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0:00:06 > 0:00:10- Elis James - one of Britain's - most popular comedians.
0:00:10 > 0:00:14- Tonight, join me, Daniel Glyn, - at Elis' gig in London's Bush Hall.
0:00:18 > 0:00:19- There he is.
0:00:23 > 0:00:27- This currently looks like - a Welsh-language stand-up night...
0:00:27 > 0:00:30- ..but within the hour, - this place'll be full.
0:00:30 > 0:00:34- Elis will walk on stage - in front of a packed hall.
0:00:34 > 0:00:36- Bush Hall befits a grand banquet...
0:00:37 > 0:00:40- ..but a feast of comedy - awaits us tonight.
0:00:40 > 0:00:45- Stand-ups are the bare-knuckled - boxers of the entertainment world.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47- Elis will compere - three heavyweights.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51- Ardal O'Hanlon, - Andrew Maxwell and Nick Helm.
0:00:51 > 0:00:56- The backstage catering was up there - with the best I've ever touched.
0:00:59 > 0:01:03- It's so typical of London. Putting - on a spread wasn't good enough.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05- It was a lucky dip instead.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13- As is often the case - when you go to so much trouble...
0:01:13 > 0:01:16- ..the food always tastes nicer.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20- Elis had to focus on getting ready.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24- Time was running out - and tension was mounting.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26- I asked him a few questions.
0:01:27 > 0:01:28- Hello, Elis.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32- Why are you a comedian? - What's the appeal?
0:01:33 > 0:01:35- I can't do anything else.
0:01:35 > 0:01:40- I tried to do lots of other things - but I got the sack all the time.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44- We live in a world in which you - have to earn a living somehow...
0:01:44 > 0:01:48- ..and I was running out of options, - so I chose comedy.
0:01:48 > 0:01:53- I was funny at school and obsessed - with comedy, so I gave it a shot.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56- And look at me now, - I'm here, eating burger and chips.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59- Were people telling you - to try stand-up?
0:01:59 > 0:02:03- Yes, because - I think years ago at school...
0:02:04 > 0:02:06- ..if there was comedy on telly...
0:02:06 > 0:02:09- ..or if something comical - happened at school...
0:02:10 > 0:02:13- ..I took it far more seriously - than everyone else.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17- Say if a teacher - said something stupid...
0:02:17 > 0:02:20- ..or if something funny - happened in class...
0:02:20 > 0:02:22- ..everyone'd laugh - and move on...
0:02:23 > 0:02:26- ..whereas I was like, - yes, but why was it so funny?
0:02:26 > 0:02:30- I want to do it again! - I just like having a laugh.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33- I'm interested - in what makes people laugh.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38- You say you're not - a competitive person...
0:02:38 > 0:02:41- ..but stand-up is very competitive.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44- Why do something - that's anathema to you?
0:02:44 > 0:02:47- It's competitive...
0:02:47 > 0:02:50- ..inasmuch as lots of stand-ups...
0:02:50 > 0:02:55- ..watch comedians on 8 Out Of - 10 Cats or Live At The Apollo...
0:02:55 > 0:02:58- ..and think, - why am I not doing that?
0:02:58 > 0:03:01- But I'm just happy - I don't have a proper job...
0:03:01 > 0:03:04- ..yet I earn enough to pay my rent.
0:03:04 > 0:03:09- My only ambition starting out...
0:03:09 > 0:03:13- ..because I was no naive, I didn't - understand how stand-up worked...
0:03:13 > 0:03:17- ..I'd seen a programme - about the Comedy Store...
0:03:17 > 0:03:20- ..and I knew - the Cardiff Glee Club existed...
0:03:20 > 0:03:23- ..because I'd been for a birthday...
0:03:23 > 0:03:26- ..so I just wanted to do - a week of gigs at the Cardiff Glee.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29- That was my only ambition.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32- Every time - I performed at the Cardiff Glee...
0:03:32 > 0:03:35- ..as long as I was invited back, - then I'd done my job.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39- I'd done enough, I'd done my share.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45- Perhaps I might be a better comedian - if I were more competitive.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49- You mentioned - you were funny at school...
0:03:49 > 0:03:52- ..and that you focused - on why things were funny...
0:03:52 > 0:03:55- ..so why is being funny - so important to you?
0:03:55 > 0:03:58- Laughing - is better than not laughing.
0:03:58 > 0:04:03- Having a laugh with your friends - is the best feeling in the world.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06- When I had a proper job...
0:04:06 > 0:04:09- ..and when - I'd have a night out at college...
0:04:09 > 0:04:14- ..I'd sit in a pub - with my friends and tell stories.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17- If I went out for a pint - on a Saturday night...
0:04:17 > 0:04:19- ..at the end of a working week...
0:04:20 > 0:04:23- ..I'd love hearing - people's stories about their week.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27- I love having a laugh about it.
0:04:27 > 0:04:32- If someone's been on a first date - and that date goes wrong...
0:04:33 > 0:04:34- ..fantastic!
0:04:35 > 0:04:38- I want to know why, what happened...
0:04:38 > 0:04:40- ..and why it went so wrong.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42- I love that kind of stuff.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48- So comedy - is an integral part of you?
0:04:48 > 0:04:50- Yes, it's like music.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54- Babies and little children - like melodies.
0:04:54 > 0:04:59- Even if you sing to - a six-month-old baby, they react.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01- Laughing is the same.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04- If you laugh in front of a baby, - they respond.
0:05:04 > 0:05:09- I don't believe people when - they say, "I don't like comedy."
0:05:09 > 0:05:12- They just haven't seen - the right comedy.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16- Did you formulate a plan - for your stand-up career?
0:05:17 > 0:05:20- No, because I was so naive.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23- I had no idea how it worked.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26- My first gig - was an open mic night in Cardiff.
0:05:26 > 0:05:31- I hadn't done it before, so I didn't - realize that anyone could turn up.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35- I called the promoter - and she said...
0:05:35 > 0:05:37- .."Of course you can do it."
0:05:37 > 0:05:42- I thought, she said yes, - I'm going to do this open mic.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46- The gig went well, - it was beginners' luck.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48- I'd never performed before.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51- There was - no drama department at school.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54- I couldn't sleep at all that night.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58- I went to work the following day, - having not slept for 24 hours.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00- I'd been up all night.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04- So I thought to myself, - the gig was brilliant.
0:06:04 > 0:06:09- There was the MC, this guy from - Birmingham and Frank from Swansea...
0:06:09 > 0:06:13- ..then there's Jack Dee, - Eddie Izzard, Frank Skinner...
0:06:13 > 0:06:17- ..and Bernard Manning, - different circuit, Ross Noble...
0:06:17 > 0:06:20- ..Mark Lamarr, - who doesn't do stand-up any more...
