RISING STAR
Comedian Will Jackson, 24, receives our stamp of approval as he talks about his meat- free stand- up show, finding light in darkness and fighting homophobia
Comedian Will Jackson
When did you first realise you were funny?
I always did very well with older female relatives — I know, shocking for a young gay man. When I was
11, I played Mr Toad in a school performance of Wind in the Willows. It went down a storm and from then on, I was hooked.
Who were your comedy heroes growing up?
Catherine Tate, Billy Eichner, Josh Thomas, French and Saunders… but Tina Fey is my number one. I love how slick, surreal and brilliant her worlds are, and I’ve always aspired to make my work as punchy and richly detailed as hers.
How would you describe your comedy?
Suitable for vegetarians.
How has having a sense of humour helped you in life?
I went through quite a serious cancer scare last year, but it turned out I just had a really saggy vein in my left testicle. It’s impossible not to see the lighter side in stuff like that.
Your stand- up show, Yours Sincerely, is inspired by your “criminal” past, when you accidentally “stole” 300 secondclass stamps from a post office. How did that happen?
After I graduated from the University of Birmingham, I did an unpaid internship for a very small arts company. One day, I had to go and buy a whole load of stamps for them to send out some brochures and, due to a clerical error, I ended up with double the number I should have been given.
You recover the lost art of letterwriting in the show. Who did you reconnect with?
I wrote to a few lost loves, some former employers and my gran, but as the project went on I got bolder. I wrote to the NHS about how queer men still have to wait three months after sex before donating blood, and to Cadbury’s — as a nine- year- old boy called Sam – and managed to get quite a bit of free swag out of that.
What do you want audiences to take away from Yours Sincerely?
The importance of human communication. It’s a tough world out there and it’s important to check in with each other. You never know what other people might be going through.
What is your pet peeve when it comes to 21st- century life?
Slowly realising that you’re getting out of touch with what the trendy young teenagers are up to. What the hell is Tiktok?
What are your top three survival tips?
Be kind, be present and try to eat a vegetable that isn’t battered.
You posted on social media that you faced homophobic abuse in the Scottish capital while appearing at the Edinburgh Fringe. Do you experience that often?
There has definitely been a spike in queer- phobic attacks across the UK in the past year. Whether that’s a large increase, or the attacks are now visible because more people are calling them out, it’s difficult to tell. I think it’s a combination of the two. I was handing out flyers for the show in full drag as Queen Elizabeth II as she appears on her second- class stamp — we’re talking white and blue make- up, a crown, pearls, earrings, the whole package. Although there were a few bad days it was more than made up for by the overwhelming amount of support from people who were clearly living for it.
How have you found navigating the comedy circuit, a typically straight “masc” world, as a queer performer?
I used to find it quite difficult doing open mics. Other acts would sometimes slip something homophobic into their sets and I’d get angry and try to call them out during my slot, which never went down well. But the comedy scene is getting better. More queer artists are setting up their own events, which is brilliant.
What is the worst thing that has happened to you on stage?
I broke three lamps during my Yours Sincerely previews. This included an incredibly expensive glass one which shattered across the Derby Theatre stage. We had to stop the show to tidy it up, and I had to stand in a cardboard box so I wouldn’t get in the way.
“I was handing out flyers in full drag as Queen Elizabeth II”
You’re also the artistic director of Quick Duck Theatre. What projects do you have coming up?
We’re developing a show for next year called Fashion Spies, which is an interactive chose- your- own- adventure comedy where the audience members take on the roles of undercover spies. Will Jackson’s Yours Sincerely goes on tour next year