Tim Key: Overcoats and OHPs

**Hi Tim, thanks for agreeing to take this interview. Is this a good time for you?**

Yeah, I’m just in the theatre watching the technician lay down some tape. So this is a great time.

**The life you lead. So, firstly, you did a brief stint at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this year. How was it?**

Yeah, really good, really fun. I only did half the festival this year so it was less stressful.

**Why didn’t you do a full run with a new show this year?**

I hadn’t written one. I tend to do a new show every other year, otherwise June, July and August weigh quite heavy on you, like an impending cliff to mount. It sort of hangs over my summer because I’m just thinking about the potential disaster.

**Fair enough. It is quite a big stress.**

Well it’s your name and it’s your show, you’re really putting yourself out there. It’s fine as long as it works; I’m sure I could do one every year but it’s better like this.

**How long do the shows take to put together?
**
I actually wrote a new show over the summer – I went to India and wrote a show about India which I should perform next year or the year after in Edinburgh. It actually had its first preview last week. The difficulty isn’t so much the material as turning it into a proper show that’s original and feels like a piece of work that hangs together properly.

**Where did your self-ascribed ‘shambolic poet figure’ character come from?
**
I was asked to do a stand-up gig but I’d tried stand-up and was shit at it. I had these poems, though, and the gig was just 60 people in a lounge, so really informal and ramshackle – the acts all entered through the living room window! So I came through the window in a suit with a can of beer and these poems in my pocket and it just sort of became a character. Although it’s becoming more ‘me’ as time goes on.

**Yes, I’ve noticed that a lot of your peers, especially those from Cambridge, have a character-based approach to their comedy.
**
There’s a lot of ‘Basden’ in [Tom] Basden’s comedy, and a lot of ‘Horne’ in [Alex] Horne’s. But otherwise yes, there is that sort of veneer over our personalities.

**There’s also a shared use of powerpoint or multimedia in your shows…**

Horne and I used to do shows together, and I’d help him out by operating the OHP. Horne spearheaded the multimedia thing I think, really. But it’s not a ‘decision’ we’ve made. My next show won’t have any. But it probably will.

**Do you subscribe to any particular theory or credo when it comes to comedy?**

Just do what you think is funny. Don’t second-guess yourself or you’ll get yourself into a right old twist. You’ve got to please yourself – don’t try and broaden it to please other people.

**I heard a rumour that you were actually in Footlights but not at Cambridge?**

That’s a fact.

**How important was Footlights in the development of your comic taste and ability?**

I think it was very important to meet those people at that time. They were a very talented bunch. I actually went to Sheffield and did plays and stuff but there wasn’t really any comedy, it just wasn’t a thing. I lucked out at Cambridge with a good show and a good year – Mark Watson was there with me and we collaborated afterwards. So I think Footlights was really important; I wouldn’t have known how to start off without it. My second show in 2004 lost about £8,000 but with the Footlights in 2001 we lost nothing. When you’ve got that support you can afford to try and fail – that’s the privilege it offers. You get a freebie.

**What do you think it is about your comedy that people latch on to?**

I don’t really know. It’s difficult when you’re inside it…

**Why do you find it funny?**

I don’t know! I suppose if you over-analyse it then it becomes unfunny. You can watch a show with five funny things in a row and not laugh and you can watch a show with five unfunny things in a row and you’ll find it hysterical. It depends.

**How would you describe the state of British comedy?**

I’m not sure I can answer that. I only saw twelve shows this Edinburgh – I couldn’t describe a ‘wave’ or anything. My four favourite shows this year were: Tim Vine, which was very joyous – sharp, fun, with lots of jokes, lots of joy. He’s kind of my treat; I try and finish off my Edinburgh with Tim. Nina Conti blew my mind, just an amazing, smart comedian. ‘Sheeps’ were fantastic as always, as was Daniel Kitson’s play. As you can see, those are very disparate choices: the only thing really linking them is tight, good writing. They’re all unique and doing their own thing with complete commitment.

**What are you up to at the moment?**

We’ve just started the ‘Masterslut’ tour so I’m pretty busy with that, but I’m also writing the second series of my radio show which is to be a documentary about Nikolai Gogol.

**In a serious vein?**

I’m going to take the piss. No, it’s going to be about his short story, ‘The Overcoat’. That’s all I know at the moment. I’m trying to write it quite well and do it justice because I really like it.

**Do you have any advice to aspiring actors or writers or comedians?**

Just work really hard. Write and perform a lot – just get into the habit of having a massive turnover. Do it for free: experiment and figure out what you want to do without the pressure of being paid. I had four or five years of being broke but enjoying it, which was very handy because it produced a sort of laissez-faire quality to the work which you should try and cling on to. There’s just something about it when you’re broke – you know why you’re doing it. You just want to entertain people and you’re working out how. Money comes with deadlines and pressure, as well as some involvement from those who are paying you. Just create stuff while you have enthusiasm, time and energy.

**What do you do while you’re not working?**

Just hang out really. Jogging. I like jogging around.

**Are you reading anything at the moment?**

I’m reading a shocking book: it’s a biography of Samuel Pepys. I was given it; it came recommended. I’m starting to get into it a bit but it’s a bit of a slog. It’s a shame really because you can only read so many books in your life. The author keeps butting in! Apparently [Pepys] wrote a diary. I just want to read that instead.

**Do you have a favourite comedian at the moment?
**
Adam Buxton. I’m also bang into Nina Conti at the moment. She’s amazing.

**Finally, when are you coming to Warwick with Masterslut?**

I don’t know!

**I’ll look it up and pretend you knew.**

Great.

**Thanks a lot, Tim.**

Thank you.

_For the record, Tim Key’s award-winning show, Masterslut will be at the Warwick Arts Centre on Friday 19th October at 7.30pm in the Studio. _