This month the Lantern Theatre in Liverpool plays host not to just one comic satirist but two. Alongside Lee Camp from the United States is Nick Revell, a man who Time Out in 2012 gave the ultimate accolade of ‘Master Satirist’ to and who will be joining forces for two nights of comedy titled Transatlantic Fury. This special night of comedy is one to savour as Nick Revell’s pedigree is one that very few can top.
Nick started out as a writer on shows such as Radio 2’s The News Huddlines and the smash hit television programme Not The Nine O’ Clock News which starred the young Rowan Atkinson, Pamela Stephenson, Mel Smith and Griff Ryhs Jones. A consummate writer and performer, his list of credits are mesmerising. Aside from the two aforementioned programmes his writing has appeared on the classic satirical news comedy Drop the Dead Donkey, Dave Allen, Three of a Kind, Rory Bremner and The Million Pound Radio Show.
The temptation to listen to the man talk about these parts of his life for hours is something that needs to forced away. As ever when getting hold of someone for an interview ahead of a production or gig, the precious time they spend willingly talking to you is not to be taken lightly. I was able to catch up with Mr. Revell ahead of the Transatlantic Fury tour which begins in earnest on May 2nd in Sheffield before it comes to Liverpool on May 16th and 17th.
For anyone who hasn’t seen your stand-up shows what should they expect when they come along to the Lantern Theatre?
Nick: “Well hopefully some good jokes (laughs), which is the short answer obviously. A lot of the stuff at the gigs will be topical and political. I don’t always do exclusively a political or topical show but on this double headed tour I will be concentrating on current events and throwing a lot of satire out there, hopefully with some thought and interesting angles behind it and not necessarily grinding a particular political axe. Both Lee and I are both pretty Liberal Left leaning out of instinct and thought but certainly I like to have a go across the board if I see a target that’s worth having a go at and certainly don’t have any absolutes, generally and overall sceptical, that’s the sort of angle. So sceptical and satirical would be my key words I think.”
Would you say with the times we live in that truly good satire comes from the times that people live in and that the last five years have proved that?
Nick: “Yes I think so. I suppose peoples appetites for satirical stuff is to a large extent governed by how much big events in the world have an active and direct effect on people’s lives. To a certain extent if the economy was having a certain amount of economic success and comfort, then people don’t necessarily have the same appetite for hearing about stuff but I suppose if you look at the last… well ten years really, the Iraq War and the last five years with the financial crash and I think big global problems and issues are having a more direct impact on people’s lives.
There are two ways people can react; a lot of people react by putting their head under the covers which can be extremely attractive and do a bit of an ostrich impression or people start asking questions and want to discuss it, perhaps that is a comfort thing as well, you know if I’m laughing at it then using my pain people might walk away with a bit more political commitment themselves. When the big issues start having more effect on people’s lives then they start paying more attention to the front pages as it were.”
What do you think it will be like working alongside Lee on stage?
Nick: “It will be the first time we have done a stand-up tour together. I have worked with him on a topical show I do called No Pressure To Be Funny, a topical panel show where we have a mixture of comedians, politicians, journalists trying to be funny but not exclusively which is great as he has got that passionate interest in political things and being from the United States he has a slightly different take and perspective on things. He is also of a different generation, he’s what 20 years younger than me so whilst we have common interests there is this nice difference as well and we got on very well on and off stage so I am really looking forward to it.
I think our styles will complement each other, he is a bit more energetic (laughs) and I think that characterises the way he writes as well, I am probably a bit more, I am slower paced and he is more high energy all the time, it will be a good balance. I think off stage it will be great as we have plenty of journeys in which to have long conversations or pretend we are asleep after we are bored each other. I think it will be fun.”
It is a punishing schedule that is drawn up for the tour.
Nick: “Yes, he is over here for about three weeks and we have got 17 gigs together in that time and it is quite hastily put together so we are pleased that we got that many shows and any other one has come in since which is Ireland after the Liverpool and Manchester shows. It is pretty full on but it’s very pleasing to pack that much into a short space of time.”
It is great that you are doing two nights at the Lantern Theatre as the people of the city have this absolute unique sense of humour wrapped up in their psyche.
Nick: “Absolutely, there is also a lot of political commitment and sensitivity in the city as well. I always look forward to playing there.”
For older fans of yours also, you were part of the great team behind radio’s The News Huddlines which starred the great Roy Hudd, Chris Emmett, June Whitfield and Alison Steadman. Do you think the time working on the show was
good grounding for you?
Nick: “It was a lovely show to work on as Roy is such a great personality and a generous, joyous person to work with as indeed were Chris and Alison when I was working on it and June Whitfield as well. It was a joy to work for people of that talent. What I liked about the show was that there was political satire in there but it was also a mainstream Radio 2 show with an audience and the trick was to try and write stuff that was accessible but also had some kind of satirical bite in it. I used to love the way we would do a very broad silly joke or a piece of outrageous innuendo and in the next line would be this satirical biting piece. I really, really enjoyed it, not only because of the experience of working with those kind of people but for that challenge of making those two comic elements come together. It was a real joy to do you know.”
Do you think radio and television, things such as Not The Nine O’ Clock News, The News Huddlines and the programmes you have done with Andy Hamilton harder to do than standing up infront of an audience of a couple of hundred people?
Nick: “Well I think they both pose different kind of problems. When you are working on a radio or television series then the hard thing is you have so much material to produce and the whole exercise can be quite challenging in itself, doing rehearsals, being in recordings, doing the material and so on. On the other hand you have a bit more licence really with sketches and sit-com because you have a little bit of narrative and a little more patience with the material. Whereas with the stand-up you so naked just being there on your own. The gags and the routines have to be sharper and tighter. Stand-up has higher demands really, it is more intense.
Ian D. Hall