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Jeff
is well known to comedy fans after over ten years of live shows,
and TV appearances including Have I Got News for You and Never Mind
the Buzzcocks.
Jeff
went down a storm in the Middlesbrough Theatre, and provided excellent
value for money to boot, with a two-and-a-half-hour show.
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| Jo
Enright and Jeff Green |
He
shared the stage with Birmingham’s Jo Enright, whose self-deprecating
jokes about Brummy accents, cheap supermarkets and bad parenting
struck a chord with the audience.
"Birmingham’s
a terrible place," she said. "Middlesbrough’s not much better pet,"
said an amiable heckler.
That
got a big laugh, but the audience realised that Jo loved her home
town as much as the heckler did the Boro.
Jeff
Green’s subjects ranged from how best to stroke cats, to pubic topiary,
scuba-diving and canal-boating. He was consistently hilarious.
We
spoke to Jeff after the show, and asked him your questions.
How
do audiences in the North differ from the South? Do they find different
things funny?
Sam, Middlesbrough
The
show doesn’t change from the North to the South, but I can talk
faster in the North, and I know that what I’m saying has more resonance.
They can identify, because I’m a Northern comedian by definition.
I spend 90% of my time in London, but when I come up North I feel
like I’m playing at home again. I always feel like I’m playing away
in London, I’m always at a slight disadvantage. There are very few
comedians who’ve made it big in the UK who come from North of Watford.
Who
would win a fight between you and Jo Brand?
Mel and Mick, Middlesbrough
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| Jeff
Green |
As
I say in my act I haven’t had a fight since I was 11, and I only
won then because she had asthma. Jo and I would never fight - we’re
the best of friends. We’ve done three tours together.
Who
are your favourite comedians?
Sam, Darlington
I suppose
when I was growing up it was Billy Connolly, Richard Pryor, Dick
Emery and Bob Newhart the American stand-up - I used to have all
his records when I was a kid.
Do
you remember the first joke you ever told?
Sarah, Middlesbrough
I remember
the first big laugh I ever got - I was at university in Birmingham,
and I was giving a speech on student politics. Before I spoke someone
was speaking about banning the Diabolism society, and during my
speech a glass fell on the floor and spun round and I just said
"Diabolism!". It makes no sense now because it’s not in context,
but it got this huge laugh, and I won the debate. What it taught
me was if you want to win people over, go for funny. I knew then
that I didn’t want to be a politician, I wanted to be a comedian.
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| Jeff
Green |
Any
plans to write a novel?
Liz, Yarm
I've
just finished a book, called The A-Z of Living Together, because
I do a lot of stuff about relationships in the show, more than most
comedians. It’s a rich vein of comedy to mine, so I thought I’d
put all my routines down to make a book. Unfortunately it was more
of a pamphlet, so I had to write more. It’s a joke book, not a manifesto.
People say it’s a bog book, but I prefer bidet book.
Do
you prefer live shows to TV work?
David, Middlesbrough
I like
the money from TV! They do pay well, but… TV is a necessary evil.
You need to do TV for people to know who you are to come to your
shows. It’s a vicious circle, or maybe even a virtuous one… I do
enjoy TV though. I do lots of panel shows, like Never Mind the Buzzcocks,
because they’re easy for me. It’s like being back at school. They
put you behind a desk and pay you to be cheeky - I’m in my element.
Some comedians may have been real swots, and they can’t do it, but
for people like me and Mark Lamarr it’s perfect. It’s just undermining
the teacher... who wants to kill you.
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| Jeff
Green |
I saw
you in a show with Lee Evans the Edinburgh Festival in the early
nineties, and I thought you were superb. Any plans to work with
Lee Evans again?
Rob, Yarm
Rob?
Rob! Yeah, he was the one who came! Seriously, so few people came.
It was £4 to get in, and me and Lee played to nobody, absolutely
nobody. It’s funny because last weekend Lee played the Wembley Arena
to 10,000 people - the largest ever solo stand-up gig - and I remember
when we played to just Rob. And it was great! My first ever Edinburgh
Festival, and I played a gig with Lee Evans and Shared a flat with
Eddie Izzard. I’m glad I’ve left those two losers behind - they
were holding me back! I don’t think Lee will mind me saying this,
but I co-wrote the show he’s just performed with him. So that was
the last time I worked with Lee Evans.
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