0:06:20 > 0:06:23- ..the four I saw at the Glee.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25- There are 12 comedians, maybe 14...
0:06:26 > 0:06:28- ..and I'm the 15th comedian...
0:06:28 > 0:06:32- In the world. Is that true?
0:06:32 > 0:06:37- There are Americans, but I'm - not interested in breaking America.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40- Mam and Dad live in Wales, - I'm happy here.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44- Eddie Izzard did a few gigs in - France but I don't speak French...
0:06:44 > 0:06:46- ..so that's irrelevant.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49- And then there's Jo Brand.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51- I'm the 16th comedian.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53- I couldn't think of another.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56- Jim Davidson, but he's different.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58- Graham Norton - just does chat shows...
0:06:58 > 0:07:01- ..and Jonathan Ross - never did stand-up.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05- I went back to do - the open mic night a week later...
0:07:05 > 0:07:09- ..and other people there, so I - thought I was the 20th comedian.
0:07:09 > 0:07:14- A week later I was the 24th - comedian. That's fine, that's fine.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17- A guy said to me, - "Do you work for Mirth Control?"
0:07:17 > 0:07:19- I said, "No, who are they?"
0:07:19 > 0:07:22- He said, - "The guy runs 100 gigs in England."
0:07:22 > 0:07:24- I thought, oh, my God!
0:07:24 > 0:07:29- If there are 100 gigs, that means - there are at least 400 comedians.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31- I went from being very hopeful...
0:07:32 > 0:07:36- ..to plummeting to the depths - of despair in one sentence.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40- I'm the 401st comedian. Oh, my God!
0:07:40 > 0:07:43- I went from being - very happy to very sad.
0:07:44 > 0:07:45- How was your first gig?
0:07:46 > 0:07:48- Great. Beginners' luck.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50- I just talked.
0:07:52 > 0:07:53- I had no idea...
0:07:54 > 0:07:58- ..that I had to make the comedic - material relevant to other people...
0:07:58 > 0:08:01- ..so I just talked my way - through it.
0:08:01 > 0:08:06- Looking back, there's no tape of it - and I've lost the set list...
0:08:06 > 0:08:09- ..but if I saw the tape, - it'd probably be rubbish...
0:08:10 > 0:08:12- ..but people were laughing.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16- I did one aside, it wasn't - even a punchline, it was a set-up...
0:08:16 > 0:08:19- ..but a girl at the back of the room - laughed at the set-up.
0:08:19 > 0:08:24- I thought, if they're laughing - at the set-ups, I'm a Seinfeld.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29- I'm Jerry Seinfeld. I've no interest - in going to America!
0:08:29 > 0:08:32- I'm the 16th comedian!
0:08:32 > 0:08:35- Do you hear me? I'm a meat refuser.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40- "Glass of red wine?" - "No, thank you," from a fan denier.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44- Microwave oven? Aah, interesting!
0:08:44 > 0:08:48- You're going to go on the crazy lane - with Andrew. Here we go.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51- One, two, three! - Stack up your cheering!
0:08:52 > 0:08:55- Please welcome on to the stage - Nick Helm!
0:08:56 > 0:09:00- After introducing Nick Helm, - Elis heads backstage...
0:09:01 > 0:09:04- ..for a break - from the night's intense pressure.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10- What he needed now - was time to reflect in peace.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12- He needed to be left alone.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16- Elis had his own question. - "Will you leave me alone?"
0:09:16 > 0:09:19- "Great," I said. - "See you after the show."
0:09:19 > 0:09:21- Does your mind wander at all?
0:09:21 > 0:09:23- Does your mind wander at all?- - Yes, it does.
0:09:23 > 0:09:27- If I'm using material - I've used several times before...
0:09:27 > 0:09:32- ..I think to myself, if I finish - and do 18 instead of 20...
0:09:32 > 0:09:35- ..then I can catch - the last train home.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39- I can catch the tube - and I won't need to get a taxi.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44- If I don't do stand-up for a while, - if I have time off...
0:09:44 > 0:09:48- ..if I'm filming something - or if I don't have many gigs...
0:09:48 > 0:09:52- ..if I have a fortnight off, - that's what's first to go.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56- I lose the skill...
0:09:56 > 0:10:00- ..of being able to talk and think - of something else at the same time.
0:10:00 > 0:10:01- So you have to focus more?
0:10:01 > 0:10:02- So you have to focus more?- - Yes.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07- How different is your stage persona - from the real Elis?
0:10:08 > 0:10:14- The Elis on stage is more like me - from a couple of years ago...
0:10:14 > 0:10:17- ..because having a mortgage...
0:10:17 > 0:10:21- ..and having a house - with plenty of kitchen roll...
0:10:21 > 0:10:23- ..isn't very funny.
0:10:24 > 0:10:29- I did the Edinburgh Fringe - three years ago in 2012.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33- John Gordillo, who'd directed - Eddie Izzard, directed the show.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35- He came to see me in Edinburgh.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39- I'd been doing the big circuit gigs, - the corporate gigs...
0:10:40 > 0:10:42- ..and I was dressing very smartly.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45- John hadn't seen me - doing stand-up for years.
0:10:45 > 0:10:49- He said to me, - "What are you doing? This isn't you.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52- "You look like - you're going on a date.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56- "You look like you're - doing quite well as an estate agent.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00- "They don't want this. - Why have you shaved?
0:11:00 > 0:11:04- "Why is your hair so short? - This isn't what people want."
0:11:04 > 0:11:08- He made me realize - that your stage persona...
0:11:08 > 0:11:10- ..is just as important - as your jokes.
0:11:11 > 0:11:16- If the audience doesn't believe - you as a person, they won't laugh.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20- I actually like dressing - quite smartly...
0:11:20 > 0:11:22- ..but it's not funny.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25- I'm not like Jack Dee - or Jimmy Carr, who wear suits.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28- I choose old clothes - to wear on stage.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32- You change out of your - smart clothes and wear your scruffs?
0:11:32 > 0:11:36- Yes. My civvies are smart - but I have scruffs too.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40- If I walked on in a suit...
0:11:40 > 0:11:43- ..and did low-status comedy...
0:11:43 > 0:11:46- ..there's a disconnect, - which doesn't work.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51- If I walked on in a nice suit - and I was very high status...
0:11:51 > 0:11:54- ..that makes sense, that works.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57- But I was confusing both.
0:11:57 > 0:12:02- That was - an important lesson to learn.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06- I couldn't understand - how my life had moved away from...
0:12:06 > 0:12:09- It's five past 12!
0:12:09 > 0:12:12- I think they really want us - to stop filming now.
0:12:13 > 0:12:15- I went outside to wait for Elis.
0:12:15 > 0:12:20- I was looking forward to a night out - with all of London's comedians.
0:12:30 > 0:12:31- .
