I may sound like a prima donna, but I couldn’t tour without my
The Last Leg’s Josh Widdicombe is ready to offer audiences a bit much as he talks to about tattoos and touring (LAUGHS) No idea. We were doing just 10 days originally and now it feels we are on all the time.
We first did it for the Paralympics and it wasn’t intended to be anything more. But they brought us back and we got the chance to find out what the show was all about and it was sort of allowed to grow organically. Now I can’t remember the time before we presented it. Now it’s the day job.
series and that’s the main thing.
Taskmaster is so much fun and everyone on it wants to win. I often forget about the tattoo these days and then I’ll suddenly spot it. A LOT has happened since I last toured. The main thing is I’ve had a baby, but I’m aiming not to talk about that on the tour. (Laughs) Everything except that.
I’m pretending I’m working but the tour’s going to be a bit of a break for me. I’m playing some big venues and I’ve had a long time to work on the show.
My view of stand-up is really just writing about the things that make you laugh. I never intend to write about one thing or another. I note things on my phone and, really, once the show is written it changes very little.
People who go the first night of the tour will find it much the same at the last night. I want people to feel they are getting their money’s worth. THE best thing about my job is I get to do a lot of different things – standup, TV, radio and podcasts – it all keeps you interested.
When I started stand-up it was terrifying. Now you are doing a show that you really believe in and you know it’s funny. It’s a kind of joy to me when you have audiences, people coming to see you, and you get to be on stage. I’M normally in a car and driving a long way to the next venue. I’m not in a tour bus or anything like that and I come back home a lot of nights when I can. I don’t really have to unwind. I’m quite quiet afterwards. Being on stage is the fun part.
I always take a pillow on tour with me. I have got a bad neck – all the hotel pillows over the years have given me a bad neck.
It makes me sound like a prima donna, but I couldn’t tour without my pillow. It’s quite hard and expensive. If I leave my pillow in a hotel on tour, that’s a problem. THAT was funny. I didn’t think people would even know who I was but, for a comedian, being picked was an absolute dream. IT was quite a serious week really, but I kept being told the operation was a normal thing to do. A scar is no problem after having a tattoo. I have no other tattoos but ‘Greg’ and I will never, ever have another. I’M doing more episodes of comedy panel show Hypothetical with James Acaster and there are more dates for Bit Much ... into 2020.
It’s the Olympics and Paralympics in Tokyo next year, but there’s so much in my diary right now that that is the first time I’ve really thought about it.
I’ll be going from one job to another and there will be a lots of tour shows before The Last Leg and Tokyo.
COMPUTER SAYS YES
BROADWAY musical phenomenon Be More Chill makes its UK premiere next year.
The show’s songs have been streamed more than 300 million times online with fans creating animated YouTube videos, art fiction, blogs and vlogs.
The musical, pictured, tells the atypical love story of a boy, a girl... and the supercomputer inside the boy’s head which guides him every step of the way.
Be More Chill runs at The Other Palace in London on February 12.
Booking details available from bemorechillmusical.com