From supporting Ricky Gervais to taking his own show on tour, Emma McAlpine catches up with one-liner comedian Stewart Francis.
Stewart Francis is pretty busy at the moment. Not only is he performing his own Tour de Francis round the country but he’s supporting Ricky Gervais on his Science tour as well. Although it's not exactly an invitation you’re likely to turn down: “It’s all good – it’s 3,000 people that are up for an evening of comedy so you just tap into that, set up the room for the man and get drunk afterwards. Gervais is great fun to tour with – he’s very good company.”
Originally from Canada, Francis moved to London around two years ago with his wife. Already well-established in comedy clubs over here as a ‘part-time player’, he quickly moved on from doing short club slots to TV programmes like Mock The Week, and his first solo show across the UK: “Mock The Week was particularly significant – that’s what’s filling these theatres. They play it twice a week because it repeats, which is another million or two viewers and after each airing on my website you can see there are plenty of hits the next day.”
Also a talented actor (he starred in the award-winning Canadian sitcom An American in Canada), Francis initially didn’t think he would make his mark as a comedian.
“I knew I was going to go into the field of entertainment but not necessarily stand up because it’s not really a reflection of my personality. If anything I’m unassuming. Acting is something I really enjoy doing and don’t do often enough; stand up I think was a means to that. Anyone can do stand up. People say it’s hard to become a stand up but it’s not – it’s easy. You just sign up for an amateur night and guess what you’re a stand-up comedian. There’s too many people doing it now who shouldn’t be doing it, but I guess I’m a purist when it comes to that stuff.”
Unlike many ‘first gig horror’ stories, his first performance at an open mic night was a huge success: “It was the highest I’ve ever felt, I was punching the air. It gave me a huge sense of accomplishment. I don’t think that moment can ever be surpassed for me.” Nowadays, he performs very dry, razor-sharp one-liners delivered in a deadpan Canadian drawl but like many comics, he started out with a different style: “Back then I wasn’t really a one liner guy, I did a lot of blue stuff to shock. Because that’s what comedy is essentially – shocking. But you can do it in a cleverer way which is hopefully the level I’ve got to now.”
Are there any comedians out there he thinks have have influenced his comedy? “I’d say Steve Martin back when he funny – when he was a stand-up comedian that is, not now he’s a money-grabbing whore. And Monty Python. They both showed me that you can say the most obscure, ridiculous things and it doesn’t have to make sense.”
Stewart Francis will be performing at the Bloomsbury Theatre on Friday 3rd September and Greenwich Comedy Festival on Thursday 9th September
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Photo credit: Hollis
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