0:12:35 > 0:12:35- *
0:12:36 > 0:12:39- I was in London to interview - Elis James at his home.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43- I had trouble finding it because - Elis refused to give me the address.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46- I was surprised - by London house prices.
0:12:46 > 0:12:50- This bungalow cost millions. I'd - never pay it - I don't like yellow.
0:12:51 > 0:12:55- I thought these bins'd be cheaper - because they're semi-detached...
0:12:56 > 0:12:58- ..but no, - I'd forgotten about the view.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01- On a clear day you can see Paris.
0:13:01 > 0:13:06- Elis' house doesn't look like much - but it costs more than Cross Hands.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08- But you can't live in Cross Hands.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11- I knocked the door - but didn't run away.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14- You have the personality - to be a stand-up.
0:13:14 > 0:13:18- Does that mean you don't have - the personality for real life?
0:13:18 > 0:13:20- I hated every minute of real life.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24- I had a clear-out - about a fortnight ago...
0:13:24 > 0:13:29- ..and found the payslips of - the proper job I had in an office.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31- I found a lot of doodles.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35- I worked in an office - just before the time...
0:13:35 > 0:13:40- ..you could receive emails - and had access the internet.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44- All I did...
0:13:44 > 0:13:47- ..to waste time was doodling.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49- Doodles about time.
0:13:49 > 0:13:54- I was so bored I couldn't think - of a better subject than the time.
0:13:55 > 0:13:57- 2.56pm.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01- I'd take ages to draw it, - so by the time I'd finished it...
0:14:01 > 0:14:03- ..it'd be four o'clock.
0:14:03 > 0:14:07- I'm afraid of having to do a proper - job because I'm not suited to it.
0:14:08 > 0:14:12- I suit stand-up because I suit - late nights and getting up late.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17- I suit eating alone - in Pizza Express, Nottingham.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20- It doesn't bother me. - I like being by myself.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23- I never feel lonely...
0:14:23 > 0:14:26- ..whereas office work...
0:14:26 > 0:14:29- I remember having to do mail merge.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32- It was 10 at night - and everyone else had left.
0:14:32 > 0:14:37- I'd eaten a kebab in the office - because I didn't know how to do it.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39- I was almost in tears.
0:14:39 > 0:14:44- I couldn't ask anyone - because I'd lied in the interview...
0:14:44 > 0:14:46- ..and said - I knew how to do mail merge.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49- I'd be blowing the gaff.
0:14:49 > 0:14:54- In the end, I wrote them out - individually in my own handwriting.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56- A hundred or more letters.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59- I was there till midnight.
0:14:59 > 0:15:03- "Why did you write these by hand?" - "It's a nice personal touch."
0:15:03 > 0:15:07- "Why didn't you do mail merge?" - "It's too easy, isn't it?"
0:15:09 > 0:15:12- "That's the way - a normal person would do it."
0:15:15 > 0:15:19- Reflecting on a decade of stand-up, - have there been any failures?
0:15:19 > 0:15:21- If so, what did you learn from them?
0:15:21 > 0:15:23- If so, what did you learn from them?- - I did a warm-up...
0:15:23 > 0:15:26- ..on Mastermind Cymru - and got the sack in the car park.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28- Why?
0:15:28 > 0:15:30- Why?- - Because I was so rubbish.
0:15:30 > 0:15:34- It came too early, really. - I'd never done stand-up before.
0:15:34 > 0:15:40- The average age of the audience - was 85 or 90, perhaps.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43- A minibus had come from Trelech.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46- I thought it was hilarious - that they came by bus.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49- They didn't think it was, though.
0:15:49 > 0:15:54- I kept coming back to this minibus - and it was completely silent.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58- No-one was interested - in the minibus bar me.
0:15:58 > 0:16:00- I got no laughs.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04- Betsan Powys had to go on and do - a couple of gags to warm them up.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08- On my way back to the car, - I remember thinking, this is bad!
0:16:08 > 0:16:12- The producer phoned me and said, - "Don't come back in tomorrow.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15- "We've seen enough."
0:16:15 > 0:16:17- Yes, I've seen enough too!
0:16:19 > 0:16:22- I love the fact that Betsan Powys - had to clean up your mess!
0:16:22 > 0:16:24- Yes, Betsan Powys!
0:16:25 > 0:16:28- I did a warm-up on Deal or No Deal - too and a camera broke.
0:16:28 > 0:16:32- The audience is either full of old - people who've come on minibus...
0:16:33 > 0:16:37- ..but don't dwell on that, - no-one cares, or students.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41- None of them are taxpayers, - there's no middle ground.
0:16:41 > 0:16:45- The camera broke, - so I had to do a half-an-hour set...
0:16:45 > 0:16:49- ..while Noel Edmonds - was beautifying himself!
0:16:49 > 0:16:52- I'd run out of relevant material.
0:16:52 > 0:16:56- The floor manager said, - "Tell a few more jokes."
0:16:56 > 0:16:58- I said, "I've run out of jokes.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03- "I'm going to talk to that Scouser - about his minibus in a minute.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06- "I did this - on Mastermind Cymru, it's great."
0:17:07 > 0:17:11- Your life is very different - from when you first started out.
0:17:11 > 0:17:15- It's a cliche that stand-ups - do jokes about family and aging.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17- Is that something you try to avoid?
0:17:18 > 0:17:22- No, it's not something I avoid but - you have to find the right angle...
0:17:22 > 0:17:27- ..otherwise it's boring and I'm just - another man who goes to Homebase.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31- The funniest things that've - come from me being a parent...
0:17:31 > 0:17:33- ..are the things I've done wrong.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37- You can't just list - the things you've done wrong...
0:17:37 > 0:17:40- ..or the audience - starts to pity the child.
0:17:40 > 0:17:46- So you have to find - some middle ground...
0:17:46 > 0:17:50- ..where people laugh - and nobody calls social services.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52- I haven't found that ground yet!
0:17:53 > 0:17:56- Touring is an integral part - of a comedian's life.
0:17:56 > 0:18:00- You appeared on Rhod Gilbert - And The Award-Winning Mince Pie.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02- How was that experience?
0:18:03 > 0:18:07- That's the best show, in terms of - the reviews it received...
0:18:07 > 0:18:10- ..that I've ever seen in Edinburgh.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12- Everyone gave it five stars.
0:18:12 > 0:18:17- Every newspaper, - every critic worth his salt...
0:18:18 > 0:18:20- ..gave it five stars.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23- Usually you do - a 55-minute set in Edinburgh.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26- Rhod was doing - two and a half hours on tour.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32- He was fantastic - and every gig was incredible.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35- You were there too, - so were you the support?
0:18:35 > 0:18:38- Yes, I did 20 minutes - at the beginning.
0:18:38 > 0:18:42- You had a duty to perform, you - weren't just there to tell jokes.
