Following a sold-out 2015 autumn tour Josh Widdicombe, that guy from the TV comedy shows with the curly hair, has announced more dates to his tour extending it through autumn 2016. Josh will be travelling the UK with his show ‘What Do I Do Now…’ including a one night stop at the Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells on Thursday 13th October.
Josh Widdicombe has a flourishing TV career. He co-presents the award-winning C4 programme, The Last Leg, one of the most popular comedy shows on television. He has also made memorable appearances on Mock the Week, QI, Live at the Apollo, Have I Got News For You and The Jonathan Ross Show. In addition, he has written and starred his own sitcom, ‘JOSH’, which was broadcast on BBC3 last year, and the highly anticipated second series is due to air this year.
In person, Josh is equally entertaining. He is naturally funny, but also possesses the quality we Brits prize above all others: self-deprecation. It is a very appealing combination and Josh begins by underscoring how delighted he is to be back in the live comedy arena after a sustained period locked away in various TV studios.
“I love stand-up,” he beams. “I think of myself as a stand-up. It’s not like a proper job, but it’s what I do. Other things just happen to me, and they have all come out of my stand-up. It’s good to remind myself why I ended up getting my own sitcom. It’s also quite a meditative way to spend your time. When you know you’re going to be in a car for the next four hours driving to tonight’s venue, your day is prescribed. You think, ‘This is going to happen’. So you just sit there and chat because you can’t do anything else. It’s actually very stress-free.”
A hugely gifted radio performer who hosts BBC Radio 5Live’s legendary Saturday morning sports programme, Fighting Talk, and has previously presented two successful years of The Josh Widdicombe Show on Xfm. He has a tremendous rapport with his audience and says that the relationship is really important to him. “That interaction with the audience is what keeps the show lively and it’s what keeps you interested as a performer. If you’re doing a show for fifty nights, it’s very nice to make every show a bit different. That way, each night feels like a one-off for that particular audience.
So what subjects will Josh be addressing in “What Do I Do Now? … “As a stand-up, you naturally talk about what’s interesting you, so I’ll be discussing what’s annoying me right now. But I’ll also be doing a lot about growing up in Devon in the 1990s. At my primary school, there were only four children in my year. It was a very different experience from a lot of other people’s. So I’ll be doing some comparing and contrasting with how I live now.”
Finally, Josh would like to convey a reassuring message to the people coming to see “What Do I Do Now? …” “I don’t talk about big issues in my act. On TV, a lot of shows are topical, but that’s not why I started doing comedy. I’ve never done stand-up about politics or human rights. That’s not what I talk about on a day to day basis with my mates, so why would I go on stage and talk about it?” He adds, “I don’t draw any conclusions in this show. You won’t learn anything about me or yourself. But hopefully it’ll be really funny. That’s the primary aim.”
Josh Widdicombe appears at the Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells on Thursday 13th October at 8pm. Tickets, priced at £18 can be purchased online at www.assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk or through the box office on 01892 530613.