Comedian Tom Little is back at the Edinburgh Fringe this year with his solo show. I have caught up with him to find out what draws him back each year and more in this interview.

When and where are you performing at the Fringe this year?
I’ll be performing my solo show ‘Tom Little in His Comfort Zone’ every day from the 8th to the 30th August at 19:20 at Voodoo Rooms: carte blanche! Can’t wait.

What was the inspiration for your show?
I don’t really know why but my show this year is about the value of talking about your feelings, or not talking about your feelings. But it’s funnier than that sounds. It’s a lot of jokes and stupid stuff really, but it’s all inspired by a real conversation with an American friend of mine who asked me how I was feeling and then wouldn’t accept ‘Yeah, I’m alright’ as an answer for some crazy American reason.

When did you first step on the stage as a performer?
I started stand-up thirteen years ago. My first gig was a gong show that went terribly and I was gonged off after 20 seconds. But if you mean ‘first performance ever’ then, like a lot of people, it was at a primary school nativity play. I played the innkeeper. People still talk about it. 

What is the best piece of advice about working in Theatre you have received?
I naturally talk too quickly, have a tendency to mumble and have a strong regional accent. So honestly the best advice I’ve ever been given was probably ‘Enunciate.’ 

Have you been able to stay within a realistic budget for your production? How have you raised funds to put your show on?
Yes. As a stand-up comedian, there are basically two ways to do the Edinburgh Fringe. You can either spend a lot of money on posters and PR in the hope that this will raise your profile in the industry, or you can do the Fringe as cheaply as possible so that you can afford to come back next year. I’ve always done the latter, which is why I’ve been able to do a show at the Fringe every year since 2015, but also why most people have never heard of me. It’s made me a better comedian, though. I think.

Who or what inspired you to take to the stage?
Before I started stand-up I used to write sitcom scripts, but I could never get anyone to read them. I thought I’d try stand-up just as a way to get people to finally hear the jokes I was writing. Once I started I found I enjoyed performing, and writing stand-up is a lot easier than writing scripts, to be honest. You don’t even have to write your stand-up down. You can just think of it and call it writing.

You’ve been doing the Fringe since 2015. Why do you keep coming back?
I do stand-up all year round and gig all over the UK, but the Edinburgh Fringe is still the best place to do stand-up. Instead of performing for maybe 20 minutes a few nights a week, I can do a full hour every day plus a bunch of shorter sets on other people’s shows as well. Audiences tend to be more enthusiastic and comedy savvy and shows usually go better. It’s my favourite part of being a comedian, if that doesn’t sound to earnest.

https://thisistomlittle.wordpress.com/

https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/tom-little-in-his-comfort-zone