Dan Clark is one of the country’s brightest comedy stars, best known for his portrayal of loveable rogue Don Danbury in the BBC3 hit sitcom How Not To Live Your Life.
He writes and produces the show, and you might also have seen him as Johnny Two Hats in The Mighty Boosh.
There’s a chance to see him in the flesh at the Drill Hall, when he visits Lincoln with his new stand-up tour.
And even though it’s a critically-acclaimed show, Dan’s under no illusions about his appeal.
“People are not coming in because of some stand-up,” he tells What’s On. “They are coming because of the television show.
“The audience is made up 95 per cent with fans of How Not To Live Your Life and they expect me to be a bit more like Don.
“We’re both quite similar, but I’m not quite as much of an idiot as Don is.
“He’s neurotic, self-effacing and lacks a huge amount of self-awareness.”
Dan – definitely not to be confused with his comic creation Don, then – is no stranger to live comedy, previously performing in the sketch group Electric Eel and then returning as a solo artist to Edinburgh in 2005 and 2006. In 2007 he went on to tour the UK, selling out around the country.
“I talk about being a victim of awkward situations,” he says of the latest show, which is in town on May 4.
“I look at the awkwardness of mistaking someone in a shop, or of being on public transport, or how we interact on dates.
“The difference is that Don is the cause of the awkwardness and he is unable to understand social etiquette. By the second half of the show they are warmed up and by then it’s a bit ruder, a bit edgier.
“Sometimes I have to elaborate on the truth – there are one or two situations where I have spotted the potential for something to happen. But some stories are 100 per cent true.
“I talk about relationships and about being on the internet all the time – the way we are addicted to checking messages, having about 20 different e-mail accounts and almost not living my life through being so social.”
He enjoys the success of the television series and has other projects in the pipeline.
“Writing a sitcom on your own is a tall order, there is a part of me that asks what I want to do next? I wouldn’t want it to be in a corner of the BBC, I’d like it to reach a wider audience.”
After doing sketch comedy in his early 20s, acting and writing plays, he took the plunge to do stand-up in 2004.
He is now working on scripts in development for two television projects, so keep your eyes peeled to see what comes to fruition.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Nottingham is full of fun, according to the traditional football chant. It's full of a few other things, too, so while I welcome comments, don't bother adding anything that won't get published...