0:18:42 > 0:18:47- I'd report back to Rhod - on what kind of audience to expect.
0:18:47 > 0:18:51- If there were any problems, I'd tell - him who and what to look out for.
0:18:52 > 0:18:56- You've also toured with your - own set. How was that experience?
0:18:59 > 0:19:03- It's nice performing - in front of your own audience.
0:19:04 > 0:19:08- You don't have to introduce yourself - at the start...
0:19:08 > 0:19:10- ..because people know you.
0:19:10 > 0:19:15- You don't have to work out what kind - of audience it is at the start.
0:19:15 > 0:19:20- You know they're there to see you - and that they share your humour.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23- You perform much better as a result.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26- That's the future, I think.
0:19:26 > 0:19:30- I'd like to come off the circuit, - but not completely...
0:19:30 > 0:19:35- ..because once you're off it, - it's difficult to get back on.
0:19:35 > 0:19:40- I have this recurring nightmare - about twice a week...
0:19:40 > 0:19:45- ..in which every television - and radio producer...
0:19:45 > 0:19:47- ..meet in a large room...
0:19:47 > 0:19:51- ..like the trade unions - used to do in the 1970s.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56- They're smoking fags and eating - cheese and tomato sandwiches...
0:19:56 > 0:20:01- ..and they decide, en masse, that - I don't have a career any more.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04- All the casting agents, directors...
0:20:04 > 0:20:07- ..and then I have to - go back on the circuit.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09- That's why I do the circuits.
0:20:09 > 0:20:14- Every time I get a call or an email - offering me radio or TV work...
0:20:14 > 0:20:17- ..I think, this is the last one.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20- Going out on a high. - This is the last one.
0:20:20 > 0:20:24- And then, the following day, - something else will turn up.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28- I can't believe - that it will always be like this.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32- If I look at someone - like Paul McCartney...
0:20:32 > 0:20:36- ..everything he did between - 1963 to 1970 was almost perfect.
0:20:37 > 0:20:41- But the stuff - he's recorded recently...
0:20:42 > 0:20:45- ..he's in his 70s, - and that's fine, fair enough.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47- He'll still be a genius...
0:20:47 > 0:20:50- ..but I think - when I become irrelevant...
0:20:50 > 0:20:56- ..after I've paid off the mortgage - and saved enough money to retire...
0:20:56 > 0:21:00- ..I can't turn down - any work that comes my way...
0:21:00 > 0:21:03- ..because I'm petrified - that it'll all end...
0:21:03 > 0:21:06- ..and I have to get an office job.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08- Oh, my God!
0:21:09 > 0:21:14- Many will be very happy that you've - decided to do stand-up in Welsh.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17- What were - your expectations about that?
0:21:17 > 0:21:20- I'd never done it before...
0:21:22 > 0:21:25- ..so I was worried - that I wouldn't be as good.
0:21:25 > 0:21:31- I've been doing this for 10 years - and done 3,000 gigs in English...
0:21:32 > 0:21:34- ..all over the world...
0:21:34 > 0:21:37- ..though Welsh - is my first language...
0:21:37 > 0:21:40- ..I thought, - what if this doesn't work?
0:21:40 > 0:21:43- I tried to think logically.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47- I used to tell jokes to my parents - and they thought I was funny...
0:21:47 > 0:21:49- ..as did my school friends.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52- It's just language - at the end of the day.
0:21:52 > 0:21:57- It's the same as discussing - mathematics or physics in Welsh.
0:21:57 > 0:22:03- There's no reason - why Welsh isn't very funny.
0:22:03 > 0:22:09- To begin with, the process - behind every show is the same.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12- The first preview is always rubbish.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15- The first gig in Machynlleth - went badly.
0:22:15 > 0:22:20- There was no dressing room, - so I stood behind the curtain...
0:22:20 > 0:22:23- ..and I could hear - what everyone was saying.
0:22:23 > 0:22:28- One said, "It's the first time - he's done it in Welsh, fair play."
0:22:28 > 0:22:31- "Yes, it's his first time, - so fair play to him."
0:22:31 > 0:22:35- They were all so nice. That - was worse than them being unkind.
0:22:36 > 0:22:41- They were like schoolteachers. "Fair - play to him, it's his first time."
0:22:41 > 0:22:45- At Felinfach, the sound man - knew the sound man in Machynlleth.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48- He said, "Are you ready for this?"
0:22:48 > 0:22:52- I said, "Yes. The show wasn't great - but it's getting there."
0:22:52 > 0:22:55- He said, - "Yes, I heard about Machynlleth.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00- "I know Twm, the sound man. - He said you were hopeless,
0:23:00 > 0:23:03- I said, "Oh. Thank you."
0:23:03 > 0:23:07- "Did he say that?" "Yes, - he phoned me the following day."
0:23:07 > 0:23:11- He said, "He's hopeless." - I said, "He's coming to Felinfach."
0:23:11 > 0:23:15- He said, "He's got a few months to - write some decent material, then."
0:23:16 > 0:23:20- I had to write a full hour - of brand new material...
0:23:20 > 0:23:23- ..in less than half the time - it would take...
0:23:24 > 0:23:28- ..to write a full hour - of brand new material in English...
0:23:28 > 0:23:32- ..because the way - I write new material...
0:23:32 > 0:23:36- ..is to come up with ideas and - try it out in front of an audience.
0:23:37 > 0:23:41- But there aren't enough gigs - in Welsh, so I did 13 previews.
0:23:41 > 0:23:45- If I did - an hour in English on BBC1...
0:23:46 > 0:23:49- ..I'd have done - 40 previews beforehand...
0:23:49 > 0:23:53- ..a full run in Edinburgh, - which is 30 nights, then a tour...
0:23:53 > 0:23:58- ..before finishing off doing - two nights at a London theatre.
0:23:58 > 0:24:02- You can edit both - to make one film and show that.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05- But I only had one shot in Cardiff.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09- I'd done 13 previews.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11- I couldn't speak after coming off.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15- It worked in the end - but it took a lot of adrenaline.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19- Has that given you confidence - with the English stuff?
0:24:19 > 0:24:25- No, because I'm convinced I'm more - funny in Welsh than I am in English.
0:24:25 > 0:24:29- I'm convinced I've been wasting time - over the past decade...
0:24:29 > 0:24:32- ..because my future is in Wales.
0:24:34 > 0:24:39- I wrote a set of about an hour - and 20 minutes in six weeks, really.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42- That was seven months ago.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45- Since then, I've written - five minutes in English.
0:24:50 > 0:24:50- .
0:24:53 > 0:24:53- Subtitles
0:24:53 > 0:24:55- Subtitles- - Subtitles
0:25:00 > 0:25:04- They say that people end up - with someone they work with...
