Paul McCaffrey is a stand up comedian with an abundance of live circuit experience, having performed all over the UK. He has also appeared on TV as one of the Impractical Jokers on BBC3, and performed the stand up spot on Russell Howard’s Good News. We spoke to Paul about his upcoming UK tour, I Thought I’d Have Grown Out Of This By Now, which will be visiting Cardiff’s Glee Club in March.
Hey Paul, how are you?
I’m very well thank you. Just back off Holiday and ready to take on 2019. Really excited for my first tour!
What is the premise of your new show, I Thought I’d Have Grown Out Of This By Now?
It’s essentially a mix of my favourite bits from my Edinburgh shows to date as it’s my first ever tour, a ‘best of’ I guess. The majority of the show will be from a show I did in 2012 called ‘Pills ‘n’ Thrills and Belly Laughs’ which was about some friends and I going to a festival 20 years on from our first ever festival when we were older (too old) and wiser (not wise enough to realise this was a bad idea).
What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced while crafting this latest show?
I guess what material to use and what to leave out. I’m very lucky to be in a position where I have more material than I need but it’s my first tour so I want it to be as good as possible.
Do you find you have a typical audience member or is your audience very diverse?
We’ll see, but I think my act is pretty accessible and I’d like to think anyone would enjoy it.
How do you tend to find your Cardiff audiences? Are you looking forward to playing our Glee Club in March?
I’ve always loved playing at the Glee Club on the weekend shows, it’s one of the best clubs in the country. I was at the Motorpoint Arena in November supporting Kevin Bridges and it was absolutely amazing. The last time I’d been in there was to watch Liam Gallagher so to get to perform on that stage myself was pretty cool. My mum is also Welsh so I definitely have a lot of love for Wales. I used to spend my summer holidays in Crickhowell as a kid and I have very fond memories of those times.
What would you like people to take away from your show; what do you want them to particularly remember?
I’d just like them to have a great evening really, nothing more than that, lots of big laughs and hopefully start to build and audience that will want to come out and see me again and again. I’ve spent a good few years headlining the various pubs and clubs on the circuit and supporting some of the biggest acts in the UK (Sean Lock, Lee Mack, Kevin Bridges) and would now like to step up a level and become a touring act myself.
What are your hopes for the next twelve months?
Just to keep improving as a comic and to hopefully get some more opportunities on TV. I would love to do Live at the Apollo and The Royal Variety Show particularly. Hopefully if I keep working and making audiences laugh, that will come. I’m heading up to the Edinburgh Festival again this year. I’m looking forward to that and I have an exciting radio project which is about to start which should be announced very soon.
Paul McCaffrey plays Cardiff Glee on Wednesday, 20 March.
Words by Becca Moody
