Tom Mayhew

Written by: Si Hawkins
Published: Friday 11th November 2022

It was the first of times, it was the worst of times. This week we talk shop with Tom Mayhew, voice of a downtrodden generation, whose new show barrels into the Soho Theatre at an interesting juncture, to put it mildly.

"Trash Rich is inspired by the cost of living crisis," he explains. "I wanted to write a show about money, from the perspective of someone who has never had any. There is so much talk about people struggling financially, but so often, I feel like we don't feel from the voices themselves about the reality of it; or, those voices feel they shouldn't share that reality, due to a sense of shame which society forces upon them.

"I wanted to write a show about that stuff - but it's mainly me taking the piss out of rich people and their odd attitudes."

And there's a lot of them about. Has the show needed any updates, this tumultuous last few months?

"There will be a few updates since the Fringe," he says, "as the show is based on my reality right now, and things have changed since August." So how has 2022 been, generally? "I think I speak for the majority of the country when I say it has been a bit tricky! But we keep going, keep making jokes, as it's all we can do."

He's not wrong...

First gig?

My first gig was on February 9th 2010; one of the other acts was Matt Richardson, doing his fourth gig. We shared a bill at The Comedy Store recently - only the third time we have gigged together since! - and he also remembered the date, which was very sweet.

It was a heat of the Laughing Horse New Act of the Year competition. I thought "well, I'm a new act, as it's my first gig, so this makes sense, right?"... little did I know how comedy competitions really worked.

I spent a chunk of my set talking to a guy in the front row who had blue hair; while some acts are terrified of talking to the audience early on, I was so nervous that I chatted to blue hair guy, asking "is this going alright?", "ooh, I like your hair", and generally being an awkward, nervy 18 year-old.

Favourite show, ever?

The final show of my 2019 Edinburgh Fringe run of I, Tom Mayhew. It was the end of a long month of hard work, where I feel I finally made a bit of a breakthrough and started getting recognition for my stand-up. At the end of the show, there was a blackout, and as the lights came back on, I saw a couple of people at the front of the audience stand up to give a standing ovation, which then spread across the room.

I'd never got a standing ovation before, so it made me feel a bit emotional... and then, my producer walked to the stage during my bucket speech, and gave me a "well done" gift for completing the run! It was so utterly lovely, and I will treasure that feeling forever.

Worst gig?

An audition for the NATYs in 2019. As a proper comedy nerd, I knew a lot about the history of comedy competitions (I basically knew about the Laughing Horse one from reading 1000s of comedians' Wikipedia/Comedy CV pages).

The NATYs was the one competition that I wanted to get to the final of more than any other, because the list of finalists is incredible, with many incredible acts getting their big break through the award that was formerly called the Hackney Empire New Act of the Year.

However, the auditions are known for being... well, let's say they are weird gigs. This particular year, I was the first act. The MC went up, said "right, these are auditions", did no material and then brought me on. The sets are only five minutes, so you don't have long, but somehow in that time I managed to have a dog bark at me, a drunk woman heckle that Thatcher is a cunt, and the sound guy accidentally start playing Common People.

As I left the stage, the MC said "oh, I should have said before... don't heckle the acts". I don't know whether he was talking to the drunk woman, the sound guy or the dog.

Which one person influenced your comedy life most significantly?

My partner. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't have been able to afford to bring my show to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2019. That show led to me having my first Soho Theatre run in 2020 and getting a Radio 4 series, both things I have dreamed of since I was a teenager.

Without Liv believing in me and helping me bring the show to Edinburgh that year, I have no clue where I would be. I definitely wouldn't be gearing up for a second Soho Theatre run, that's for sure.

And who's the most disagreeable person you've come across in the business?

Any of the tedious right-wing comedians who say "you can't say anything anymore".

Is there one routine/gag you loved, that audiences inexplicably didn't?

One of my favourite jokes in a previous show was about someone going to church and eating a wine sandwich. There were nights when I told that joke, but only my techie Felix laughed... but his laughter (and my own enjoyment) were enough.

Any reviews, heckles or post-gig reactions stick in the mind?

In 2019, a skinhead man in his 50s came up to me after my Edinburgh Fringe show, shook my hand, and said "thank you for standing up for people like us". He reminded me of my dad in the way he looked, and he seemed quite emotional. I'll remember that guy for the rest of my life, as it truly meant a lot that it clearly resonated with him, especially as, stereotypically, you wouldn't imagine many skinheads in their 50s to enjoy my stand-up in that way.

Gigging around the country is becoming incredibly expensive - how do you see the circuit changing, next few years?

Quite simply, I worry that there will be even less working-class comics, as it becomes even more tricky to stay afloat doing this.

I'm an act who had my second BBC Radio 4 series this year, and I have a Soho Theatre run coming up, but I have found myself questioning whether I should be doing stand-up anymore, as I can't make a living doing it right now. If I'm thinking that in my position, despite having a couple of really great achievements this year going for me, then I imagine there are tons of acts on the circuit thinking exactly the same.

But luckily we have a government who really care about poor people and the arts, right?!

How do you feel about where your career is at, right now?

I always think that as long as I achieve one big and/or exciting thing in comedy each year, I will be happy with how comedy is going; I have done two this year, with my Radio 4 series and the upcoming Soho Theatre shows. So in that respect, I am very happy with my creative achievements.

However, financially, this year has been a struggle. Even with those successes, it has not been at all easy to survive. That's the thing as a comedian from my background; you can be creatively joyful, but financially depressed. I wish I could focus on the former, but that's a privilege not many of us can do right now.

Ultimately, I feel good about it, but I just wish I was a bit less skint for once!