0:25:04 > 0:25:09- ..so it was inevitable that - you'd end up with a fellow comedian.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11- I've worked it out.
0:25:11 > 0:25:15- For some people - it sounds like a nightmare.
0:25:15 > 0:25:20- It might be hard for people to - comprehend but I'm not competitive.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23- I'm not competitive - in the slightest.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26- My PE teacher at school - would say the same.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29- I don't care, really, - and she's the same.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32- Because we're in - slightly different fields...
0:25:33 > 0:25:35- ..we don't discuss the same things.
0:25:35 > 0:25:39- It's not as if something happens - with the baby and we both go...
0:25:40 > 0:25:42- .."Can I use that?"
0:25:42 > 0:25:45- Isy used one of my jokes - on Buzzcocks.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48- I watched it...
0:25:48 > 0:25:52- ..and she hadn't said anything - for five minutes.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55- That's completely normal - on television...
0:25:55 > 0:26:00- ..but for someone who's sitting - there in front of an audience...
0:26:00 > 0:26:02- ..you start to panic.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04- I could tell she was panicking.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09- She did one of my jokes about Noel - Edmonds and I thought it was fine.
0:26:10 > 0:26:15- If you do gigs and you go out with - someone who doesn't do comedy...
0:26:15 > 0:26:19- ..you turn up and you have to - introduce them to the comedians.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24- Perhaps the comedians aren't nice - if they're thinking about the set.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28- I don't have that problem with Isy - because they all know her.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30- It suits us perfectly.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34- Has having a child - changed your attitude to the work?
0:26:35 > 0:26:38- I did an advert for the first time.
0:26:39 > 0:26:43- I'd always been very Bill Hicksian - about doing adverts...
0:26:43 > 0:26:47- ..and I've been offered many - over the years...
0:26:47 > 0:26:50- ..but I always turned them down.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54- But then I was offered one - for a clothes shop and thought...
0:26:54 > 0:26:56- ..it's not the arms trade, is it?
0:26:58 > 0:27:02- I'm not selling scud missiles - to despotic regimes.
0:27:02 > 0:27:07- I thought - I was going to be in a sitcom.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10- I was down to the last two - but just missed out.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14- That meant - that I had no gigs booked...
0:27:14 > 0:27:18- ..because I was convinced - I'd done enough in the audition.
0:27:18 > 0:27:23- I had a gap in my schedule and I was - offered this thing, so I did it.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27- I'd never have done that - two years ago.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30- Do you think - you'll do stand-up forever?
0:27:30 > 0:27:32- Will you still perform in your 70s?
0:27:36 > 0:27:41- I like the idea that I'd still be - relevant enough to some people...
0:27:41 > 0:27:45- ..so that I could continue - doing stand-up at 70.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49- Then again, I feel less and less - relevant to the modern world...
0:27:50 > 0:27:52- ..with every passing day.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55- I really suited 1995 as a person.
0:27:55 > 0:28:00- The further back in time - 1995 becomes...
0:28:00 > 0:28:05- ..the more I worry about myself - as a stand-up.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08- Ardal O'Hanlon - has acted in a lot of things.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12- He still does - maybe three gigs a month.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17- He doesn't forget - what it's like to be on stage.
0:28:17 > 0:28:21- I get offered so many new things...
0:28:21 > 0:28:24- ..I can't say no to TV and radio.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26- I still do the circuit...
0:28:27 > 0:28:30- ..because from that - and from stand-up...
0:28:30 > 0:28:33- ..is where - everything originated.
0:28:33 > 0:28:37- I can't forget the fact - that I'm a stand-up at heart.
0:28:38 > 0:28:40- The oddest thing...
0:28:40 > 0:28:46- ..is thinking what I would've done - years ago in the 1970s, for example.
0:28:46 > 0:28:49- I won't be able to sleep, - thinking about this.
0:28:49 > 0:28:53- Tad-cu worked in a coalmine. - Imagine that.
0:28:53 > 0:28:58- But there were no stand-up circuits - in Cross Hands in 1948.
0:29:00 > 0:29:04- There was no circuit, - so what would I have done instead?
0:29:04 > 0:29:06- A collier? No way. A teacher? As if!
0:29:06 > 0:29:09- What were the chances? - I'd have been a draper.
0:29:10 > 0:29:12- A welder.
0:29:15 > 0:29:19- I've found something that suits me, - thank goodness. Oh, my God!
0:29:21 > 0:29:25- Elis James' acting career - is going from strength to strength.
0:29:26 > 0:29:30- He acts alongside Josh Widdicombe as - his best friend in the sitcom Josh.
0:29:30 > 0:29:34- Elis now acts with comedians - of Jack Dee's status.
0:29:34 > 0:29:37- This was - a very different show for him.
0:29:37 > 0:29:39- This was a second series.
0:29:44 > 0:29:47- The Josh sitcom - is filmed at the Twickenham Studios.
0:29:48 > 0:29:50- I'm not sure - which part of London it's in...
0:29:51 > 0:29:54- ..but I went - to search for Elis regardless.
0:29:55 > 0:29:57- ALARM WAILS
0:29:58 > 0:30:02- For some reason, the crew - had to clear the set urgently.
0:30:02 > 0:30:04- I don't know why.
0:30:04 > 0:30:08- Elis sneaked me on to an empty set - for a quick interview.
0:30:08 > 0:30:11- The set of Josh's flat - reminded me of my old flat.
0:30:11 > 0:30:13- I used to steal cameras too!
0:30:15 > 0:30:18- Many of the stains on the wall - were the same too.
0:30:19 > 0:30:23- At least they were by the end of the - day. I was only happy to contribute.
0:30:24 > 0:30:28- Elis suggested we go - to Josh's bedroom for the interview.
0:30:35 > 0:30:39- You obviously have to go through - the 'clyweliad' (audition) process.
0:30:39 > 0:30:42- It's very different from stand-up...
0:30:42 > 0:30:45- ..where the audience - judges you instantly.
0:30:46 > 0:30:49- You only get to hear afterwards. - What's that like?
0:30:49 > 0:30:51- What's a clyweliad?
0:30:51 > 0:30:53- What's a clyweliad?- - An audition.
0:30:53 > 0:30:55- I thought you meant an interview.
0:30:56 > 0:30:57- You thought I'd said it wrong!
0:30:57 > 0:31:00- You thought I'd said it wrong!- - Yes. I just thought I'd let it go!
0:31:02 > 0:31:05- The thing is with an audition...
0:31:05 > 0:31:09- ..I've found that - you get two shots at it in Britain.
0:31:09 > 0:31:11- You only get one shot in America.
0:31:12 > 0:31:16- I sat in on the audition process - for the first series of Josh.
0:31:21 > 0:31:24- The good thing about that was...
0:31:24 > 0:31:28- ..I found that it wasn't just - your acting skills that were judged.
