Comedian Markus Birdman on suffering stroke and taking part in Britain's Got Talent

Markus Birdman is about to tour across the UK. Photo: Malinda Mukuma

Published 24th Aug 2023, 11:50 BST

Birdman was coming to terms with the permanent loss of half of his eyesight when one night, he made his way to the toilet and sat down, unable to see the other man who was already sitting there.

His latest touring show, Platinum, draws on his stroke experience, with anecdotes like the above bringing humour to a serious topic.

"I’m trying to talk about the stroke in an honest and respectful way. The show’s not all about that and it doesn’t sound like the funniest of topics but I promise you it is...

"My comedy has always been autobiographical – I don’t make stuff up for a laugh, it’s always about my life.”

Before his comedy career, art school graduate Birdman was a graffiti artist, muralist, performance poet and musician in a band.

"You have to be very good at stand up to get paid but if you are very good at it, you can get paid which I don’t think you can say about some of the other art forms,” he says.

Birdman recently impressed judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and Bruno Tonioli on the latest series of Britain’s Got Talent, reaching the semi-finals of the show.

"It’s a very weird controlled environment. I’m really pleased I did it and grateful for the opportunity to get that much exposure on a grand scale,” he reflects.

"But it’s a shame it’s such a big machine – I felt my act and my personality was not entirely what they were interested in.”

Now though, his focus is on his tour, kicking off on September 1. After having his second stroke, a decade after the first, it felt natural to start writing about what had happened.

The first one was “quite mild” he says. “I make a joke out of this in the show and I’m slightly embarrassed but I genuinely thought it was a bad hangover.

"I was 40 at the time and the last thing on my list of things that might be wrong with me was a stroke. To find out it was that was quite remarkable.”

Second time around, the impact was greater. "It took a lot more to get through this time,” Birdman says. “But if something dramatic happens to you it’s about getting back on the horse and overcoming that, looking at the positives.”

He hopes that message can be taken away from the tour. "I hope people enjoy a good hour of comedy – that’s first and foremost. I’m there to entertain and make people laugh.

“That said, there is a serious scene to it and I think if people can come away having felt it was a man talking about being human and the frailties and ups and downs of that, that’s part of it. It has a heart and soul does the show.”

Markus Birdman is at Bradford Studio Theatre on September 27, Coliseum Centre Whitby on October 27 and Forum, Northallerton on November 11. Tickets at www.markusbirdmantour.com.