Dave Gorman is the double BAFTA Award winning writer for the Mrs Merton Show. He has also produced two Channel 5 series for Jenny Eclair. Along with this, he is also an excellent stand-up comedian in his own right, and has made appearances on The Stand Up Show (BBC) and the Comedy Network (Ch5/Paramount). He performs on the London circuit regularly and takes an hour long show to the Edinburgh Fringe every year. He has just completed production on his own BBC2 television series, to be broadcast at the beginning of 2001. Is there any end to this man's talent? The Comedy Lounge interviewed him in 1999 using the information super-net and this is what he typed with his own hands.

What makes you want to make people laugh?

Tricky one. I don't know. Who wouldn't like it? I like it when people make me laugh. When you're with your mates and you make them laugh you feel pretty good about yourself for about 15 seconds. Well, that's what makes me want to do it.

Do you ever regret going into comedy?

Never. Well, occasionally when I'm sitting in a drafty old dressing room waiting to go on stage and perform in front of 7 students who are more interested in the beer promotion... but then only for a tiny moment.

Who makes you laugh and who are your heroes?

I love Morecambe & Wise and Tommy Cooper and Jacques Tati. On the circuit today would pay to see Al Murray or Stewart Lee. But I don't have to so I don't. Which is nice. I recently saw an American act called Andy Kindler who I thought was great.

What is your favourite routine / joke that you do?

The two things I'm proudest of are my Edinburgh shows for this year and last. They aren't stand-up shows as such so they don't break down into routines or jokes. 1998's show was entirely based on the Ian Dury song Reasons To Be Cheerful. This year (Dave Gorman's Better World) I started an anonymous letter writing campaign to newspapers requesting ideas that 'would make the world a better place'. Whatever people asked of me, I did. The show is the story of what happened. Each one is essentially an hour long story but, as well as being the truest, most personal and weirdest things I've done they seem to be the best received by audiences across the board. I'm just childishly proud of them because no-one else does anything like it and so it's mine.

Have you ever said or done anything on stage that you really regretted?

Twice I've split up couples. Once in Bradford, once in Nottingham. It happened the same way both times. A man starts heckling me. I deal with it. Instead of cutting his losses and giving in he fights on. He ends up looking a complete arse, losing his temper and storming out. His girlfriend refuses to leave saying she doesn't like what she's just discovered about him and that's that. It's weird and particularly weird that it's happened twice.

You have worked on a lot of shows as writer / producer where the people who front the show have received a lot of attention and critical acclaim would you like to star in your own show and have that level of fame?

Not particularly. I thoroughly enjoy the work I do as a writer and producer and certainly never resent the attention that is given to others involved. I give my e-mail address to every audience that sees either Reasons To Be Cheerful or Better World and have a lot of contact with punters that way. It has been unfailingly friendly, but I don't think I would enjoy the attention of actual 'walking down the street' fame. I want to do good stuff. I'd love to make a really good TV show but I have no great desire to be on telly for it's own sake. If I achieve everything I would like to then I would end up 'famous' but that isn't my motivation. People who just want to be famous full stop end up doing anything. Poor old Geri Haliwell hates being famous but doesn't know how to give it up because it's all she ever wanted.

Describe the best and worst things about performing for a month in Edinburgh.

The best thing is that you can experiment. I can't think of another place that would let me create the shows I have. Even though other venues want the shows after the festival, they don't before. The worst thing? There's normally some unpleasantness between a couple of acts borne out of paranoia, intensity and the totally skewed sense of priorities that consumes the place for the duration.

What are your plans for the future?

More of the same.

www.davegorman.com

Photo (c) Avalon