0:31:28 > 0:31:33- If I didn't get a job, I'd think, - I'm rubbish, I'm such an idiot...
0:31:33 > 0:31:35- ..I'm the worst actor.
0:31:35 > 0:31:39- Maybe a girl who was playing - my girlfriend was too pretty.
0:31:39 > 0:31:43- It just wasn't convincing. - That actually happened.
0:31:43 > 0:31:46- "You'd never - get a girl like that, Elis."
0:31:46 > 0:31:49- We had to find a different actor.
0:31:49 > 0:31:55- I watched the show and I - couldn't argue with that point.
0:31:55 > 0:31:58- I can't change the way I look...
0:31:58 > 0:32:01- ..but I can change the way I act.
0:32:02 > 0:32:04- I did a chemistry read...
0:32:04 > 0:32:08- ..where you act with the person - who's already had the job...
0:32:08 > 0:32:10- ..to see if there's chemistry.
0:32:10 > 0:32:12- She was so pretty.
0:32:13 > 0:32:15- I just sat there going, huh!
0:32:15 > 0:32:17- It looked really unrealistic.
0:32:18 > 0:32:21- I felt much better - after that process...
0:32:22 > 0:32:24- ..because I knew - it wasn't all my fault.
0:32:25 > 0:32:27- Blame it on genetics!
0:32:27 > 0:32:31- Are you interested in playing - more serious acting roles...
0:32:31 > 0:32:34- ..or do you want to focus on comedy?
0:32:34 > 0:32:38- Focus on comedy, but maybe.
0:32:38 > 0:32:40- I've done a little bit...
0:32:40 > 0:32:44- ..but I don't know how I'd fare - playing serious roles.
0:32:44 > 0:32:47- I can't take anything seriously.
0:32:47 > 0:32:50- What was the serious role? - I'd like to see that.
0:32:50 > 0:32:52- What was it?
0:32:52 > 0:32:56- I've done - a couple of plays for Radio 4...
0:32:56 > 0:32:58- ..but I always try - to add a few jokes.
0:32:59 > 0:33:03- Sometimes they say, "Come on, El, - this is an abortion scene.
0:33:03 > 0:33:05- "There's no humour in it."
0:33:06 > 0:33:08- Oh, yes. Sorry. Yes. Yes. Sorry.
0:33:08 > 0:33:11- A little joke? "No, Elis!"
0:33:11 > 0:33:14- "It's an abortion scene!"
0:33:14 > 0:33:17- You're working - on more and more projects...
0:33:17 > 0:33:19- ..in front of two audiences now.
0:33:19 > 0:33:21- The viewers and the critics.
0:33:22 > 0:33:25- Is one more important - than the other for you?
0:33:25 > 0:33:27- I grew up reading the NME...
0:33:27 > 0:33:30- ..so I do actually worry - what the critics think.
0:33:31 > 0:33:35- As a teenager....
0:33:35 > 0:33:38- ..poring through - the NME and Melody Maker...
0:33:38 > 0:33:42- ..I loved reading - the best critics' columns.
0:33:42 > 0:33:45- In the back of my mind, - I always think they're right.
0:33:46 > 0:33:50- Is there something someone's written - about you which sticks in the mind?
0:33:50 > 0:33:55- Daily Mirror, 2010. "Elis is - relatively high profile in Wales.
0:33:55 > 0:33:58- "It beggars belief - on this performance."
0:34:00 > 0:34:04- You say perhaps these reviews - don't make a difference...
0:34:04 > 0:34:08- Can you go out through the hallway? - Thank you.
0:34:08 > 0:34:11- As the crew returned, - I thought it best I disappear...
0:34:11 > 0:34:14- ..rather than finish the question.
0:34:14 > 0:34:17- The crew agreed. Elis agreed too.
0:34:24 > 0:34:24- .
0:34:25 > 0:34:25- *
0:34:27 > 0:34:31- On the set of the Josh sitcom - I caught up with Elis James...
0:34:31 > 0:34:35- ..at the Twickenham Studios, - where the show's filmed.
0:34:35 > 0:34:38- I was sitting - with my back to the door.
0:34:38 > 0:34:43- The secret to a successful interview - is blocking the exits.
0:34:43 > 0:34:45- With a sitcom like this...
0:34:45 > 0:34:49- ..you're becoming - more and more well known.
0:34:49 > 0:34:53- Do you remember the first time - a stranger recognized you?
0:34:54 > 0:34:58- I did a show for new acts - in Edinburgh...
0:34:58 > 0:35:01- ..called the Comedy Zone in 2008...
0:35:01 > 0:35:04- ..and about a week after - she saw me doing the gig...
0:35:04 > 0:35:09- ..a young girl came up to me on the - street and asked for an autograph.
0:35:09 > 0:35:12- That didn't happen again - for another five years!
0:35:12 > 0:35:16- I remember thinking, this is it! - Here we go!
0:35:16 > 0:35:19- She was quite young...
0:35:20 > 0:35:24- ..so I think she thought I was - a lot more successful than I was.
0:35:24 > 0:35:26- It was a bit misleading.
0:35:26 > 0:35:28- It was a bit misleading.- - What about now?
0:35:28 > 0:35:32- Being in London, I suppose there are - lots of famous people around.
0:35:33 > 0:35:36- When Josh aired last year...
0:35:36 > 0:35:41- ..for the six weeks it was on TV, - I was recognized on the tube.
0:35:41 > 0:35:45- Sometimes people take a photo of you - and pretend they haven't.
0:35:45 > 0:35:49- But as soon as the programme ends, - it goes then.
0:35:49 > 0:35:52- I'm not so famous - that I can't catch a bus.
0:35:52 > 0:35:55- I'm not famous at all, really.
0:35:57 > 0:36:03- If I go to Edinburgh - and places like Machynlleth...
0:36:03 > 0:36:09- ..most are comedy fans and I might - get recognized there, but not often.
0:36:09 > 0:36:14- It doesn't ruin my life or anything. - I wouldn't want to be really famous.
0:36:15 > 0:36:19- I supported Steve Merchant - on his tour...
0:36:19 > 0:36:22- ..and Stephen's life...
0:36:22 > 0:36:26- ..is very different - from other people's lives...
0:36:27 > 0:36:31- ..and he's also very tall, so - he gets recognized all the time.
0:36:31 > 0:36:35- I wouldn't want to be recognized - buying milk!
0:36:36 > 0:36:41- Is yours a stand-up career - or a comedy career nowadays?
0:36:41 > 0:36:44- I'm a comedian. - I do a little stand-up.
0:36:44 > 0:36:48- I'm on the radio, Radio X, - as a comedian...
0:36:48 > 0:36:51- ..I do a little comedy acting - and I write comedy.
