WATSON BACK AFTER TRIP TO BRINK
MARK Watson is a very clever man. An award-winning stand-up comic and author, and a familiar face from TV comedy shows, he holds a first-class degree from Cambridge. Why then is he heading for Dumfries on a tour which only visits places beginning with his initials, M or W? More to the point, why did he almost starve himself to death earlier this year on Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls? The comedian collapsed on the survival show, losing two-and-a-half stone, being deprived of sleep and severely bitten by insects during his stay on a Pacific island. He said: “A lot of people texted to ask after me when it was on, even people who I had spoken to since I got back, which shows you what an unpleasant watch it was at times. “I expected a punishing experience so it was pretty much what I signed up for – but it does take quite a big mental and physical toll on you. There is very little help, we were helpless and exposed. It is the kind of thing you are happy to have put yourself through but very happy not to be there any more.” On his latest tour, he has had plenty of time to ponder the experience, although he’s still scratching his head as to how he got involved in the first place. He’s familiar from shows such as Mock the Week, Have I Got News For You and Taskmaster but he’s no Indiana Jones.
Mark said: “If you told me this time last year I would be marooned on a desert island I would struggle to understand. But it was hard to turn down. I felt it would push me in a way that was valuable and if I turned it down, I would regret it.”
The tour is a different matter and the idea comes from visiting smaller places beginning with W – Whithorn, Whinnieliggate and Wigtown.
He said: “There were loads of suggestions for W which were all too small to do individually and Dumfries is a kind of hub, although Dumfries could change to Mumfries or Wumfries.”
Mark Watson: The MW Tour is at the Theatre Royal, Dumfries, tomorrow. For tickets, visit www.theatreroyaldumfries.co.uk, markwatson. seetickets.com or call 01387 254209.