Joe Wilkinson is a comedian and actor with a radio show, a part in a non-terrible BBC Three sitcom and a beard. Tonight, he has a stand-up show, My Mum's called Stella & my Dad's called Brian, at the Bloomsbury Theatre. We asked him about all of those things.
Without consulting Google, please tell us: who you are and what your deal is.
Without using Google but definitely with the aid of Yahoo search, I am Joe Wilkinson, I am a comedian who loves canals and recently had his car washed in one of those frightening places where huge brushes attack your paintwork and you think the car is moving when it's not. I'm not entirely sure what my deal is but I am almost certain a percentage of people will ask for their money back.
Tell us about the upcoming Bloomsbury Theatre show. What to expect, not the actual jokes.
My new show is about the fact that I have never done anything interesting and then I apologise for that and get on with the serious business of making a show out of nothing. I explain what I have been up to whilst I should have been doing exciting and fascinating things that would have been brilliant to talk about in a stand up show.
You perform stand-up, act in Him & Her, and you’ve just finished writing and half-starring in a radio sketch show. What can you not do? What is your kryptonite?
I have been busy recently but I do sleep a lot as well. I have been lucky enough to do a radio show, Two Episodes of Mash. That was my favourite thing to do all year. We just mucked about at the BBC and no one threw us out. Him and Her has been amazing and I think the second series is even better than series one. All the credit must go to the writer Stefan Golaszewski. The only thing I can't do in the whole world is cook a decent hot pot.
How did you like working on radio, compared to, say, TV? Is it all just making noises in a dark room?
I love working on radio because you can do anything. It’s all in the listeners' imagination so you don’t need a set or lighting – just two idiots in a dark room.
You have been described as “knowingly shabby.” How hurtful are comments like that, and also what tips can you give us for beard upkeep?
Knowingly shabby? Cheeky bastards. I am completely unaware of everything. I know that I am shabby but there is sod all I can do about it but if you do want a beard like mine simply condition it twice a week.
Joe Wilkinson appears in My Mum's called Stella & my Dad's called Brian at Bloomsbury Theatre tonight. Tickets are still available at £12.50.
