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The Englishman Irishman Scotsman Conundrum.


I’ve spent much of the evening compiling one-liners from my Edinburgh show to be submitted to the press for consideration for their 2018 best jokes’ lists.

I feel a twinge of pressure, as I was lucky enough to feature in couple of these lists last year. It was completely unexpected, so in that sense, it’s probably best to remember I had no inkling anything I’d put forward might stand out; it was just a luck-of-the-draw thing. To frame it more positively, the fact it even happened meant I must have been doing something right, so I can only approach it the same way this year and leave it to chance; it’s not like it means anything anyway: it’s all arbitrary.

Finding jokes in my material is a bit of a struggle anyway, as it’s not really how I write. The only place you’re liable to see a one-liner from me is on Twitter and that’s solely due to the episodic nature of it; on stage, I’m more likely to tell a story - or share something visual - than do a gag; jokes have never been to my taste in a live setting, particularly if you’re watching a whole show of them. That's my personal Hell, as when there's no narrative arc you have no idea when the end’s in sight.

One heartening thing came from quickly watching a video of my work-in-progress set at May’s Mostly Comedy today, which Glyn emailed to me, so I can start thinking about what I need to do next. I’m still conscious of how far I've got to go, though it was nice to some promise, lurking below the surface; now, I just need to tease it out with my promise-teaser.

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