12 Mar 2020
Rob Beckett’s comedy has long been packing a solid punch, so he’s found the ideal title for his new touring show in "Wallop!", which heads to York Barbican for two shows on 11 & 30 October 2020.
As he hits the road for the first time since his wildly successful 2015 tour, "Mouth Of The South", he’s making a few promises.
“As a word, ‘wallop’ just isn’t used enough but I use it quite a lot. I think it sums up me and my show. ‘Here it is, have a bit of that’, we’ll enjoy ourselves and then go home. I’m very much in it for the audience and to do whatever it takes to be as funny as possible for an hour and a half as opposed to delivering a message or narrative or life-changing view of the world."
"My show isn’t going to sort out Brexit, but it will take your mind off it for an hour and a half. Essentially, the show is all about the funniest things that have happened to me or I’ve thought of since the last tour.”
As a father now of two toddlers, the temptation for Beckett might have been to make Wallop! his ‘new-dad’ show. He’s more or less resisted that.
“Though I have kids, it’s not my ‘I’m gonna talk about my kids for 90mins tour’."
"The show is about family. I’ve always wanted a whole family to sit down and laugh at my stuff; before it was more of a happy accident because my comedy is quite accessible, but now, all ages can get a lot from it.”
It’s been ten years since Rob Beckett first launched his career in the stand-up game, and claimed third spot in the prestigious 'So You Think You’re Funny' competition at the Edinburgh Fringe.
So, what would he say to his younger self, a decade on, now that he has a wealth of experience in stand-up comedy?
“There are loads of things I would have told him not to do, but he wouldn’t have listened. I was just enjoying it and ploughing on, and obviously you make mistakes. But through throwing yourself into stuff and making mistakes you learn invaluable lessons."
"I had come from a working-class background and had no idea about the industry and I didn’t even know the Edinburgh Fringe existed. Both parents were so supportive and there was no pressure, but maybe if you had been to Oxbridge or Durham and your parents had funded your education, they’d be saying ‘why are you going to the Edinburgh Fringe? You should be off being a barrister!’"
"So there was no expectation on me... But mainly I’d say to him, ‘cut your hair because it’s an absolute disgrace!’”
Click here to get your tickets for Rob Beckett on 11 October 2020