Bath Lives - Bath Comedy Festival Special - Matt Richardson

Matt Richardson - winner of the Bath Comedy Festival 'New Act of 2011 Award' is back, all grown up and full of brand new material. Find out what Matt had to say about his brash, slick and laddish new show Hometown Hero in his 60 second Q&A.

Describe your show in 3 words...

Fast, Honest, Rude.

Have you been to Bath before? If so – what do you like about the City?

Yes, lots. I used to LOVE the gig at Porter Bar, which has sadly gone. I like the feel of it, I live in Oxford so it's fairly similar. Very pretty and doesn't feel too big.

Where do you get the inspiration for your material?

My family & friends. My inability to be normal when needed.

When did you know you wanted to be a comedian?

Very young, probably 14? It's something I always dreamed of doing. I feel very lucky that it worked out.

How do you deal with hecklers?

By being more sober than them and having a microphone. If you're being rubbish there's not much you can do, but if they are just being annoying then you can take them down by being quick and in control.

What's been the most memorable gig you've done?

I did two nights at The New Theatre in Oxford last year on a bill with Michael McIntyre, Jimmy Carr, Jason Manford, Andi Osho and Jason Byrne (to name a few!) it was 2,000 people a night in a theatre I used to go to to watch my comedy heroes, so to gig with them there was amazing (Jimmy Carr in Nov 2007 was the first comic I ever saw and it was there, so to gig with him in the same room was surreal).

Who are your favourite comedians?

Greg Davies, Russell Howard, Romesh Ranganathan.

What are the best and worst things about your job?

The travel is both the best and worst bit. Seeing new places is great but it can be a bit lonely. I love meeting lots of cool people and working with your heroes is fantastic.

Have you got any hidden talents?

I can flip my eyelids inside out. I also make a mean American Pancakes and Streaky Bacon with Maple Syrup.

What's next for you after Bath Comedy Festival?

I'm previewing this show more and more, then I'm taking it to The Edinburgh Festival and in the autumn I'm going on my first national tour, so I'm very excited about that. I've also got lots of different projects in the works in telly but chances are nothing will come of them!

Matt Richardson - Hometown Hero is at the Ring O Bells on Monday 1st April - click here for more details.

This interview appears courtesy of Bath Comedy Festival - click here to visit the official website.