A veritable Doctor Doolittle of Funniness is Heading to the Fringe

Hello Ryan, first things first, where are you from & where are you at, geographically speaking?
Hey Mumble! I was born in Berkshire, a small town called Bracknell but let’s just go with, “near Reading”. Now I am living in the big city…..London.

When did you first realise you could make people laugh?
Hmm I guess, and this may sound typical of a comedian, but in school. I always enjoyed being the funny one or trying to make people laugh – however that is very different to doing it on stage. It took me a good few years to properly work out how to write stories & jokes for stage.

Which comedians have inspired you; both old skool & contemporary?
Growing up I used to watch the comedy my Dad watched. This meant I grew up on Tommy Cooper, Morcombe & Wise, Lee Evans & Jack Dee. These were the kind of comedians that first got my attention of how fun it was to make people laugh. Later down the line & the more I watched, comedians such as Lee Mack, Dara O’Brien & Bill Connolly. I enjoyed a mixture of the style of story telling & quick wit that these comedians delivered.

What does your perfect Sunday afternoon look like?
Oh easy. Starting with coffee & pancakes at home. Head out for a long walk somewhere with plenty of wildlife & nature. Then a few Guinness’s in a local pub with some good company. BLISS!

What does your mum think of all this performing malarkey?
I can quote her now. “Oh I love it, however I wish he didn’t have to swear as much as he does.” Mum is proud though, despite the use of crude language.

If your comedy style was a soup, what would be the key ingredients?
Right, first of all I need a story. A base line, like somewhere to start. I guess they would be the onions?
Once I have that I need to add some good analogies & descriptive terms to really set the scene. That would be the sweet potato & tomatoes. I’d practice it again & again, on stage & off. This would be frying it all off.
Once I know the structure of the story, I’d add the jokes & ending. The twist or the main punchline. It has to be the reward to the audience for them sticking with you……this would be the stock. Once it’s all set it, I’ve got myself a new story for stage (or a delicious soup).

You are a regular on the London comedy circuit, how are you finding it?
It’s great. London has a great selection of clubs, all with a variety of audiences. It can take a while to work your way into a club, I’d say that’s the hardest part. Closely followed by keeping the standard up. You’re only as good as your last gig so in one city like London, you have to be on it each time you walk out on stage.

Can you tell us about your life away from comedy?
It can be summed up by one word. DOGS. I run a dog daycare company in North London. Monday – Friday, 9am-3pm, I am hanging out with 8-10 dogs at Hampstead Heath. It’s great & a wonderful business to have on the side of something like stand up comedy. Keeps you fit, fresh & happy. Aside from that you can find me anywhere you can find wildlife, at home baking or somewhere with a Guinness in my hand.

You’re performing at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe; what are you bringing to the table?
I’m so excited to be performing my debut show, When Nature Calls. I’m bringing a new voice & a show by someone with unique experience. There’s stories in this show that comedians would have never experienced, such as life as zoo keeper & getting bitten by all sorts.

The Mumble’s dog, Daisy, makes us laugh a lot – but is there any humour in other animals?
Animals are either 1 of 3 things. Cute, interesting or absolutely hilarious & often all 3 of these things. An example of this would be the following facts:
– approx 50% of Orangutans have fractured bones purely from falling out of trees on a regular basis.
– Frogs can’t vomit, in a scenario where they absolutely have to, they will vomit their entire stomach.
– Kangeroos can’t fart.
The natural world is full of humour.

What is the ultimate message of your show?
That we all need to listen to the planet. We all need go back & connect with the natural world again. We all need to stop pretending the environment is another country & realise that the ground we walk on, is also part of the environment…….sorry to get deep there.

You’ve got 20 seconds to sell When Nature Calls to somebody in the streets of Edinburgh, what would you say?
If you love animals & struggle to tolerate people, this show is for you.