Interview with rising comedian Carl Donnelly

Apr 15 2009 by Will Harris, Crewe Chronicle

WILL HARRIS chats to comedian Carl Donnelly, who can’t wait to swap London for Crewe.

RISING comedian Carl Donnelly reckons the North West is the best place there is for comedy.

Perhaps a strange thing to hear from a Londoner, but he is looking forward to the 300-mile round trip to feature in the M Comedy club’s latest show on Friday, April 24.

Donnelly will be joined at the venue in High Street, Crewe, by acts such as Ben Norris, Mike Newall and American Dave Fulton in another stellar line-up to follow the sold-out debut show last month.

The 27-year-old is full of admiration for the comic talent from cities such as Liverpool and Manchester and has enjoyed his two visits to promoters Jon Mitchell and Mike Ramm’s previous nights at the Limelight Club.

He said: “Those gigs were such fun gigs. I did it a couple of times even though it was so far from London.

“I find the South East of London, places like Kent, are very devoid of comedy. They seem to be a very odd bunch who got out of London because of people like me, and they don’t like us trying to get back into their lives.”

Donnelly has been described as someone who doesn’t look like they do much but somehow ends up being funny.

“It doesn’t sound like I’m telling any jokes but I hide them in there,” he says.

“I do a bit of pre-prepared material but I’m quite free- flowing. If it comes to me on stage I’ll just say it, which has been poorly received at times, but I mix up the stories I’ve written and told before with something that is up-to-date.”

It took dropping out of university for Donnelly to realise what he wanted to go for.

“I completely fell into comedy,” he says. “I dropped out of university and got a couple of rubbish jobs. I was always interested in stand-up but just thought it was something I enjoyed watching.

“By chance I went to watch a new acts night and they were really bad. I’d never seen bad stand-up before, so I realised that people do start out at the bottom and I signed up to do a gig at the same club a month later.

“I had to follow Mike Reid. But it went really well.”

Some may have seen Donnelly appear on Sunday on the new Comedy Central channel launch in Grouchy Young Men, a show similar to Grumpy Old Men.

He says: “I’m not actually that grouchy, I’m quite an optimist.

“They were bringing stuff up that would annoy most people but I wasn’t that fussed. I will probably only look grouchy due to the time they had us up filming it.

“Some people use comedy to become a TV star but I would rather be a good comedian than do anything on TV.”

Carl Donnelly appears at the M Club on Friday, April 24. Doors open at 7.15pm. The show starts at 8.15pm and is over-16s only. Tickets are £9, £8 students. For more information, visit www.mcomedy.co.uk.