Paul Foot: 'I just planned to be a very ordinary comedian'
There was a time when people were excited for the future, with visions of jetpacks, friendly robots, and solar-powered bidets. These days, that optimism seems to have vanished.
At least, that’s what comedian Paul Foot thinks. With his latest show The Future, he hopes to emphasise that the light hasn’t gone out, that even when things feel uncertain, optimism and wonder are still within reach.
His tour, in Leeds this month, is described as a surreal and uplifting exploration of that idea, delivered with eccentric observations.
“It struck me that as a society and as a species, in the last few years we seem to have lost our sense of optimism for the future,” 52-year-old Paul reflects.
“People used to really look forward to the future and there were TV programmes about how wonderful it would be.
"Now it feels like there’s just dread about the future - AI, climate change, and everything else. But I wanted a hopeful show with a message of some positivity.”
The show made its premiere at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this August, one of more than a dozen solo shows he has created during his more two-decade career in comedy.
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As well as his gigs, Paul, who has built a loyal cult following known as The Guild of Paul Foot Connoisseurs, makes regular TV appearances on the likes of Would I Lie To You?, Never Mind the Buzzcocks and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown.
He got into the industry quite by chance, encouraged to try out stand-up comedy whilst as a student at Oxford. “I was at university, doing a maths degree and people said you’re funny, you should go on stage,” he recalls.
“I thought I’d become an accountant and I thought that when I was an accountant it would be a nice anecdote to say to people that I once went on stage as a comedian. So I thought I’ll do it one time.
"When I did it, I was very nervous, it felt like my heart was going to stop the first time I went on stage but as soon as I did it, I thought that’s going to be my career.
"I immediately knew. And I told all my friends I was going to be a professional comedian...So I went into comedy, and showbusiness, on a whim.”
Paul finished his degree and started gigging at pubs and clubs on the circuit. “I’ve built a reputation as a surreal comedian and someone doing my own thing, different to other comedians, but I never planned any of that.
"I didn’t really understand the genre of stand-up comedy much when I started so I just did my own thing. Everyone kept saying you’re so different, you’ve got your own voice….I just planned to be a very ordinary comedian but I ended up not being a very ordinary comedian at all.”
- Paul Foot brings his show, The Future, to Leeds City Varieties on November 15, before dates in Knaresborough and Bradford in March. For tickets, visit www.paulfoot.tv/show-diary