Entertainment
From performing in front of empty crowds to supporting Ricky Gervais, comedian Josh Pugh talks his latest tour-Ashley Davies-Entertainment – Metro
‘This time it felt as if people actually wanted to come.’
The food-related name of Josh Pugh’s show is a bit of a mouthful (Picture: Sam Frank Wood)
Some of us didn’t know about Josh Pugh’s comic genius before the pandemic; silly us. But all that changed when, missing the endorphin rush he got from making people laugh on stage, he started putting short videos on Twitter.
Before long, he was going viral with his beautifully observed clips, each with a deceptively simple but original peep into the life of a character who’s always slightly on the back foot. It’s a very English kind of comedy, which somehow finds fresh routes into that sweet spot between social incompetence and hope. It’s never cruel, but that doesn’t mean the truth of it all doesn’t hurt a little.
As a result, he found himself with a whole new audience. The contrast between the reception to his Edinburgh show last year – which earned him a Dave’s Edinburgh Comedy Award nomination and a truckload of ecstatic reviews – and the one he did three years earlier was dramatic.
‘I did a really good show in 2019 and no one came,’ says Josh. ‘I’d spend the first ten minutes winning over people I’d flyered in, convincing them I could do it.
‘This time it felt as if people actually wanted to come to it. It’s a complete game-changer having people in the room already invested in what you are and what you do. It’s amazing. I’m so thankful for that.’
Sausage, Egg, Josh Pugh, Chips & Beans is a fantastic show with mainstream appeal, and is his biggest tour to date. As well as being packed with jokes and some original concepts (look out for his idea for how zoo visits could be improved), it covers some important events that took place in his life over the pandemic.
Josh Pugh (front right) earned himself a Dave’s Edinburgh Comedy Award nomination last year (Picture: Euan Cherry/Getty)
For example, Josh’s wife finally got a chance to have IVF just as lockdown restrictions were easing. In addition to a sweet emotional pay-off, the timing of it all makes for some great stories.
‘We’d go to the clinic, but I couldn’t be in there with her and had to wait in the car park for her to finish,’ he recalls. ‘After she was finished, she’d get dumped out by some bins. It was crazy.’
He also talks about getting a lockdown job in a Royal Mail sorting office, and how his ability to do it properly was severely curtailed by problems he has with his sight. He was born with nystagmus, which affects his central vision, meaning he struggles to read (kind of tricky when your task involves looking at addresses) and to see faces. It got worse when he was a teenager but appears to be stable now.
More: Comedy
‘When I went to the Royal Mail I hid it; that’s an instinct because you worry people will write you off a bit,’ he says. ‘It was the same when I started comedy. I didn’t feel I could tell people. I didn’t even mention it until my third show.
‘Now everybody’s looking for a niche, something that makes them different. I had this thing that had been such a big factor in my life that I’d been hiding. I don’t know what I was thinking,’ he laughs.
‘It’s been great since I started putting it out there, everyone’s been so accommodating, offering me lifts to gigs and showing me where the stage is.’
The comedian supported Ricky Gervais on tour (Picture: Nathan Congleton/NBCUniversal via Getty)
Josh plays for the England partially sighted football team (their World Cup coincides with this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and the sport will, on this occasion, take priority).
Josh grew up in Coventry, where he still lives, and, thanks to his dad’s love of comedy, he watched a lot of Vic & Bob, Shooting Stars, Phoenix Nights and The Office (he’d later support Ricky Gervais). His first gig was a gong show (where you get thrown off if the crowd don’t like you), which he won, in Burton-on-Trent. He did it on the quiet, not even telling his girlfriend (who’s now his wife) he was trying it out.
Life has changed a lot since then. Josh has some scripted projects in the pipeline for television, and wants to reach a wider audience with his stand-up. ‘I want to be one of the best comedians in the world,’ he says. ‘I want to get really good. I want people to get excited when I’m doing a show, the way people do when Kevin Bridges announces a tour.
‘I’m not really bothered about doing something quirky. I want to do hits. Big, mainstream hits. And I’d love to be someone who does good things and has a laugh and entertains himself. Joe Lycett [someone else he’s toured with] is a bit of a role model for me. He’s also from the Midlands and stayed in the Midlands.’
MORE : Josie Long shares why comedy and ADHD work well together: ‘It suits us in so many ways’
MORE : Comedian Johnny Vegas reveals ADHD diagnosis: ‘It answers a lot of questions’
Entertainment – MetroRead More
