the material in my act developed from a relationship with audiences, because I'd go on and tell stories, and how the audience responded to them would dictate how they evolved into routines. The thing to think about if you want to be a comedian is being funny, not being ready to deal with a hostile audience. People very rarely shout out from the audience, and when they do it's normally very easy to deal with, because they're shouting out because they're drunk. ![]() The thing about heckling is that it really isn't the thing to think about. If someone comes up with a belting heckle and you can't top it, the best thing to do is to repeat it – you've got the microphone, so you get a big laugh with it as well. They're the thing that makes you realise what you're doing is abnormal and maybe you should have made another choice! Don't worry too much about heckles If I had a gig in the evening, I used to get nervous at about four o'clock in the afternoon and then I was good for nothing until it was over. But the nerves do make a mess of your day. ![]() If you're not nervous about going up in front of people and trying to make them laugh, you're probably slightly barmy. And they don't really ever go away, they're just something you have to learn to live with. Nerves are really crippling at the start of a stand-up career.
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