This piece originally appeared on the website of the Leicester Mercury.
A lot of interviews retrospectively discuss the point where a comedian’s career became serious, but Jack Campbell is right in the middle of it.
The De Montfort University graduate began performing stand-up with DMU Comedy Society – a world away from the comparatively hostile open mic nights where many comedy careers begin. During his first Dave’s Leicester Comedy Festival in 2012, he realised what a high quantity and quality of shows and venues Leicester has to offer.
In 2014, Jack was crowned ‘English Comedian of the Year.’ He can’t tell if this has impacted his career as he doesn’t know what would have happened if he hadn’t won it. “It sounds a lot better than it’s actually worth. You can put that on the poster and it looks impressive.”
Jack is debuting Is This The Best Of Jack Campbell?, his first hour-long solo show, at Dave’s Leicester Comedy Festival 2015. The material has been building up over the last two years. It’s difficult to put together a show which isn’t fragmented because Jack’s been performing between five and twenty minute sets. He also has to force himself to perform new material: ‘I’m gigging places I haven’t gigged before and I want to do well so I do the best stuff.’
In March, Jack will be performing at Australia’s Adelaide Fringe Festival. He’s not there to sightsee though, he’s there to work: “I like the slog of it, the hard work that goes into it.” There are jokes which won’t transfer to an Australian audience, but he relishes the challenge: “You have to explain what Center Parcs is to someone who’s never experienced it and then you start to realise what a ridiculous thing Center Parcs is.”
Despite all these opportunities, Jack has his feet firmly on the ground. His goal is to earn enough to stop doing voiceovers for estate agents, move out of his Mum’s house and do stand-up full time: “I just want to be middle of the road. For now, I’ll just keep gigging until I’m established and part of my reward for driving to nowhere for no money is respect.”
Is This The Best Of Jack Campbell is on
the 5th of February at the Crumblin’
Cookie. Follow @YourBoyJC on Twitter for more information.