0:36:52 > 0:36:56- I love comedy. I don't understand - people who don't like comedy.
0:36:56 > 0:36:58- Some people - only like serious things.
0:36:59 > 0:37:03- Some people would prefer to watch - a programme about Anne Frank...
0:37:03 > 0:37:05- ..instead of The Simpsons.
0:37:05 > 0:37:10- I don't understand people who - finish work, go home and relax...
0:37:10 > 0:37:14- ..and watch a programme - about the Holocaust.
0:37:14 > 0:37:19- Some people say, - "I don't find comedy very funny."
0:37:19 > 0:37:24- I did stand-up - at a corporate event once.
0:37:24 > 0:37:26- It was a Christmas party...
0:37:26 > 0:37:30- ..for the Chartered Institute - of Waste Management.
0:37:30 > 0:37:34- The president's wife - came up to me and said...
0:37:34 > 0:37:36- .."What do you do at the Institute?"
0:37:37 > 0:37:39- I said, "I'm doing stand-up."
0:37:39 > 0:37:44- She said, "That's a shame - because I hate humour of all kinds."
0:37:46 > 0:37:48- I said, "Oh, sorry."
0:37:49 > 0:37:53- She said, "There is one humour - I like." "What is that humour?"
0:37:53 > 0:37:57- Her husband said, - "It'll Be Alright On The Night...
0:37:57 > 0:38:00- "..when the presenter - got pecked by turkeys."
0:38:00 > 0:38:04- She said, "Do you do that?" I said, - "No." She said, "Best of luck."
0:38:05 > 0:38:09- I bet a part of you - wanted to do a bit of that.
0:38:09 > 0:38:11- I don't do many corporates...
0:38:11 > 0:38:15- ..because my act - doesn't suit corporates.
0:38:16 > 0:38:18- You have to wear a suit...
0:38:18 > 0:38:22- ..and I don't look comfortable - doing stand-up in a suit.
0:38:22 > 0:38:25- It's not a comedy club...
0:38:25 > 0:38:28- ..and it's not about you - or comedy...
0:38:28 > 0:38:31- ..it's about work colleagues - having a party.
0:38:32 > 0:38:36- You have to be - a very special comedian...
0:38:36 > 0:38:39- ..to break in to that atmosphere...
0:38:39 > 0:38:42- ..because all they want to do - is talk about work.
0:38:43 > 0:38:46- I remember being booked - for one corporate.
0:38:47 > 0:38:50- I get 10 times more money - doing corporate...
0:38:50 > 0:38:53- ..than I would doing a normal gig.
0:38:53 > 0:38:55- That's hanging over your head.
0:38:56 > 0:39:01- You think, I want to do a good gig, - otherwise they might not pay me.
0:39:01 > 0:39:06- They might not have wanted to pay - this much but my agent's cut a deal.
0:39:06 > 0:39:08- You're far more nervous.
0:39:08 > 0:39:12- With the first one, I thought, - who's good at corporates?
0:39:12 > 0:39:17- Who's good at corporates? Lee Evans - must be good at corporates.
0:39:17 > 0:39:20- What does Lee Evans do? Slapstick.
0:39:20 > 0:39:25- I've never done slapstick in my life - but it just started snowing...
0:39:26 > 0:39:29- ..and they introduced me - and I walked on and said...
0:39:29 > 0:39:33- .."Imagine if I was - slipping and sliding on the ice."
0:39:33 > 0:39:37- It got absolutely nothing - because I'm not a slapstick act.
0:39:37 > 0:39:40- People were eating their food, - going, "Who's this guy?"
0:39:41 > 0:39:45- It was horrific. - It was such an odd choice.
0:39:45 > 0:39:50- I thought, I'm going to change - what I've been doing for 10 years...
0:39:50 > 0:39:54- ..and try something new in the most - high-pressure gig in my life.
0:39:54 > 0:39:58- It was horrific. I was paid - but it was a bit of a struggle.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02- You've talked a lot - about the financial side.
0:40:02 > 0:40:05- As a stand-up, you're a sole trader.
0:40:05 > 0:40:08- You're running your own business.
0:40:08 > 0:40:11- Were you shocked to discover that?
0:40:11 > 0:40:15- Yes, and I'd always worked - in offices with a PAYE system...
0:40:15 > 0:40:19- ..so nobody'd ever told me - how to do tax returns...
0:40:19 > 0:40:24- ..what an accountant did - or that I had to keep receipts.
0:40:24 > 0:40:27- It was chaos - for the first two years.
0:40:27 > 0:40:31- They were in late - because nobody'd told me.
0:40:32 > 0:40:36- Nobody could tell me because - I didn't know other comedians.
0:40:41 > 0:40:44- Because you create your own work...
0:40:44 > 0:40:49- This is going to look like - I'm showing off now...
0:40:50 > 0:40:54- ..but I'm doing this sitcom - and I'm also doing a documentary...
0:40:54 > 0:40:59- ..about football in Wales for Radio - 4 as well as lots of other things.
0:40:59 > 0:41:01- I'm flat out at the moment...
0:41:01 > 0:41:06- ..but a fortnight ago - I had circuit gigs in Brighton.
0:41:07 > 0:41:10- I'd agreed to those gigs - because before Christmas...
0:41:11 > 0:41:13- ..this month was empty - and I got scared.
0:41:14 > 0:41:17- I called this guy - and asked if there were any gaps...
0:41:17 > 0:41:20- ..and he said, "Four days in April," - so I said, "Brilliant."
0:41:21 > 0:41:23- As soon as April arrived...
0:41:23 > 0:41:27- ..the last thing I wanted to do - was go to Brighton to do gigs...
0:41:27 > 0:41:31- ..but it was too late - to let those people down.
0:41:31 > 0:41:34- It would've been unprofessional.
0:41:34 > 0:41:36- And also, - I did those gigs years ago.
0:41:37 > 0:41:41- After television and radio dries up, - which it will do...
0:41:41 > 0:41:46- ..because everything is cyclical, - I'll still be able to do those gigs.
0:41:46 > 0:41:48- They paid my rent five years ago.
0:41:49 > 0:41:53- I hope they'll pay my mortgage - in five years' time.
0:41:53 > 0:41:56- I was flat out...
0:41:56 > 0:42:01- ..but it felt wrong and - unprofessional to let them down.
0:42:01 > 0:42:03- I was tired.
0:42:03 > 0:42:09- For the next 40 years, - what would be your perfect career?
0:42:09 > 0:42:12- I'd love to write my own sitcom...
0:42:12 > 0:42:16- ..to be shown - on one of the big channels...
0:42:16 > 0:42:18- ..like Channel 4 or BBC1.
0:42:18 > 0:42:20- A sitcom I'd written...
0:42:21 > 0:42:24- ..and I'd cast myself - in the lead role.
