Who made you laugh when you were a child?
My dad. A fairly serious man when he was out and about but at home something of a prankster. One April Fool’s day when I was about seven he gave my mum a number and asked her to phone a Mr Fox. Needless to say it was the zoo. Not very sophisticated humour but just about the funniest thing I’d heard at that point in my life.
When did you first realise you could make people laugh?
I could never remember proper jokes and would usually butcher them. But I was always a bit of a storyteller, entertaining my mother and aunt with endless stories about my imaginary friend James.
Aged 14 or 15 I came out of my shell a bit and realised I could make people laugh. My real friend (also called James) used to genuinely wet himself thanks to things I'd say and do. That was a great inspiration to keep going. Just before I left school I entered the annual debate, and managed to make boys and teachers laugh. It was a great feeling and a seed was definitely planted that afternoon.
What made you laugh on TV?
We didn’t watch a huge amount of television growing up. It was bad for you, bad for your eyes, bad for your morals. But I loved Laurel And Hardy and later I marvelled at people like Dave Allen and the newer generation epitomised by The Young Ones.
Ever delivered a gag that bombed?
The worst gig ever was in a cinema complex in Basildon, Essex. I was given a plug-in mic and told to go into the corner of the lobby while people were going in and out of cinemas. Not one person listened or even looked around to hear where the fuzzy noise was coming from. A fairly soul-destroying and misguided venture but I suppose it makes you stronger.
How do you get along with hecklers?
Surprisingly, heckling is not actually a big feature of stand-up shows these days. It’s certainly not an art form. In clubs you might get a barely coherent drunken outburst or a bit of good-natured banter, usually initiated by the comedian.
Do people you meet at parties expect you to be hilarious? Depends on the circumstances. Amongst family and friends I suppose I would be regarded as reasonably funny but I don’t feel I have to be funny all the time. When I’m out and about I’d be fairly reserved until the moment is right.
Is everything fair game in comedy?
In the right hands, yes. I’m a big fan of Frankie Boyle. There’s a fierce political intelligence behind almost everything he does. He has conviction. Whereas there’s nothing more tedious than people making gratuitously offensive jokes about so-called taboo subjects to get a cheap laugh.
Ever made a really inappropriate joke?
Most nights, you’d say something that would be inappropriate to someone. It’s not hard to offend people. It’s a live, edgy medium so occasionally something will slip out that you might regret later.
Was Father Ted as funny to work on as it is to watch?
Always great fun to work on, great cast, great crew, great scripts.
Tell us about working with Frank Kelly (Father Jack), who has sadly died?
Frank used to say it was lonely on set. Due to the hideous make-up he had to wear, nobody would come near him. But he was a valued member of the team. I used to watch him on a satirical show in Ireland as a kid, so it was quite a novelty working with him at first. He was always a great man for stories, filthy limericks, songs and banter.
The real Frank liked his whiskey and a good argument too but used a few more syllables than Fr Jack. He was a well-rounded, multi-talented man, devoted to his large family.
Who is your comedy hero?
I quite like hipster American comedian Reggie Watts at the moment probably because he is so unlike me. He’s incredibly surreal, uses technology to create amazing soundscapes, and has a great singing voice. Roy Keane can be really, really funny. It may not come across on television but I saw him action at a public event recently and he brought the house down.
How do you write your material?
I always have a notebook or piece of paper to hand but do spend a couple of hours most days in an office pacing back and forth trying to force the good stuff out of my head.
When you're feeling down, what's the trick to getting on-stage and acting funny?
You always have to motivate yourself, even when you’re in a good mood. There have of course been times when you’re bereaved or in some sort of trouble when you have to dig very deep. With TV shows or theatre you get through with support of colleagues. Stand-up is actually quite therapeutic for the performer (and hopefully for audiences as well). Stand-up is personal. It’s usually OK to bring whatever emotion you have with you onto the stage. It can make for a richer show.
You're playing the Glasgow International Comedy Festival next month. Who's your favourite Scottish comedian?
I like Frankie Boyle, Fred McAuley, vintage Phil Kay, Kevin Bridges. Scottish comedians tend to be admirably no-nonsense and get to the point (with the exception of Phil Kay who is purely nonsense with no point). I’m also a big fan of Scottish-based Irish comedian Michael Redmond.
Tell us a joke
On Irish weather: I was playing darts in a pub the other night. The match was abandoned due to fog.
Ardal O'Hanlon plays the King's Theatre, Glasgow on Wednesday, March 23 at 7.30pm as part of the Glasgow International Comedy Festival. The Sunday Herald is the festival's media partner. For programme and tickets visit http://www.glasgowcomedyfestival.com
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here