Comedian Seann Walsh is coming to Chesham this month

Feb 16 2012 by Camilla Goodman, Buckinghamshire Examiner

COMEDIAN Seann Walsh will be coming to Chesham for the first time this month with his tour Ying and Young.

“First of all it’s spelt incorrectly – it’s not meant to be Ying,” Sean explained. “It’s amazing that it got through management and no one said ‘are you sure he wants to spell it wrong?’ – it was meant to be Yin and Young. I thought there was a ‘g’ on the end, apparently it’s one of the most common mistakes.

“I named it Ying and Young because I like bad titles. For example, my show in Edinburgh I named Seann to Be Wild. It’s meant to be a bad title.”

Well, I thought it was quite a good title but there we go!

So what can people expect from the show?

“Hopefully there will be blood and fighting, a lot of violence and it’s very offensive, most people want their money back at the end. Goodbye,” he joked. “I’ve really enjoyed it so far. It’s not about anything really it’s just about standing in a room and making people laugh. The audience help and make the show fun.”

So do those lucky enough to get a seat at the front need to be wary?

“I don’t pick on people, I’m not a bully,” he explained. “But I do like to chat to the audience and get to know them.” Seann then went on to talk about one audience member who thought it was okay to take off her shoes and socks and rest her feet on the stage.

Seann added: “Please keep your clothes on. If I keep my clothes on, you keep yours on.”

Within two years of Seann’s first comedy performance in 2007, he went on to win the Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year. So does he enjoy being on the stage?

“No, I hate it. Goodbye,” he joked. “No, I love it. I do still get nervous, but they’re good nerves. It’s more excitement, like just before you get on a rollercoaster. You want to go on the rollercoaster, but you’re scared of dying.”

Talking of dying, I was keen to find out of Seann had ever died on stage.

“We all die. I’ve had some brilliant deaths. I still remember I was in York and a woman brought her five-month-old baby and I said why would you bring a baby to a comedy show? Someone heckled ‘maybe she’s had trouble getting it to sleep so she brought it to see you’. It was a triumphant heckle. Now I just bring along my mate Dave and he kills the hecklers.”

Well that is one way to deal with it Seann.

Some readers may recognise Seann from programmes such as Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Mock the Week and 8 Out of 10 Cats.

“They’re a lot of fun. I had the most fun on Never Mind the Buzzcocks because I was on with Jack Dee, who I grew up watching. I was on Noel Fielding’s team, who I’m a massive fan of. He’s a top bloke.”

So when did the 26-year-old realise he was funny?

“I used to do stand-up in the primary school playground,” he said. “I don’t remember much, just that the show was called Kinky and Braindead, which again is going back to my love of bad titles.

“There’s never been anything else I wanted to do apart from acting and comedy, I haven’t done any acting yet. I wouldn’t do my homework at school because I thought what’s the point? This is not going to help me get into comedy. So I didn’t do it or go to PE or school really. I was wrong, it would’ve been useful to know some stuff!”

So how does Seann come up with his material?

“I go to little comedy clubs where there is someone new playing and I steal their ideas. No, I’m kidding,” he said. “I like to shut myself off away from the world. I’ll walk around Brighton, which is where I’m from. It’s very liberal – when you get the bus there is a sign saying if you don’t have a valid ticket, fine!"

He added: “I’ll walk around trying to think of something funny, thinking funny words, funny words.”

What does Seann think is the secret to being funny? “I’ve no idea. I suppose it’s natural. It’s just about having a laugh. If I have a laugh, you have a laugh. I’m just having a laugh in the lights.”

So is Seann excited about his first trip to Chesham? It was certainly music to his ears when he found out we are not short of coffee shops.

He said: “Literally my favourite thing to do is sit in cafes.

“They’re the best place for people watching. But don’t sit in the window next to a menu because you have lots of people staring into your face and you feel like you’re entertainment in a zoo.”

Seann said he will be having a wander around the town before his show to get a feel for the place so do keep your eyes peeled for him.

Is Seann’s show suitable for the whole family?

“It’s absolutely for the family. It’s for everyone really, 14-year-olds like me and I’m very big with the nans. The nans love the Walsh.”

You can catch Seann at The Elgiva on Saturday, February 25 at 8pm. Tickets are £13. For tickets, call 01494 582 900 or visit www.elgiva.com.