0:42:25 > 0:42:28- What's been - the lowest point of your career?
0:42:28 > 0:42:32- There must be something you've done - where you've thought, "Oh!"
0:42:32 > 0:42:35- I've had loads of bad gigs.
0:42:36 > 0:42:40- I've had hundreds of gigs - where no-one's laughing.
0:42:40 > 0:42:42- Someone shouted at me once - in Bristol.
0:42:42 > 0:42:48- "You've lost control. You've lost - control and this needs to stop!"
0:42:48 > 0:42:53- But you have to make time for it, - don't you, so you can't stop.
0:42:53 > 0:42:58- I was the compere, - so I had to go back on.
0:42:58 > 0:43:02- It was an open spot night, - so there were eight acts.
0:43:02 > 0:43:04- I had to go back on 10 times.
0:43:04 > 0:43:08- As soon as I got back on stage and - picked up the mic from the stand...
0:43:09 > 0:43:12- ..people would turn away - and start chatting.
0:43:12 > 0:43:15- The time to have a chat - was when I walked on stage.
0:43:15 > 0:43:18- Not everyone had bad gigs.
0:43:18 > 0:43:21- The other lads - would have great gigs.
0:43:21 > 0:43:24- "I'll hand you back to your compere, - Elis James."
0:43:25 > 0:43:28- People'd say, - "It's the rubbish Welsh guy."
0:43:29 > 0:43:31- Hello!
0:43:31 > 0:43:33- IMITATES MIC FEEDBACK
0:43:33 > 0:43:37- Is this thing on? "You're rubbish!"
0:43:37 > 0:43:42- "Yep, well, I think it's time - for more comedy."
0:43:43 > 0:43:45- "Is that comedy?"
0:43:45 > 0:43:50- "Strictly speaking, yes, but it - isn't because you're not laughing.
0:43:50 > 0:43:53- "I'm contractually obliged to do..."
0:43:53 > 0:43:56- "Get on with it!" "OK."
0:43:56 > 0:43:59- I did a professional gig in Bristol.
0:43:59 > 0:44:04- Quite a big gig that pays well - about a year ago...
0:44:04 > 0:44:06- ..and the same thing happened.
0:44:06 > 0:44:10- Bristol Jongleurs, August.
0:44:10 > 0:44:12- You're meant to do 20 minutes...
0:44:13 > 0:44:17- ..and I raced through half an hour - in about 10 minutes.
0:44:18 > 0:44:22- I looked at my watch - and I'd done just about everything.
0:44:22 > 0:44:25- I heard a woman - in the front row saying...
0:44:25 > 0:44:29- .."No, he's got PlayStation. - Is Xbox the same as a PlayStation?"
0:44:29 > 0:44:32- I thought, - you're not even listening.
0:44:32 > 0:44:34- I was perspiring so much...
0:44:35 > 0:44:39- ..my shirt was soaking wet - and sticking to my back.
0:44:39 > 0:44:41- My mouth was so dry...
0:44:42 > 0:44:44- ..I couldn't lick my lips.
0:44:44 > 0:44:49- I couldn't go all the way around - because my lips were so dry.
0:44:49 > 0:44:52- I was trying to lick my lips.
0:44:52 > 0:44:57- Every time I opened my mouth, it - made a disgusting noise in the mic.
0:44:57 > 0:44:59- Anyway, um...
0:44:59 > 0:45:03- "Is an Xbox the same as - a PlayStation? He might have both.
0:45:04 > 0:45:06- "You'd know better than me."
0:45:06 > 0:45:08- "Anyway, er... um..."
0:45:10 > 0:45:13- "Get on with it!" "Yep, OK."
0:45:13 > 0:45:17- I did 12 minutes and then I said...
0:45:17 > 0:45:20- .."I think we've all seen enough."
0:45:20 > 0:45:24- I put the mic back in the stand - and the compere was in the loo...
0:45:24 > 0:45:27- ..so the stage was empty.
0:45:27 > 0:45:30- The compere ran out and went...
0:45:31 > 0:45:34- .."Elis, er, Elis James!"
0:45:34 > 0:45:37- You're a Welsh comedian in London.
0:45:38 > 0:45:41- Have you encountered - any anti-Welsh feeling...
0:45:41 > 0:45:43- ..or any contempt?
0:45:44 > 0:45:47- No. I think comedians in the 1990s - might've had it.
0:45:47 > 0:45:50- I think Noel James had it - at the start of his career.
0:45:51 > 0:45:54- Rhod Gilbert had it - and Rob Brydon too.
0:45:54 > 0:45:56- But by the time I started...
0:45:57 > 0:46:01- ..Rob, especially, - was quite a big star on television.
0:46:02 > 0:46:05- And Rhod too. - Rhod's from Carmarthen.
0:46:05 > 0:46:10- Those three - pioneered the way forward.
0:46:10 > 0:46:14- They changed a lot of those cliches.
0:46:14 > 0:46:19- I've never had anyone make bleating - noises at me on stage for 10 years.
0:46:20 > 0:46:21- So, Elis, are you happy?
0:46:21 > 0:46:23- So, Elis, are you happy?- - Yes, very happy.
0:46:24 > 0:46:27- If I wasn't a comedian...
0:46:27 > 0:46:30- ..and was back - working in an office...
0:46:30 > 0:46:34- ..I think I'd be unwell, actually.
0:46:34 > 0:46:37- I think I'd be ill with stress.
0:46:37 > 0:46:39- I couldn't really deal...
0:46:39 > 0:46:44- ..with any aspect of office life.
0:46:44 > 0:46:47- I'd probably work in a pub - or something.
0:46:48 > 0:46:50- I'd run a pub.
0:46:50 > 0:46:54- I was so ill-suited to office work.
0:46:56 > 0:47:02- I was going to bed unhappy...
0:47:02 > 0:47:04- ..and waking up even more unhappy.
0:47:05 > 0:47:08- I couldn't wait - for Friday afternoon.
0:47:08 > 0:47:10- Oh, my God!
0:47:11 > 0:47:13- I'm living the dream, really.
0:47:14 > 0:47:16- I'm not very ambitious, you see.
0:47:16 > 0:47:21- If you make a living from comedy, - then I think you've made it.
0:47:27 > 0:47:31- A day's filming at the Josh set - was almost over for Elis James.
0:47:31 > 0:47:33- I had one interview left.
0:47:33 > 0:47:37- I'd saved - the best questions till last.
0:47:37 > 0:47:40- The ones you really want to hear.
0:47:40 > 0:47:44- The stuff that'd make - the programme unforgettable.
0:47:44 > 0:47:48- This interview would be - the climax of the programme...
0:47:48 > 0:47:50- ..and possibly my career.
0:47:58 > 0:48:00- S4C Subtitles by Adnod Cyf.
0:48:00 > 0:48:00- .