Comedian Ed Byrne talks to James Rampton about his crowd pleasing new show, coming to The Churchill in Bromley and Croydon’s Fairfield Halls.

FOR nearly two decades, Ed Byrne has been pleasing crowds up and down the country. So it is quite appropriate his new show should be called Crowd Pleaser.

Ed is a sparkling comedian — a stand-up who always strikes up a terrific rapport with his audiences and is a magnetic presence on stage.

Whether discussing the difficulties of being a nerd or owning a cat, he is one of the finest and funniest comics currently at work in this country and will be bringing his new show to The Churchill in Bromley on Sunday and Croydon’s Fairfield Halls on October 14.

Possessed of an effortless natural wit, the lovable, shaggy-haired stand-up says he can’t wait to hit the road again.

“You get this unrivalled buzz from playing live,” beams Ed, who had made a huge splash as a regular guest on TV panel games such as Mock the Week and Have I Got News for You.

He explains: “When you’re on stage you keep finding new lines. You keep getting better and improving.”

The comic, who was nominated for the coveted Perrier Award at the 1998 Edinburgh Festival, says he will be talking in this show about the recent arrival of his first child, kids wearing age inappropriate clothing, religion and being a nerd.

Not to mention performing a typically hilarious routine about owning a cat.

“We treat pets better than we do humans,” smiles the comic.

“We found this cat by the bins and fed it and it ended up living with us. You’d never do that with a human being.

“If you saw a tramp, you wouldn’t say to him, ‘Come and live in our house. In exchange for food and lodging, just show us your backside occasionally.”

For Ed, telling jokes on stage is often the only time he feels completely at ease.

“It’s the only time when I feel I know what I’m doing and am in control of everything,” he says.

He adds: “Think of the way I put down hecklers on stage, I’d never do that in real life.

“Comedian Adam Bloom calls it, ‘Life Fright’, which means you’re happy on stage, but everything else feels intimidating.

“That’s absolutely right. Live comedy feeds your soul.

“I just love doing stand-up.”

And we just love watching him do it.

To book tickets for Ed Byrne at The Churchill in Bromley High Street, call 0844 871 7620 or visit ambassadortickets.com/bromley

To book for Fairfield Halls, call 020 8688 9291 or visit fairfield.co.uk