I feared I had been put in the‘has-been’ box so far as a comedy career was concerned...
Comedian Kojo Anim tells MARION McMULLEN how his life has transformed since Simon Cowell pressed the golden buzzer for him on Britain’s Got Talent
How has life changed since appearing in the finals of Britain’s Got Talent last year?
LIFE is great. It’s all kicking off since the show. I mean I’m going on a UK tour! I went up to the last week of the Edinburgh Festival to do some shows, spread the word and mingle, which was brilliant, and I’ve had a sold-out try-out show in London too. So it’s all coming together.
For me, Britain’s Got Talent wasn’t about winning £250,000, it was a chance to get in front of the judges and to prove to myself that I can perform in front of anybody. My goal was to make it to the final, and now here I am preparing my first solo tour ... something I’ve been working towards for 20 years.
What was it like getting the golden buzzer vote from Simon Cowell?
I WAS so nervous. The judges genuinely do not know what’s coming next as you walk out. It’s a conveyor belt of talent. Simon had given two comedians on before me absolute hell that day. My plan was that I wanted Amanda Holden and David Walliams’ approval. Alesha Dixon had seen me at gigs, so I hoped she’d be on side.
I’d actually written Simon Cowell off as I knew I only needed three of them to back me. It was the very first day of filming and, to add to the madness, Simon had never pressed his golden buzzer on day one. So when it happened, everyone was so shocked ... day one and a comedian!
I had so many messages on my phone and everywhere I went people were giving me their love and support.
What made you audition for the ITV show?
I HAD been going through a bad period financially and in opportunities. I’d had my son and that made it so much more pressurised to decide what I was going to do with the rest of my life. I was feeling like I’d been placed in the ‘has-been’ box so far as a career in comedy was concerned.
I was approached by Britain’s Got Talent. They’d seen some videos online, although I didn’t actually know it was BGT at the time, and I was told the producers had loved the videos and they were dying to get me on the show, so I decided ‘Why not?’.
When did you realise you were funny?
I’D always been entertaining my family and friends. Comedy happened almost by accident. My first love was always football, but I had terrible discipline as a footballer. I was selected for a school of excellence with some of the best young players in England to go on a course to study and play football, but I had a terrible attitude about being on time, etc.
I learned a big lesson in hindsight and it turned out to be a blessing. Missing that opportunity to change my life, the pain I felt when it ended, that kept me disciplined when I found comedy. I would never let an opportunity ever slip through my hands again.
What was it like growing up in foster care?
I WAS raised in Hackney, East London. My parents are from Ghana, and they got into a bit of trouble, so, from the age of five I was in foster care until about 16.
I had an amazing experience of foster care. My foster family were from Guyana and Grenada and I was with them the whole time. I was never moved around, which is brilliant. My foster mother, aunty Sandra, she’s the main person in my life that I had a strong relationship with and I still see her regularly now. She’s the first person I tell anything.
You’ve been doing comedy for 20 years. What was it like in the early days?
I WAS doing talent shows at university and had the chance to go to comedy school so borrowed £150 from my aunty Sandra. I’ve more than paid her back now. After that I did a lot of university comedy gigs and built up a fan base.
From that, I was able to set up Kojo’s Comedy Fun House, which ran for eight years, with 300 people queueing up outside each week, packing it to the rafters.
What really made it big though was when (American comic) Dave Chapelle heard about the club. I called someone who had seen him and got them to put him on the phone. He just came down and performed.
People started talking about the Fun House and I was hearing from American comedians over in the UK who wanted to come down.
Were you almost better known in America than the UK before Britain’s Got Talent?
YES, I’d met Nick Cannon through friends and at the time he was still married to Mariah Carey. He was bringing a big improv show, Wild N Out, back to American TV and wanted to include some UK talent. I leapt at the chance. I’d watched the show as a kid and it was a ridiculous opportunity to go and work with all these famous and amazingly funny people in America.
Are you excited for your first solo tour?
I’M looking forward to touring. I turned 40 this month. I told my fiancée, I believe the best years of my life will be my 40s and it’s definitely looking that way.
■ The Kojo Anim Taxi Tour runs from February 6. Go to cuffeandtaylor.com for details.