Jack Whitehall has just stepped off a stage in Leeds, just one show in yet another sold-out UK arena tour for the English comedian. “It’s a venue I’ve played in before,” he says. “Last time we had pyrotechnics that went wrong and the stage set fire – we nearly had to evacuate the building!"
“This time we had a big ending where I end up flying – the magnet broke when I was on stage – it’s a fun venue!”
It’s all fun and games for Jack, and it has been for quite some time. For more than ten years, Jack has been a permanent fixture on the British comedy circuit, his huge popularity resulting in panellist stints on game shows, a Netflix comedy documentary 'Jack Whitehall: Travels With My Father', not to mention becoming the youngest ever host of the Royal Variety Performance in 2015.
It’s a thrill to have watched Jack’s career advance, and for the strength of his live stand-up to, well, not 'mature', it would be bad for a comedian to be mature. . . Wouldn’t it?
“Definitely, I’ve not matured,” Jack titters. “When I watch back on shows like 'Graham Norton' [where he guest-hosted], I find it very weird because I did a lot of growing up on TV.”
“I started to get into a lot of shows when I was quite young and therefore, quite raw. I find it odd to watch old TV appearances because I find I have developed quite a lot, definitely developed my act, and feel a little more at home on those chat shows.”
Jack has indeed appeared on a lot of comedy-based shows in Britain – '8 Out Of 10 Cats', 'Stand Up For The Week', 'Mock The Week', 'Never Mind The Buzzcocks' – all alongside some impeccable comedic greats like Jimmy Carr, Sean Lock, James Corden. . . And many of these shows have meant Jack’s exposure to a wide variety of talent and styles.
Even this far into his career, Jack still feels his peers have an impression on his own work and how he presents his comedy. “I think I’ve always tried to present myself as someone who doesn’t take himself too seriously,” he says, “and I’ve always been quite self-deprecating. It happens to be that I’m always posh and privileged and a comedian of quite high [social] status, so I always try to undercut that and make sure I’m the butt of all jokes.
“I think of myself as quite fun and silly – I don’t really like to talk about politics and other serious issues. If you come to my shows you definitely won’t be disappointed; I like big fun silly humour and escapism comedy rather than putting a mirror up to society.
“I’ve always been more attracted to comedians that are quite silly – Robin Williams, Jim Carrey – people like that were my heroes growing up. I enjoy that tone of comedy more, so have tried to maintain that throughout my career.”
It’s interesting to hear Jack describe his brand of comedy as escapism, because one thing that is certainly entertaining about his stand-up is his accents and impersonations of other cultures and whatnot.
It’s all very clever, especially when he’s coupled those performances with anecdotes about Hollywood actor Robert Pattinson, being at high school together and him always getting the more theatrical roles over Jack. In some ways, Jack has generated a universe of his own so that he is able to take himself out of his native country, come to Australia, for example, and still be understood because of that theatrical element to his work. “I like to think so,” he says. “I love having theatre in my performance, having physical moments can translate really well and can be funny anywhere.
“And then I have recurring motifs that always kind of creep in, lots of autobiographical stories about me falling flat on my face, and I think the audiences have come to expect that kind of thing now. That’s always the kind of story that should be encouraged.”
Of course, there’s an aspect to Jack that is hard to overlook, that of being more the middle-class Brit and, as is no secret, Jack pokes fun at his own poshness. He’s coming to Australia in February, land of the bogan, as part of his worldwide ‘Stood Up’ tour. How does Jack adapt not only his show, but himself, to English-speaking countries that aren’t necessarily a part of a class system? “It’s something I’ve had to do in America,” he says. “The class thing is less of a factor in America – what I’ve found in England is comedians talk about class and in America they talk about race.
“Class, they kind of embrace it, but in time, the fact that I’m English became the angle. Being an outsider, the English gentleman character in America. Whereas in England I was the upper-class toff who was the outsider because I was posh.”
It sounds like an interesting character to play, but of course, those of us who know Jack’s work know in fact that is actually a large part of his life.
“I think in America or Australia, people understand that character, that cartoon character I paint of myself which is a funny, aloof, idiotic English gent.”
There’s an endearing aspect there that has allowed Jack to crossover into multifaceted platforms to further exude his creative ideas. Television, film, the stage, and of course, those wild quiz shows – there’s seemingly no end to Jack’s talents or ambitions. “I do find myself dragged back to stand-up,” Jack reasons.
“It’s very hard to replace the drug of doing live stand-up and having that reaction and relationship with an audience.”
Jack Whitehall Tour Dates
5 February – AEC Theatre (Adelaide)6 February – Newcastle Civic Theatre
7 February – First State Super Theatre (Sydney)
8 February – Brisbane Entertainment Centre
9 February – Plenary (Melbourne)
11 February – RAC Arena (Perth)
