Paul Sinha is one of our finest purveyors of smart stand-up comedy. Armchair quiz fans may well know him as the trivia king from The Chase, but Sinha still gigs regularly. His latest show, Postcards from the Z List, is at Soho Theatre from Feb 15 - 20, tickets here.
1. What is the last thing you do before you go onstage?
I keep reminding myself that I have nobody to blame but myself. It was entirely my choice to have a bizarre mid-life crisis, and take on the challenge of stand-up comedy. It is entirely my responsibility to enjoy the ride. Yes, it is a ridiculous way to make a living. But nobody forced me to be here. So go out there and have fun.
2. What irritates you?
Signal failure. Lazy, kneejerk thinking. Hotels that don’t put a socket beside the bed. Retweeting praise. The realisation that Elton John will never make a good record again. Deferential celebrity worship. Not knowing when to use a full stop, and when to use a semicolon.
3. What is the most dangerous thing you have ever done?
I’m ITV daytime these days, so I won’t be able to tell you anything in the top 10. Once, I did drunkenly walk up to a barman in a rough, solidly pro-IRA pub in Tooting, and tell the barman that I thought he was beautiful. His response was, “I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch that.” Thus my life was spared.
4. What is the most stupid thing you have ever done?
I’m ITV daytime these days, so I won’t be able to tell you anything in the top 10. My answer is either filling my car petrol tank with diesel, or getting Confucianism and Taoism mixed up at the recent World Quizzing Championships. Both were shocking errors.
5. What has surprised you the most during your career in comedy?
There are two things that have surprised me the most. One is that a lot of genuinely offbeat, surreal, or stridently political comedy is sadly no longer cherished in the many fine, drunken weekend clubs which form the backbone of British live comedy. And secondly, I’m still here. I really was not expecting that.
Read more answers from Paul Sinha here.
