Living up to Expectation

upfront LIVING UP TO EXPECTATION Alex Ulyet chats to the hotly-tipped young comedian Josh Widdicombe ahead of his forthcoming appearance at this year’s Comedy Port. ew up-and-coming comedians can claim way, Josh isn’t looking to just copy what has gone into, but hopefully it will be nice and I’m looking to have had a better year than Josh before him, and it is clearly keen to create his own forward to it. You just have to hope that people will Widdicombe. Having been nominated at style. “I think you should watch as much comedy as come along because they want to see you. It doesn’t Fthe Edinburgh Comedy Awards for Best possible, and then you will hopefully pick up what really matter where you are playing; it’s just a good Newcomer and the Chortle Best Breakthrough you like and become your own kind of person. If that laugh.” Act; along with national appearances on Channel makes sense.” Having already received such strong critical acclaim, 4’s Stand Up For The Week and 8 Out Of 10 Cats, Despite already having a very positive 2011 so far, it would be perfectly understandable if Josh feels a the past twelve months have seen the Devon-born Josh has plenty left in the tank as he continues to strong sense of expectation and pressure every time comedian settle his name at the top of a long list of tour the UK this autumn with his debut show, If he walks out on stage to perfume. However, when I emerging young comics. This Show Saves One Life.... Josh brings his debut asked Josh, it seemed that he thrived on the pressure When I asked Josh how it felt to be catapulted to tour to Comedy Port, on Fri 14 Oct, and although he to perform and continually improve: “I think there such dizzying heights in just three years, he was has never performed in Newport before, he appears is more pressure, but at the same time you feel more understandably positive: “It’s exciting. It’s weird confident in his ever positive manner. “Often you confident that maybe you’re doing something right. how quickly you adjust to everything that happens turn up to these places and you don’t know anything So the pressure is just to take the show to the next to you, and you just worry about the next thing.” about them, you don’t know what you are getting level, keep doing it as well as you have been, and turn His continual moving from strength to strength out new material.” is testament to how quickly he has adjusted, but Although concerned with the future and living up Widdicombe played down his achievements: “You don’t to his own expectations rather than other peoples, feel like you’ve achieved a lot really, just that hopefully Josh is still clearly conscious of keeping himself in you are on your way to something better. You hope the moment as well as the future. “I’m constantly at that’s what you can spend your time doing. You never work really, and looking for new material. You can’t feel like you have got to where you wanted to get to.” sit back and do it kind of half-heartedly. So it’s quite Working with contemporary comedy stars such as hard work. But that’s the fun, trying to get better.” Michael McIntyre and Alan Carr will no doubt have Josh Widdicombe certainly won’t be resting on his helped focus his vision for greater stardom, but when laurels anytime soon. And with a hopeful enthusiasm I was interested to see if he found this daunting, and a dedication to improving, his performances can he showed more of the same optimism and level only get better with time. Widdicombe is definitely headedness: one of the young comedians to watch out for. “They are still people at the end of the day so you just kind of get used to that. It is scary at the start Josh Widdicombe performs at Comedy and it’s great when they like you or are impressed, Port, Fri 14 Oct, The Riverfront, Newport. but you realise that they are normal people. It gets Tickets: £11/£9. Info: 01633 656679 / less intimidating as it goes on. Again, it’s weird www.comedyport.wordpress.com how quickly you adjust.” In much the same BUZZ 16.

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