"There comes a point where you think ‘how big do I really want to be?’" Emma McAlpine talks to one of the most well-travelled and hard-working comics in the business, Danny Bhoy.
It’s been a while since Scottish stand-up Danny Bhoy (yes that is his real name) was last in the UK and he’s making the most of it. “I’m off to play football with lots of other comedians. I’m absolutely shattered but I’m rarely back in this country so I have to take advantage of it.” Started by Daniel Kitson and Andy Zaltzman in 2000, these legendary comedians’ football matches have been running every Tuesday afternoon in Crystal Palace since. Bhoy used to live with Zaltzman in those days but says he barely recognises the teams now.
“There are still a few originals, or founding fathers as I like to call them. Nearer Edinburgh, the numbers decrease as people are too stressed to take an afternoon out but afterwards there are loads. We had 10-a-side last week!”
Nine years ago, he performed his first solo show in Edinburgh Festival’s 60-seater Pleasance Below. This year he played the considerably grander structure of the McEwan Hall (1000+capacity), an impressive exponential hit rate as far as the Festival is concerned.
“I’ve moved around the city quite a lot, each year to a bigger venue but it gets to a point where Edinburgh no longer feels very fringy. I think this year was an important year for me to realise that. I don’t know if I’d do it the same way again.”
Half-Scottish and half-Indian, Bhoy grew up just outside Edinburgh in the town of Moffat. Far from being a regular visitor to the Festival, he saw his first full length comedy show there only six months before his own first gig.
“There was a show on TV called Gas on Channel 4 which I loved. It had a whole load of fringy acts of the time on it like Simon Munnery, Stewart Lee, The Mighty Boosh boys and Lee Mack, so I bought a ticket to see Lee Mack’s show. About six months later I booked myself into an open comedy spot and it went from there really.”
Bhoy’s first notable success came in 1999 when he won the Telegraph Open Mic Award – then one of the most prestigious newcomers’ awards in the country. Member of the judging panel Steve Coogan said at the time: “He's going to go far.” He wasn’t wrong. Off the back of his award win, Bhoy was booked to do a stack of 20-minute set gigs. Having mastered only five minutes of material for the competition, he was forced to come up with some new jokes, fast.
“I had to do the writing and get 20 minutes together because I didn’t want to turn down the work. There was a lot of clock-watching and banter in those early days but it really did push me to develop my act quickly and make the rise that I did.”
In 2003, he was invited to perform at the Melbourne Comedy Festival where the show went down a storm. This marked the beginning of a highly successful career abroad. He started spending less time in the UK and embarked on endless tours around the world, including Australia, New Zealand and Canada where he was particularly well-received. Having returned home for only a few weeks in the last two years, Bhoy admits there is one downside to his international popularity.
“It’s a very lonely existence and it’s quite full on, particularly Australia. Most nights of the week, I’m going somewhere or travelling to get to the next venue and there’s a lot of ground to cover. There are no social aspects at all really. I’m in different towns and cities every night. The travelling is one of the reasons I got into stand-up so I can’t complain, but it does get a bit tiring after a while.”
Bizarrely, Bhoy enjoys less recognition at home and consequently has to work a lot harder for his audience, although he sees this as a challenge.
“The tour I’m doing at the moment is just really art centres and I’m lucky if I can sell to a few hundred people. It’s weird to be playing to 2000 people one month and 100 the next, but it keeps you on your toes. The numbers are less, so it’s a harder sell but it’s more rewarding because I have to be sharper.”
In November, Bhoy is back on the Australian tour wagon and then...who knows? One country we’re unlikely to lose him to is America, where he spent the last eight months. After a tricky appearance on David Letterman (which he talks about in his new show) and a low-ratings Comedy Central special, Bhoy has abandoned his plans for the States. “I get messages on Facebook saying ‘when are you coming over?’ but I was there! I did all these shitty clubs and no one knew,” he laughs.
“I’ve put America down as a net loss. You’ve got to really commit yourself over there for a long period of time and I just couldn’t ignore my other markets. There comes a point where you think ‘how big do I really want to be?’ You’ve just got to relax and enjoy the places you’ve been gratefully received.”
Danny Bhoy: By Royal Appointment will be at the Leicester Square Theatre until Saturday 25th September.
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