Mock the Week and Spitting Image comic Andy Parsons is coming to Blackheath Halls

Andy Parsons is best known as one of the regulars on satirical panel show Mock the Week but his career has also seen him as one of the writers for Smith and Jones and the Lead Writer for the legendary Spitting Image as well as carving a formidable reputation as a stand-up. We spoke to Andy as he hits the road for his new tour, Citizens.

You’ve played Blackheath Hall before, haven’t you? Are you looking forward to going back?

Yes, I played it once before about 18 months ago. It was good, it was sold out. I seem to remember the backstage area not being as glamorous as some other places.

You’re playing on Valentine’s Day, are lovers in for a pasting?

Well, on the last tour, I did a Valentine’s Day Show at Milton Keynes Stables. There were some couples there that had been together for ages and couldn’t be bothered to do anything, some new couples, some singles and some people that just wanted to see the show. It was good, love was in the air!

What’s your general feeling of Valentine’s Day?

Well, you can probably tell I don’t take it that seriously given that I haven’t bothered to keep it free!

What’s the worst gig you’ve ever had?

I think I’ve done a fairly good job of blocking out stuff I didn’t enjoy. I tend to remember the good ones. I really enjoyed Blackheath Halls last time I was there, so I’m expecting to have fun again.

Did you always want to do comedy? You studied Law at university didn’t you?

Well, I had no real interest in law, and no real preconceived ideas about comedy. I just started writing a bit for radio and ended up being able to pay a few bills so I just took it from there.

Have you been asked to tone anything down after the Jonathan Ross/Russell Brand fiasco?

Well Mock the Week hasn’t been on since it happened, so it’ll be interesting to see if the new series ticks any more boxes. They always start the show telling us to keep the swearing to a minimum and of course five minutes in that’s all fallen by the wayside and Dara has this voice in his ear shouting, “Move on! Move on! We can’t possibly use that.”

As a political comedian, are you sad that Bush is no longer President? Surely that’s robbed you of one of your easiest targets?

Well, I think that’s it really. Bush was an easy target, so there’s little joy to be gained from mocking him. He opened his mouth and comedy came out on its own. It kind of made our job redundant. It’ll be nice to move on to some more original material.

You’ve written for Smith and Jones and Spitting Image. Do you prefer writing material for other people or performing it yourself?

Well the nice thing about performing your own material is you have no one telling you to rewrite it. When you’re writing for other people, they always come back for rewrites and after the sixth or seventh time, it’s hard to remember what was funny about it in the first place. With your own material, you can just say ‘I like this, this is what I’m going to do’.”

You’ve got quite a unique style of delivery. Did that come naturally or was it something you had to consciously develop?

Not at all. I’ve never thought about it. It just developed partly from just trying to be heard above the din of some pubs I started out in.

What can we expect from the new stand-up show?

Well, I’ll really just be talking about the last six months, which has been a pretty amazing thing, with us taking over the banks, a black man running the White House and the phenomenon of Facebook and it managing to get Dorset Lapland shut.

I hadn’t heard about that last one?

There was this winter theme park in Dorset called Lapland which had fake snow and everything. One of the Santas got into a fight with someone and there was this Facebook petition to get it closed down. There were about 1000 signatures in the first week and the media picked up on it and now it’s had to close.

Are there any things in comedy that you wished you’d done?

There are always little things that you want to do. I’ve got a new show on Radio 5 called PMQ which I get to host. So I’m in on the dubious scoring system and I get a voice in my ear shouting “Move on! Move on!”

Andy Parsons: Citizens. Blackheath Halls. Feb 14. 8pm. 020 8463 0100.