Michael McIntyre's 25th Year Stand-Up Special

Michael McIntyre on 25 years in comedy interview

Here's a chat with Michael McIntyre, ahead of his TV stand-up special in which he celebrates his 25th year of performing as a comedian.

Michael, congratulations on 25 years of stand-up! What can you tell us about your new show?

The material is all new so I'm really excited for people to see it. There are naturally some references to ageing, given it's my 25th year as a stand-up.

After selling out arenas around the world, what's it like being back on stage at the London Palladium?

Stand-up is best in a theatre and The Palladium is the best theatre there is, so it made for a magnificent night. I love playing arenas but the audience are mostly watching me on the big screens, even in the front rows. So it was lovely to be in such an intimate and iconic setting with people looking at me and not over my head!

What can you remember about your early stand-up shows?

My first stand-up gig was in 1999 at The Comedy Café in London and I did get a laugh with the first thing I said; unfortunately I didn't get another laugh for about 2 years.

The process of finding my voice on stage was tough. It wasn't really until the Edinburgh Festival in 2003 that I started to work out who I was, although not many people witnessed it. One night only one person bought a ticket for my show, and it was a 2 for 1 offer. They couldn't even get someone to join them for free!

When you first started out in comedy, did you ever think you would be touring the world and selling out huge venues like London's O2 arena?

My ambition when I started was just to play weekends at The Comedy Store in London. It's an amazing club that all the greats have played and they paid cash. I thought that was the pinnacle, everything that has happened since, never crossed my mind. It's been an incredible, unexpected and amazing 25 years.

You are the king of everyday observational humour, with jokes ranging from your wife's shopping habits to you having kidney stones. Have you ever been in a situation where you've thought I shouldn't use it in a routine, but did anyway?

Years ago, I told a story about moving into a house where the previous owner was called Michael too, and at Christmas I got a load of Christmas cards addressed to him saying, "Dear Michael, Merry Christmas" - so I put them up on the mantlepiece and pretended they were my own. The Michael in question saw me tell this on TV and sent me a legal letter asking for compensation for his stolen Christmas cards! But it was only a silly joke, it never really happened!

Who or what was your stand-up inspiration?

When I was young, I loved Billy Connolly, Richard Pryor, Robin Williams, Eddie Izzard, Jackie Mason, Jerry Seinfeld... But since I started 25 years ago, I stopped watching other comics to avoid being influenced and allow me to find my own voice and perspective.

How has the comedy circuit changed in the last 25 years?

I love how comedy has evolved with funny people creating their own content on social media platforms like YouTube and TikTok. For a long time your career was at the whim of a TV producer, now you can become famous and successful without even leaving the house.

What advice would you give to any aspiring stand-ups out there?

I suppose the thing I've learnt most of all in 25 years of stand-up, and it's something I still forget, is that when an audience laughs it's not the end of a joke, it's the beginning. The audience have bought into the idea so don't move on to the next one, keep mining that one and something funny can end up hilarious.

Finally, what's next for Michael McIntyre?

I have a brand new series of The Big Show starting in January which we've filmed and is better than ever, then more Wheels to film in the summer and hopefully another 25 years of stand-up!